Pan + cakes + lemon = Best pancakes ever

So you thought you already knew the best recipe for pancakes? I can tell you now, you don’t. Unless, that is, you’ve ever swung by my mom’s house in Denmark and nicked her recipe. These pancakes not only look, smell and taste heavenly, they also have a medicinal effect. I figured this since every time I can remember having bumped my knee or fallen off the bike as a kid, my mom’s pancakes would make all pain go away. You might argue that this is not sufficient evidence to claim that a pancake has healing powers, but it works on my own kids too.

I usually serve these flat delights with store-bought ice cream and Nutella of course. But if Nutella’s not your thing you can substitute it with any kind of marmalade you fancy or with fresh berries, sugar or syrup. Honestly, these pancakes are heavenly whatever way you prefer to devour them! And it’s also a perfect excuse, of course, to have more. Note that pancakes in Denmark are thin, like French crêpes, as illustrated in the picture.

Pancakes with lemon zest (makes 10-14 pancakes)

Ingredients

2/3cup (80 g) all-purpose flour

1½ tbsp castor sugar

½ tsp kosher salt

1 organic lemon (finely grated zest only)

1 1/4 cup (0.3 l) whole/full cream milk (at least 3.5 % fat)

3 eggs

2 3/4 oz (75 g) butter

Directions

1. In the pan that you plan on using to make the pancakes, melt the butter over medium heat. When all the butter has melted, put the pan aside so that the butter doesn’t burn.

2. Mix the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest together in a bowl.

3. Whisk in the milk a little at a time making sure to get rid of any lumps in the mixture.

4. Add the eggs and whisk again till the mixture is smooth, and then little by little add the melted butter. Don’t wash the pan because the butter makes it easy to turn and slide off  the first pancake.

5. Now to baking the pancakes. Turn the heat to medium/high. Use approximately 1/4 cup of dough per pancake. Don’t turn the pancakes until the dough is completely dry on the top and the sides start to brown and curl a little. Beware that the first pancake you make almost always brakes. I don’t know why, but I take it as an encouragement to get a head start on tasting the pancakes. You don’t need to butter the pan between pancakes because of the butter in the dough.

Enjoy!