At around 9am, bleary eyed dragging a suitcase behind me into Kings Cross station, there was only one thing on my mind. Ricotta hotcakes with a pat of honeycomb butter sliding down the stack. I am a victim of Instagram, that’s for sure, but when I was researching brunch spots for our trip to London back in February, Granger and Co quickly crept to the top of the list. So much so that when we took our first few steps into the winter sunshine, I immediately suggested a second breakfast at the restaurant round the corner. A few minutes later and I had wrapped my hands around an almond decaf latte, patiently waiting for pancakes.
Except these really aren’t pancakes at all, the batter is fragile and tender, egg whites carefully folded into whipped yolks with smears of marbled ricotta. Hotcakes are more accurate, fluffy inside with those little studs of soft cheese and torn apart with ease when eaten by hungry travellers. At Granger and Co, all marble tables, burnt red coffee cups and brass stools, they were served with banana which isn’t exactly my fruit of choice so when making them at home on a gloomy Sunday, I added some berries hidden in the freezer for a burst of sweetness. Make sure you drown yours in maple syrup – its the only way to eat these fluffy hotcakes.
Recipe adapted from Top with Cinnamon’s version of Bill Granger’s Ricotta Hotcake recipe
- 2 eggs
- 180ml milk (I used almond)
- 90g plain flour
- 1 heaped tsp baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- 110g ricotta
- Vegetable oil, for the pan
- Maple syrup and fresh fruit to serve
- Seperate the eggs and place the egg whites in a bowl and the yolks in a jug. Add the milk, flour, baking powder and salt to the egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Add the ricotta and stir gently - you want to ensure there are ricotta lumps in the batter.
- Whip the egg whites with an electric whisk until stiff, then pour in the ricotta mixture. Fold into the egg whites using a spatula until fully incorporated - be sure not to overmix as you make knock out the air or smooth out those ricotta lumps.
- Place a pancake or frying pan over a medium heat and lightly grease with vegetable oil. Once the pan is warm, add roughly a ladleful of batter to the pan and form into a circle. Carefully check underneath the hotcake to ensure it is browning, as the batter won’t bubble in the same way pancakes do. Once golden brown, carefully flip over onto the other side to continue cooking, then transfer to a clean tea towel to keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
- To serve, stack up your hotcakes and top with fresh fruits and a healthy drizzle of maple syrup. They are best eaten immediately, but I did keep some for the next day and enjoyed them heated up in the microwave smeared with Nutella.
Cristina Alciati says
I love ricotta and I love pancakes. These hotcakes sound just like a match made in Heaven! Thank you for sharing your recipe <3
VictoriaSpongePeasePudding says
Thank you Cristina!
Erin says
AAAA YUM!! They look AMAZING. I love pancakes, now I want pankcakes. nom nom nom
Erin || MakeErinOver
VictoriaSpongePeasePudding says
Thanks Erin! I know, editing the pictures just made me want to make them all over again!
Ye Chen says
This is making me so hungry. I’m curious to try the recipe. Thanks for sharing! 😀
VictoriaSpongePeasePudding says
Thanks very much, hope you like it!
Ntensibe Edgar Michael says
PANCAKESSSSSSS!!!! Yyyasssss…..issa bout time for some eating. Thanks for that recipe!
Much love.
Leigh Suznovich says
Oh these look amazing for brunch!! Yum!!