Pancakes with Cinnamon & Sugar
Happy Shrove Tuesday, everybody! For those outside the UK, today is also known as Pancake Day. Funny that. In South Africa, whenever we have a grey, cloudy and rainy day, we call it a “pancake day”. Outside privately owned coffee shops notice boards will appear on the sidewalk, inviting you in for pancakes and tea. No wonder they don’t have this tradition over here, otherwise all the Britons will end up looking like this popular dessert! Cinnamon and sugar is the traditional South African way to serve pancakes with. Try it and you’ll understand why.
These pancakes are my entry for Bee and Jai’s monthly CLICK contest.
Pancakes with Cinnamon & Sugar
Makes 8 pancakes
Preparation: 5 mins – Cooking: 30 mins
Preparation: 5 mins – Cooking: 30 mins
Ingredients
- 125ml (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 10ml (2 tsp) ground cinnamon
- 100g (4 oz) plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 300ml (10 fl oz) milk
- 15ml (1 tbsp) sunflower or vegetable oil, plus extra for frying
Method
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
- Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into the well and whisk the mixture together. Gradually whisk in the milk until you have a smooth batter. Stir the oil into the pancake batter.
- To get the right thickness, heat the pan over a moderate heat, and then wipe it with oiled kitchen paper. Ladle some batter into the pan, tilting the pan to move the mixture around for a thin and even layer. Quickly pour any excess batter into a jug, return the pan to the heat, then leave to cook, undisturbed for about 30 seconds. Pour the excess batter from the jug back into the mixing bowl. If the pan is the right temperature, the pancake should turn golden underneath after about 30 seconds and will be ready to turn. Flip over and cook for a further minute. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 8 pancakes.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar liberally over each pancake and roll tightly. If the pancakes are stacked and kept warm, the sugar will slowly melt. This will be the best time to eat them.
Mmm, looking at those photos reminds me of the lefse my mom used to make (minus the potatoes in the dough). When shmeared with butter and cinnamon-sugar, they made for an awesome treat.
by Tom
on 05. Feb, 2008
Those are beautiful the way you wrapped them up like that! They look like a variation on cinnamon rolls! I would LOVE them for breakfast.
by Hillary
on 05. Feb, 2008
These sound simple and delicious. Nice photos.
by Kevin
on 06. Feb, 2008
Wow, your photos really are stunning.
by Pete
on 06. Feb, 2008
I’m bookmarking this recipe now – I love thin pancakes like these and with cinnamon I can’t resist!
by Patricia Scarpin
on 07. Feb, 2008
I can say for a fact that these pancakes are absolutely gorgeous – i wasnt a pancake lover until i tried these – thank you michelle
by Robyn
on 08. Feb, 2008
Interesting, I remember when I lived with a South African family when I studied at SA, they put cinnamon and sugar on their pancakes. However, I didn’t know that is South African way of eating it until now!
by Windy
on 10. Feb, 2008
I grew up thinking it’s the ONLY way that pancakes could ever be eaten! My dad had his with more sugar than cinnamon and my mom had hers with a little squeeze of lemon. Cinnamon is so big in SA cuisine – we permanently had a pot of cinnamon sugar beside the normal sugar bowl for using in desserts or on pumpkin/gem squash.
by Jeanne
on 14. Feb, 2008
I must say pancakes (crepes) are one of the favourite desserts in my family, although my recipe is a quite different.
I prefer them with home made plum jam or nutella.
by mallenna
on 10. Nov, 2008
[...] case when it comes to pancakes, I still have a lot to learn. I can only just manage the basic thin, cinnamon sugar style passed down from our grandmothers in South Africa. By just managing I mean that only 60% of the [...]
by Pancakes and Persimmons « ZA Food Diaries
on 10. Nov, 2009
[...] South African pancakes for [...]
by The great hamster escape « The Gypsy Mama
on 26. Apr, 2010
Hmmmmmmmmmmm, I have been craving pancakes for two weeks now. Thanks for this recipe, it looks really easy. I’m going to make them tonight.
My favourite filling/topping is a teeny bit of butter, lots of lemon juice, and a squirt of honey with a sprinkle of cinnemon! It’s the best way to eat them!
by Tandiwe
on 17. Jun, 2010
Yummy! Even with a 3 year old helping, these turned out beautifully and tasted great. My little boy really wanted to make pancakes, and the other recipes we have tried he wouldnt eat. He loves these ones
by shelley
on 19. Jul, 2010