As well as being a well-dressed coffee-connoisseur, (amongst other things), Uncle Cruise has a knack for producing the fattest and fluffiest pancakes you can find on this side of the Atlantic. Pancakes, which are so fluffy in fact, that they simply dissolve on your tongue, and melt away into a soft and buttery ecstasy. Sadly however, like any man in the kitchen, Uncle Cruise never thought about what he was doing – he simply did it. His pancake formulation, until now, has always been completed by eye and judgement, and the task of converting the fluid artistry of his formulation into the cold, hard science of a recipe fell squarely upon my shoulders. Thankfully, I have finally figured them out, and now, you too can enjoy them.

Note: This recipe can be used to make banana pancakes (my favourite), plain American pancakes, or crêpes. (That’s crêpes, not “creps”. Do not put these on your feet.

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking time (per pancake): Approx. 5 minutes (on a low-to-medium heat)

Serves: 4-5 people. The recipe below produces approximately one litre of batter, which is enough for around 8-10 large American pancakes, or around 20 small ones. You can double or halve the measurements accordingly, but I’d recommend you make a full, single batch the first time round.

Ingredients:

• 150g butter
• 2 Egg whites
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 250ml full-fat milk
• A few drops of vanilla essence
• 100ml single cream
• 2 tablespoons of white/brown sugar OR 2 small ripe bananas / 1 medium/large ripe banana (For banana pancakes!)
• 250g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder

Steps:

1. Sieve the self-raising flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a mixing bowl and mix to distribute evenly. Ensure no lumps remain.
2. Place the butter in a bowl and melt it in the microwave. Then, add the egg whites and a single egg yolk. Beat the mixture together.
3. For banana pancakes, mash the bananas into a complete pulp using a fork. Use all your anger and frustration. Imagine it’s the bus driver who drove off without you. (Or your dentist). If you’re making plain pancakes, just scoop two tablespoons of sugar into the mixing bowl.
4. Add the egg/butter mixture, banana pulp, milk, and single cream to the flour mixture.
5. Stir and mix to form a lumpy mixture.
6. Carefully pour the mixture into a blender, and blend until smooth.
7. Carefully transfer the mixture from the blender, back into the mixing bowl, and whisk thoroughly.
8. Pour into a hot pan, over a low-to-medium heat, according to desired size. (Note: Use a very light amount of oil or butter, ideally on a non-stick pan).
9. (At this stage, you could also add a handful of blueberries and embed them into the pancake). 
10. Wait for the top of the mixture to begin bubbling, and then flip the pancake over to the other side. Be careful when placing the spatula underneath the pancake, but do not hesitate on the actual flip.

Serving suggestions:

• Stack them up! Two is my minimum number but why not three? Throw that diet in the bin, raise those cholesterol levels, and die happy. 🙂
• Drizzle or drench in pure Canadian maple syrup – emphasis on the “pure”. Check the label and bin anything that mentions “fruit syrup”. Pure maple syrup can usually be found in supermarkets, or in Whole Food stores.
• Top with raspberries, blueberries and banana slices. It’s a scientific fact that covering your pancakes in fruits removes all the calories from them, and makes them really, really healthy.
• Go “Full American”, and source some halal beef bacon!
• Nutella and whipped cream. (You’re pushing it now).

Happy pancake-ing and let us know how you get on!