I could also call this “Naturally Coloured Red Velvet Pancakes”, couldn’t I ? It was the one of those red/pink dishes that I prepared for my other half this past Valentine’s.
Those of you who follow me on instagram will know that it’s all about beets for me lately. I love everything about this root vegetable; it’s taste, all the goodness it gives my body and of course the beautiful, deep colour it has. Well not talking about the yellow beets here, not that yellow is not a beautiful colour but I never even had those to be honest :):)
I was on a mission to make some pretty and colourful food for my valentine this year. Prepared my favourite Beet Hummus and beet stained Deviled Eggs (the recipe of which will follow) as appetisers to our Valentine’s dinner. These beautiful fluffy pancakes topped with nutella sauce was the star of our breakfast. I was really pleased with how they turned out and that the colour stayed bright at least on the edges. The parts that come in direct contact with the pan go slightly dull and light brownish because of the heat but who cares, right? Once you stack them up no one will notice :):)
The recipe for the nutella sauce is one that I keep making again and again as it’s so simple and pairs perfect with pancakes. And I only have my dear friend Beyza to thank for it. Trust me when I say that you are losing out on a lot if you still haven’t visited her beautiful blog www.kitchenart-ist.com .
I adapted this recipe from my “Pumpkin Pancakes” and for the sauce I followed Beyza’s exact instructions.
- FOR THE PANCAKES
- 2 cups flour (280 gr)
- 2 eggs
- 1½ cup buttermilk (360 ml)
- 1 medium cooked beet (about 150 gr)
- 4 Tbs melted butter (60 gr)
- 2-3 Tbs honey
- 1 Tbs baking powder (10 gr)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- .
- NUTELLA SAUCE
- ½ cup nutella
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 Tbs cocoa
- 2 Tbs honey
- 1 Tbs corn starch
- 1 tsp butter
- pinch of salt
- Mix and sift all the dry ingredients.
- Lightly beat the eggs and mix in the pureed beet, buttermilk, melted butter, honey and vanilla extract.
- Gently mix the dry ingredients with the wet ones until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 10 mins.
- To prepare the nutella sauce place nutella, water, milk, cornstarch, cocoa and a pinch of salt in a sauce pan and mix well.
- Cook on a medium heat until it thickens, stirring constantly.
- Once it has desired consistency remove from heat, mix in honey and butter.
- Let cool at room temperature, whisking every so often to avoid a skin forming.
- Melt a knob of butter in a nonstick pan.
- Pour about ¼ cup batter into the pan and spread a little trying to form a neat circle. Cook until there are bubbles on the surface then flip and cook the other side for a couple of minutes.
- Remove pancakes to a serving dish and continue until you cooked all the batter.
- Serve the pancakes with nutella sauce and fresh fruits.
You can keep the pancakes in the oven at a very low temperature as you finish cooking the whole lot.