Delicious fluffy American style Lemon Blueberry Pancakes are perfectly complimented by a lemon mascarpone cream. Easy to make, you can enjoy these pancakes as a decadent breakfast, brunch or even dessert!
Perfect Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
Pancake Day may be right around the corner, but pancakes are the perfect treat any time of the year! These Lemon Blueberry pancakes are deliciously fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness. They go so well with the lemon mascarpone, but you could also serve them with fresh fruit or crispy bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Using buttermilk in your pancake batter really helps to make beautifully thick and fluffy pancakes. The acid in the buttermilk tenderises the gluten in the flour, helping the pancakes to be lovely and soft. Buttermilk also activates the bicarbonate of soda – creating air pockets in the pancakes for extra fluffiness.
Blueberry Pancakes
For this recipe you can use either fresh or frozen blueberries. I typically use frozen, especially when blueberries are not in season. I like to keep a stash of frozen berries handy in the freezer so I can make these pancakes anytime!
If you’re not a blueberry fan, or simply don’t have any to hand, then raspberries make a great substitute. They go perfectly with lemon too!
Perfect Pancake Batter
The trick to making thick, fluffy buttermilk pancakes in the style of American diners and pancakes houses is twofold.
First, don’t over mix the batter! You might be worried about lumps, but if you allow the batter to rest then this helps the lumps disappear on their own. The flour soaks up the liquids which helps thicken the batter and disperse the lumpy bits.
Second, resting allows the raising agents in the bicarbonate of soda to work their magic. Very basically, activating the bicarbonate of soda by mixing it with the buttermilk causes it to give off carbon dioxide, which expands within the batter. Once you cook the pancakes the carbon dioxide is replaced with air, which means you get fluffy and light pancakes!
Tips for cooking the Perfect Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
I use a ¼ cup to measure my batter for each pancake. Using this method I can get 12 medium sized pancakes – a good serving for 3-4 people. You can easily double the mixture if you are cooking for more people.
Nobody likes soggy pancakes, and putting them on a plate and covering with foil or a tea towel will deifnitley make that happen! The best way to keep your pancakes warm while you cook the rest is to heat your oven to 200f/100°c or warming setting if you have it. Place the cooked pancakes on a wire cooling rack on a cookie sheet or baking tray inside the warm oven. The cooling rack allows air to circulate so the pancakes don’t get soggy!
You don’t need to, but that extra 10 minutes will really make a difference and give you extra fluffy pancakes.
Yes – keep them covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a frying pan. You can freeze them too – defrost throughly before reheating.
Make your own by combining 250ml of whole or semi-skimmed milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine or cider vinegar. Mix and set aside for 10 minutes to thicken. You can also use kefir in place of buttermilk for this recipe.
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!
Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @carrieskitchen_ if you make it!
Looking for more Brunch inspiration:
- Ricotta Toast with Blueberry Compote
- The Best Egg Mayonnaise
- Fiesta Scrambled Eggs
- Chorizo Breakfast Tacos
- Flamenco Baked Eggs
Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients
- 350 grams self raising flour
- 300 ml buttermilk
- 300 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 85 grams melted butter
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 200 grams blueberries - fresh or frozen
- zest of 1 lemon
- butter or oil to grease your pan
Lemon Mascarpone
- 150 grams mascarpone cheese
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda then stir in the blueberries and lemon zest.
- In a separate bowl or jug, mix together the eggs, melted butter, buttermilk and milk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don't over mix).
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before cooking. (Resting helps to make your pancakes super thick and fluffy, but you can skip this step if you're in a hurry.)
- To make the lemon mascarpone, simply mix together the mascarpone and lemon juice. You may wish to add the lemon juice a little at a time to get your desired taste.
- Once the batter has rested, heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat, and very lightly grease the pan with butter or oil.
- Use a ladle or a ¼ cup measure to add the batter to the frying pan. Cook on one side until you see bubbles form on the top of the pancake, then flip over to cook the other side until golden brown. Each pancake should take 3-4 minutes to cook.
- Continue until all the batter is used up. You may be able to cook two pancakes at a time depending on the size of your frying pan (or use 2 pans if you wish). See the recipes notes for tips on keeping pancakes warm while you batch cook.
- Serve the pancakes with a dollop of the lemon mascarpone and some optional extra blueberries.
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