Chocolate filled buttermilk pancakes represent the perfect balance of tangy and sweet for me. While pancakes topped with chocolate sauce are certainly good, nothing beats a liquid gooey chocolate centre. Why stop at chocolate? Filled with peanut butter or caramel or fruit or jam, they are also delicious.

 

I sometimes feel like I am on a one woman campaign to advocate for buttermilk. It is creamy and tangy and adds the perfect note to sweet and savoury dishes. I love it in brown bread, red velvet cakes, scones and mashed potatoes. Buttermilk suffers from the assumption that it is full of fat. It is, in fact, far lower in fat than milk, as it is what is left after the butter is churned and removed. Buttermilk is generally thick and rich as it is cultured, much like yogurt. Yoghurt mixed with milk is a good substitute if you can’t get your hands on buttermilk. I like thick cultured buttermilk, but you can sometimes get traditional buttermilk that is literally what is left after the butter is made. This is a thinner liquid but still tangy and delicious!

I love shopping in Ikea, and seeing as I don’t own a house, it’s great fun to get to try out their kitchens! I did a cookery demo there yesterday. Doing a cookery demo that tries to tempt in shoppers (maybe giving them a little break) was really enjoyable and it was lovely to meet so many people. Given the weekend that was in it, I did some romantic chocolate options with Ikea heart shaped waffles and, of course, pancakes. These pancakes proved really popular, giving people some new ideas for their Pancake Tuesday Celebrations….and maybe even some romance for the day that was in it!

Buttermilk Batter

200 grams of plain flour (Gluten free works well)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon of bread soda/bicarbonate of soda

1 egg

275ml buttermilk (This works for thick buttermilk, but use a bit less if your buttermilk is thinner)

Savoury variation

Replace half the flour with cooked mashed potatoes. Add a tablespoons of freshly chopped scallions or spring onions, or fresh herbs if you wish. Prepare as below. These are nice topped with sour cream and salmon, but can be filled with grated cheese or finely chopped cooked meat. Also delicious served with scrambled eggs!

Fillings

Squares of chocolate

Jam

Thin slices of fruit

Peanut butter (or other nut butters)

Chocolate Spread

Caramel sweets

Use your imagination

Making the batter

Sieve or thoroughly mix the flour, bread soda and salt in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to make a hole or well in the centre of the flour.

Break an egg into this well. Break it up with the wooden spoon and stir small bits of flour into the egg until it forms a thick paste.

Gradually add the buttermilk to the mix, pulling in more and more flour as your mix. Don’t worry if there are a few lumps, you don’t want to over mix the batter.

The batter should be very thick but pour easily from a spoon.

Cooking the pancakes

Heat a frying pan, preferably non stick over a moderately high heat. Add a little flavourless oil if you don’t fully trust the non stick surface!

Spoon, ladle or pour about two tablespoons of mix onto the pan. I normally fit about 3 pancakes on my pan. Let it cook for about a minute. Then place your filling of choice onto the centre of the pancake. It’s best not to put too much filling in as it will probably just leak out and burn on the pan. I know it’s tempting to put loads in!

Spoon on another spoonful of pancake batter on top of the filling, enough to cover. Let the pancake continue cooking until their are bubbles around the edges and the base is cooked enough to turn them. Turn or flip them using a fish slice or spatula. It takes a bit of practise to keep them tidy.

Cook until golden brown and cooked through. Serve with honey or maple syrup, or even more chocolate sauce if you like! I love them with yogurt and berries!