Chocolate pancakes with yogurt and strawberries
After my initial foray into the rather delightful world of chocolate pancakes way back in January, I decided it was time for take two. Last time I made chocolate pancakes, I simply added cocoa powder to boxed pancake mix, so this time I wanted to make the pancakes completely from scratch. I modified a recipe for “American Pancakes” from my Complete Comfort Food cookbook (obviously published in the UK!). I used to make pancakes from scratch when I lived in Montreal for my roommate and I, but I would totally eyeball the ingredients so that the result was slightly different each time. Now, I wanted to follow a recipe and see where it took me. So, the recipe, with my additions, is:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, whisked to “sift”
- pinch salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- >1 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp skim milk
- dash vanilla extract
I whisked the eggs, vanilla, and skim milk together, then added that to the dry ingredients. To top them, I took nonfat, plain yogurt which I’d had straining in a the fridge overnight and mixed in a bit of vanilla extract for flavor. Then I poured on a whack of lightly macerated, chopped strawberries, making an enormous plate of pancakes!
The result was overall only okay … the pancakes had a floury taste and weren’t as lightweight as I expected them to be. Perhaps the recipe should have only one egg, given the amount of flour in the recipe. They might need a bit more sugar in the batter, as well as a hit of cinnamon or hazelnut extract, perhaps, for a depth of flavor. The yogurt was a fun addition instead of traditional maple syrup, and I liked the contrast of tart yogurt with the sweet strawberries. The next time I make these, I might add the hazelnut flavoring, nix one egg, and perhaps fully sift the dry ingredients. Then I will hopefully have fluffy, flavorful pancakes!
