Special Pancakes (Batter Cakes)

**Tinkerbell**'s Note:

These are the best of the best in old-fashioned pancakes. (Thank you, Halifax Liz for letting me know that your grandmother was making these in Northern Ireland 70 years ago.) It's no wonder a recipe like this has such staying power, they're super easy & make use of on-hand ingredients. The secret to their firm but fluffy texture is using tiny cubes of white bread to support the batter. But you'll never know they're in there! I've been making this recipe for about 10 years now & I like to serve these pancakes with jams, maple syrup & my homemade syrup from Verry Berry French Toast. I also usually double the recipe if there is more than just the 3 of us eating. The recipe was found in "Pancakes A to Z", one of the three books in my favorite cookbook series by Marie Simmons and there titled "Rux's Family's Favorite Pancakes". My family simply dubbed them "Special Pancakes" and even though it doesn't take a special day to make them, they make ANY day feel special.

• Total Time: 13 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 3 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 14.0 3-inch ...

• 6 slices firm white bread (I use whatever type I have on hand)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons salted butter , melted
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (maybe less, for griddle or skillet)

Directions:

1. Using a serrated knife, trim the crusts off the bread & then cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, flour, sugar and baking powder.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk & eggs, then stir in the melted butter. Add to dry ingredients, stirring to blend.
4. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes.
5. Stir mixture well, breaking up some of the cubes.
6. Heat large non-stick griddle or skillet over medium heat (I use 300-350° on my old electric griddle).
7. Lightly brush the griddle with vegetable oil (I use a paper towel folded several times to spread the oil evenly onto the griddle.) Non-stick cooking spray can be substituted but I have found we prefer to use the light film of oil because it really adds to the outer color & texture of the pancake.
8. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle. Adjust the heat to medium-low and cook until the bottoms are lightly browned.
9. With a large spatula, carefully flip the pancakes over to brown the other side. Repeat til all the batter is used up. Serve with syrups or jams of your choice.

Reviews

[Rinshinomori]

I love these unusual recipes and certainly the thriftiness of older recipes! My husband said these taste much like French toast and he's right. The texture is very close to French toast (but simpler to make) and what a great way to use up bread. The taste was wonderful too. Another one that will show up at my breakfast again. Thanks Tink!

[Cookgirl]

Until yesterday, I had never heard of batter cakes. Easy, economical, filling, resourceful. I added one half teaspoon of vanilla extract and sprinkled the cakes with freshly grated nutmeg. What's stopping one from adding nuts, raisins, little bit of mashed banana, etc. to the batter? We used day old multigrain bread and crumpet bread. There's much validity to the saying: 'Waste not, want not' and this recipe is a prime example. ~Tasty~ and I tested these with blackberry jam, powdered sugar, warmed honey and maple syrup. Thanks for posting!

[Rainbow - Chef 536866]

On my first try with these. I wanted to cut the recipe smaller, but had to still use one egg & couldn't see using less flour,, so,, I cut the amount of bread. I used less liquid too, & being lactose intolerant I used soy milk. the leavened flour does rise when cooked, so the end result was more pancakey than bready, but still very good. Next time I'll use less flour & baking soda for the lesser amount of bread. I like that the texture is a bit varied, kind of toasty on the edges and soft in the middle where the bread is, and cakey in between. :P I didn't add any sweetner to the mix, but topped it with honey and margarine,, and next time might add fruit. Thanks, Tink!