Pancake and topping recipes

pancake day

Shrove Tuesday, otherwise known as Pancake Day, falls on 1 March this year, for those who give a toss (see what we did there?). To make this day a bit easier, we've got a flipping good pancake recipe and a selection of our favourite toppings to get you going.

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Pancake recipe (to make 12 pancakes)

Ingredients

230g plain flour
600ml milk
2 medium eggs
50g butter
Pinch of salt

Method

Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the middle and add the eggs.
Beat the eggs and flour together well until the mixture is smooth. Whisking all the time, gradually add the milk. Allow the batter to sit for as long as you can bear - at least 30 minutes is best.
Melt the butter in a pan, then add two tablespoons of the butter to the batter and mix it together. Use the rest of the butter for cooking the pancakes.
Wait until the pan is really hot before you start cooking. The pancakes should preferably be very thin, so don't add too much mixture.

For those who are feeling particularly daring, here's a pancake recipe for sultana and lemon pancakes... you can make several of these at once depending on your pan size.

Now...choose your pancake topping

pancakes

Will it be a sweet victory or one to savour? Hell, why not both? To help you decide, we've sifted through a selection of gransnetters' savoury and sweet pancake recipes and pulled out some of our favourites.

Gransnetters say:

"Very traditional lemon and sugar for me please, but demerara sugar so that it's nice and crunchy."

"My lovely house guest has just made two containers full of pancakes topped with sugar and cinnamon and fresh lemon juice."

"Dare I suggest melted chocolate for the pancake topping?"

"Blueberries and crème fraîche, anyone?"

"My nearly son-in-law likes Nutella with jam!"

"Tonight our family are joining us so it's a choice of bacon with brie or Stilton for savoury. Bananas and ice cream with Nutella chocolate spread, fudge sauce with toasted nuts, or homemade lemon curd with crushed meringue for those with a sweet tooth."

For more culinary inspiration, head to our Food forum to find more recipes, advice and tips.

Sweet toppings

pancakes ice cream

Ice cream recipe - this is one you need to prepare the night before if you fancy ice cream on your pancakes. But discounting the time it takes to freeze, the actual preparation time is only 10 minutes.

"So easy and everyone will love it! As it is not made with an ice cream maker, it will defrost quicker than a normal ice cream once taken from the freezer."

Crêpes suzette - fancy getting creative with liqueur and fire? This delicious French creation is slightly crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside, and tastes as good as it looks.

Pancake cake recipe - for when one pancake just isn't enough, try stacking them up and shovelling them in. This recipe suggests strawberries, jam and cream.

"This recipe has always been a hit with family and friends."

American blueberry pancakes recipe - if American style pancakes are more your thing, look no further than this classic recipe for blueberry pancakes.

"Use frozen blueberries if you don't have fresh ones. Top pancakes with vanilla yogurt, honey, sliced bananas and sliced strawberries for an amazingly bright and tasty breakfast."

Savoury toppings

savoury pancakes

Lentil and mushroom pancake recipe - if you're feeling more than a little hungry, these will definitely hit the spot!

"These are very filling. The stock takes off some of the acidity from the tomatoes, which can prevent the lentils from softening properly."

Guacamole recipe - spice up your palate with this delicious recipe, which includes chillis and spring onions for a morning kickstarter.

Vegetarian mince recipe - a versatile recipe that can be customised easily. Add chilli to taste. And if you don't manage to get through all of it, don't worry...

"It tastes even better the next day!"

Duck pancakes recipe - and if you fancy something a touch more exotic (and prefer to buy the pancakes rather than whip up a batter) you can't go wrong with Chinese duck pancakes.