The end of citrus season couldn’t finish without a special kind of dessert with this Blood Orange Pancake Cake. Are pancakes your favorite lazy day breakfast or are they a regular feature in your kitchen?
There are pancakes and then there are pancake stakes with a filling between layers for a fancier version, I’d even go so far as saying is this perfect a brunch or even sliced and served as dessert.
Why you'll love this
It’s a classy stack of pancakes
Honestly, a stack of pancakes makes me feel like a kid again or make kids feel like today is a good day if it involves a plate of pancakes!
Orange custard
The blood orange juice weaved throughout the custard is sweet and light and perfectly layered between each pancake.
Ingredients and substitutions for Blood Orange Pancake Cake
- Flour: Plain or all purpose flour helps give our pancakes structure and forms the batter to cook nice pancakes. Plain flour additionally helps to soak up a little of that buttermilk and egg moisture giving us a nice smooth batter that isn’t too runny.
- Eggs: Firstly, the eggs add structure to the pancakes; secondly, they bind everything together so are essential, but thirdly, they help give our custard that beautiful richness!
- Milk: Whole milk was used here, but non dairy would also work, this helps create a richness to our pancake batter and that citrus custard.
- Sugar: As a result of using superfine or caster sugar, the nice fine granules dissolve into our custard and add sweetness without adding additional flavors to the batter. You could substitute with light brown sugar or raw sugar, though this might affect the flavor of the pancakes.
- Blood oranges: The sweetness of our orange juice and zest infuses itself into every mouthful.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment needed to make this
Mixing bowls: A medium mixing bowl is perfect to mix your batter, however, you will need a second bowl or a measuring jug to mix your wet ingredients before creating the thick batter.
Whisk: You only need a whisk to form the smooth batter and another to form the custard thanks to adding the wet ingredients into the dry.
Juicer: You’ll need a juicer to get every last drop out of your blood oranges.
Heavy based frying pan: A heavy based frying pan will heat well and keep the heat, even on a low temperature to make those outer edges golden and resulting in fluffy pancakes.
FAQ's for the best Blood Orange Pancake Cake
Can I make a pancake cake ahead?
Absolutely! In fact, this is great served cold and can be kept in the fridge, however, the caramelized topping is best if made 1-2 hours prior to serving.
More pancake recipes you’ll enjoy
Klatkager - Danish Rice Pudding Pancakes
Frisuelos con Crema Pastelera - Pancakes Filled with Custard
How to make:
For the pancakes, place the flour, eggs, milk and water into a bowl and whisk throughly until smooth and combined.
Set aside to rest for at least 20 minutes.
To make the custard, rub the fine orange zest and the sugar together to draw the oils out of the zest.
Add in the egg yolks and whisk on medium speed until pale, fluffy and doubled in volume.
Pour the milk into a saucepan on medium heat until simmering.
Add in a ladleful of the milk to the eggs and whisk to combine, repeat with the second ladleful to combine to warm the eggs slowly until the milk is fully incorporated.
Pour the mixture back into saucepan and heat on medium, whisking until thickened and bubbling.
Remove from the heat and pour ⅔ of the juice into the custard, with the remaining juice, add the flour and whisk to form a light paste.
Pour into the custard and return to the heat, whisking until thickened and it sticks to the back of your spoon.
Remove and spoon into a bowl, smoothing out on top with sandwich wrap.
To cook the pancakes, place a teaspoon of butter into a heavy frying pan on medium heat.
Pour 1 ladleful of the pancake batter into the center and upturn to fully coat the base of the frying pan with the batter.
Cook until the edges begin to fold upwards and the pancake feels stiff when you try to lift it slightly with your spatula, approximately 2 ½-3 minutes. It should be golden.
Flip and cook the remaining side until golden, approximately 1 ½ minutes.
Set aside to cool and continue cooking the remaining pancakes.
Once cool, spoon over 2 tablespoons of the thickened custard.
Spread thinly over your entire pancake.
Layer another pancake and repeat with the custard filling, layering until the last pancake is on top.
Rub the sugar and zest together for the topping and sprinkle over the top of the pancake, lighting with a blowtorch until beautifully caramelized.
Slice and serve.
Blood Orange Pancake Cake
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Dessert
Description
Thin pancakes with an orange flavored custard takes pancakes from a breakfast dish to dessert with a caramelized topping finishing off this stack perfectly.
Ingredients
Pancakes
214 grams / 1 ⅓ cups plain flour
6 eggs, beaten
240 grams / 1 cup milk
21 grams / 1 ½ tablespoons water
Blood Orange Custard
1 tablespoon blood orange zest, finely chopped
100 grams / ½ cup superfine/caster sugar
3 egg yolks
177 milliliters / ¾ cup 184 grams milk
100 grams / ⅓ cup +2 tablespoons blood orange juice
14 grams / 1 ½ tablespoons plain flour
Sugar topping
14 grams / 1 tablespoon superfine/caster sugar
1 teaspoon blood orange zest
Instructions
- For the pancakes, place the flour, eggs, milk and water into a bowl and whisk throughly until smooth and combined.
- Set aside to rest for at least 20 minutes.
- To make the custard, rub the fine orange zest and the sugar together to draw the oils out of the zest.
- Add in the egg yolks and whisk on medium speed until pale, fluffy and doubled in volume.
- Pour the milk into a saucepan on medium heat until simmering.
- Add in a ladleful of the milk to the eggs and whisk to combine, repeat with the second ladleful to combine to warm the eggs slowly until the milk is fully incorporated.
- Pour the mixture back into saucepan and heat on medium, whisking until thickened and bubbling.
- Remove from the heat and pour ⅔ of the juice into the custard, with the remaining juice, add the flour and whisk to form a light paste.
- Pour into the custard and return to the heat, whisking until thickened and it sticks to the back of your spoon.
- Remove and spoon into a bowl, smoothing out on top with sandwich wrap.
- To cook the pancakes, place a teaspoon of butter into a heavy frying pan on medium heat.
- Pour 1 ladleful of the pancake batter into the center and upturn to fully coat the base of the frying pan with the batter.
- Cook until the edges begin to fold upwards and the pancake feels stiff when you try to lift it slightly with your spatula, approximately 2 ½-3 minutes. It should be golden.
- Flip and cook the remaining side until golden, approximately 1 ½ minutes.
- Set aside to cool and continue cooking the remaining pancakes.
- Once cool, spoon over 2 tablespoons of the thickened custard.
- Spread thinly over your entire pancake.
- Layer another pancake and repeat with the custard filling, layering until the last pancake is on top.
- Rub the sugar and zest together for the topping and sprinkle over the top of the pancake, lighting with a blowtorch until beautifully caramelized.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
Recipe by Roamingtaste
Nutrition
- Calories: 266 calories per serve
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