Carrot cake lovers can enjoy their favorite dessert for breakfast in this way. The sour cream and nut topping of these delicate, rich pancakes are complemented by the sweet and spicy maple syrup that drizzles over them. Carrot cake pancakes bring the flavors of this popular dessert to the breakfast table.
A delicious stacked carrot cake usually consists of cake layers and cream cheese frosting. To keep this carrot cake pancake recipe simple, we start with a pancake mix and then add grated carrots and a ton of flavorful spices.
We use a little milk to thin whipped cream cheese to a dolloping consistency because no carrot cake would be complete without a cream cheese topping. A shower of crunchy nuts and sweet, cinnamon-infused maple syrup go very well with the unsweetened topping. It's an impressive dish that would be ideal for Easter breakfast.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- Two cups of pancake mix
- One teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, ground
- 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves
- Two large eggs at room temperature
- One cup of whole milk
- One cup of carrots, finely shredded
- Yield: 1 dozen (0.50 cup syrup)
Toppings
- Half a cup of maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup of cream cheese, whipped
- One tablespoon of whole milk
- Half a cup of toasted pecans or chopped walnuts
- Optional: finely shredded carrots
How to Make Carrot Cake Pancakes?
- Put the pancake mix, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Beat the milk and eggs in a small bowl, then stir them into the dry ingredients until they are just moistened. Add the carrots and stir.
- Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour batter onto a hot griddle or nonstick skillet. When bubbles appear on top, flip the pancakes over and continue cooking until the second side is golden brown.
- To make the syrup, put the cinnamon and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer for two minutes on low heat. Put the milk and cream cheese in a small bowl. Serve pancakes with half the syrup and the cream cheese mixture; top with shredded carrots and nuts if you like. Store the remaining syrup in the refrigerator, covered, for later use.
Carrot Cake Pancakes Variations
Add pineapple: Crushed pineapple is a common ingredient in popular carrot cake recipes. You can use it in place of up to a quarter of the grated carrots in these pancakes by completely draining canned pineapple chunks or crushed pineapple.
Add something crunchy: Before turning the carrot cake pancakes over to the other side, sprinkle them with hemp hearts, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, or a nutty granola to add some crunch.
Add dried fruit: Add the dried fruit by folding a handful of golden raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, or raisins into the batter.
Nutrition
|
2 pancakes |
388 calories |
|
Fat |
16 g |
|
Unsaturated fat |
6 g |
|
Cholesterol |
84 mg |
|
Sodium |
673 mg |
|
carbohydrate |
52 mg |
|
Sugars |
21 g |
|
Fiber |
4 g |
|
Protein |
10 g |
After cooling, keep any leftover pancakes in the refrigerator for up to five days in an airtight container. Place the pancakes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and reheat in the microwave or in an oven or traditional toaster set to 350°F. Reheat the pancakes for approximately five minutes if they are taken out of the refrigerator.
Avoiding overmixing the batter is the key to creating the best pancakes. You want a few tiny lumps in the batter, so stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined.