Valentine’s Day. Your birthday. A Saturday. There’s no special occasion needed when it comes to whipping up a tall stack of light and fluffy red velvet pancakes. Add a tangy cream cheese glaze to the setup and suddenly Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies have some competition high atop the list of everyone’s favorite crimson-colored foods.
But how do you guarantee your stack-o-flapjacks rivals the diner’s down the street? Follow three simple rules:
- Nix the Overmixing: Do not overmix the batter or the gluten in the flour will develop and you’ll end up with tough, dense pancakes. Lumps in the batter are a sign of stirring success.
- Make-Ahead = Mess: Do not make the pancake batter hours before you plan on using it. It’s important to mix the batter then use it immediately in order to prevent the leavening agents (read: baking soda and baking powder) from losing their gusto.
- Excessive Flipping Leads to a Flop: While it may be tempting to flip and then re-flip those flapjacks, it’s best to limit yourself to one solid flip once you see bubbles all atop the surface of each pancake. Excessive flipping flattens your ‘cakes and makes them more dense.
Ready to ditch the box mix and perfect your pancake-making skills at home? Read on for the recipe and find more pancake inspiration with Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes, Raspberry Oatmeal Pancakes and Banana Nut Pancakes.
Craving more? Subscribe to Just a Taste to get new recipes and a weekly newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! And stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Ingredients
For the glaze:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 Tablespoons whole milk
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
For the pancakes:
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons red food coloring
Instructions
Make the glaze:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter and milk until well combined. Add half of the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined then add the remaining half and beat just until smooth. Cover the glaze with plastic wrap and set it aside.
Make the pancakes:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, unsalted butter and red food coloring.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. (The batter should be lumpy. Do not overmix it or your pancakes will be flat and dense rather than fluffy and light.)
- Heat a skillet or sauté pan over medium low heat. (If you are not using a nonstick pan, lightly grease it with vegetable oil.) Add about ¼ cup batter to the pan. Once bubbles form on the top, flip the pancake and continue cooking it until it's no longer doughy. Serve the pancakes immediately topped with the cream cheese glaze.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
Shoutout
Did you try this recipe?
Share it with the world! Mention @justataste or tag #justatasterecipes!
This post may contain affiliate links.
Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Hi! I’m a HUGE fan of your blog! I’ve done several recipes and have always been a success! But these pancakes were not wow! The lacked flavor, sweetness, i don’t what but they lacked that “UMF”. I’ll try them again doing some variations to see where it goes!
Hi Carlota – I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying Just a Taste but I’m sorry you had this experience with this recipe! I haven’t experienced the lack of sweetness before.
Decided to make these for a fun twist to breakfast. My family loved them! They were light and fluffy. Thank you for our new favorite pancake recipe!
Oh my gosh! I’d love to have this and maybe top it with some sliced strawberries! Perfect for those times when friends are coming over for tea. I also wanted to let you know: I made your light and fluffy buttermilk pancake yesterday, and it is absolutely wonderful!
So glad you’re enjoying the recipe!