Light, fluffy, and a delicious breakfast, these pancakes with cake flour are the perfect breakfast to make! When you don't have all purpose flour handy, use cake flour!
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These delicious pancakes are great to enjoy on special occasions, but this is the best pancake recipe to enjoy on quiet Saturday mornings!
The more recipes I make, the more I realize there are a ton of different ways to make good pancakes! You can make pancakes with self-rising flour, chocolate pancakes with pancake mix, and even cottage cheese pancakes! If you are looking for a fluffy pancake recipe of an easy pancake recipe, I've got you covered!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Cake Flour. This can be found in your local grocery store in the baking section.
- Buttermilk. Homemade buttermilk is easy to make. An easy way to make it is to mix together 1 cup of whole milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let it sit for five minutes and you have homemade buttermilk! If you don't use buttermilk a lot and don't often have it in the house, this is a great option to keep on hand!
- Leavening agent. You will need both baking powder and baking soda. The baking soda will react with the buttermilk to make the pancakes fluffy.
- Vanilla extract. For some flavor.
- Egg. To keep the pancakes together.
Equipment to Gather
Different Types of Flour
Cake Flour is used to make cakes. It is a finer flour so the cakes stay nice and light and airy. It usually has a lower protein content as well so cakes don't get tough. Cake flour is also great for pancakes because it keeps the pancakes light and fluffy.
Self-rising flour is all purpose flour that has baking powder and a small pinch of salt already in it. Classic southern recipes usually use self-rising flour instead of regular flour. Even though some people may think it is self-raising flour, it is actually self-rising flour.
King Arthur is my favorite variety of self-rising flour. If you don't have a bag of it in your pantry, you can make your own self-rising flour really easily!
Bread flour is used to make breads like sourdough bread. It has a higher protein content which helps develop the gluten in bread. Bread flour is also made from a harder grain, so it holds up better to making bread and the kneading process.
How To Make Pancakes With Cake Flour
In a medium bowl, mix together the cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set the flour mixture aside.
In a large bowl, add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar. Mix well to combine the wet ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix the batter or you will end up with tough pancakes.
Add a pat of butter to a pan or a griddle and let it melt. Scoop some batter into the melted butter. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. When there are bubbles coming up through the center of the pancake, flip the pancake over.
Cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Take the pancake out of the pan and serve it with maple syrup, fresh fruit, and butter.
Tips For Making The Perfect Pancake
- Do not push down on the pancakes when you flip them. Though it might be tempting to push down on the pancakes, if you want perfect pancakes, just let it hang out and cook in the pan.
- The pancakes are ready to flip when the middle bubbles. Small bubbles will start to come through the batter. The edges of the pancakes will also start to dry out. When you see these two signs, it's time to flip the pancakes.
- Use an ice cream scoop or a measuring cup to measure the batter. This ensures the pancakes are all the same size will cook evenly and you make the best pancakes you can make.
- Do not cook the pancakes too high. Medium-low heat to medium heat is the best for cooking pancakes. Too high and the outside will be too cooked and the inside will be raw. Too low and the pancakes will take a long time to cook.
Variations Pancakes with Cake Flour
- Use a mixture of flour! To add a little more fiber to these pancakes, add half cake flour and half whole wheat flour. You can even use whole wheat pastry flour if you can find it. To get the fluffiest pancakes, a little extra liquid might be necessary if you are adding whole wheat flour because the flour will make a thicker batter.
- Add mix ins to the batter! Chocolate chips and blueberries are classic add ins to pancake batter, but you can even add sprinkles for a fun pancake breakfast!
- Make them small! Use 2 tablespoons of batter instead of a large ice cream scoop for silver pancakes instead of larger pancakes.
Storage Tips
- How to store the batter. Once the pancake batter is mixed together, cover the batter with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. The batter will stay fresh in the refrigerator up to 24 hours.
- How to store leftover pancakes. Once the homemade pancakes are cooked, place the cooked pancakes in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator up to 4 days. To reheat them, place them in the toaster oven for 1 minute or until the pancakes are warm. You can also reheat the pancakes on the stovetop in a dry pan over medium-low heat.
- To keep the pancakes warm, after they are cooked place them on a parchment paper lined baking tray or baking sheet and keep them warm in a 200 degree oven.
- How to freeze the pancakes. Once the pancakes are cooked, allow them to cool completely. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a Ziploc freezer bags. Freeze the pancakes up to 4 months. To reheat the pancakes for a quick breakfast, place them in the toaster oven for 2 minutes or reheat them in a hot pan over the stovetop
Frequently Asked Questions
For best results, dairy milk works best. I have made buttermilk with non-dairy before and it is not as creamy as whole milk, but it still works.
That depends on how big you make your pancakes. ¼ cup batter will make about 10 pancakes, where as 2 tablespoons of batter will make about 20 silver dollar pancakes.
You would have to use a vegan buttermilk or make your own with unsweetened almond milk or your favorite non-dairy milk. Then use a flax egg instead of a regular egg, but it is possible!
More Amazing Pancakes
- Nutella Pancakes
- 4 Ingredient Banana Pancakes
- Grinch Pancakes
- Applesauce Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes with Pancake Mix
📖 Recipe
Fluffy Pancakes with Cake Flour
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups Cake Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 cups Buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set the flour mixture aside.
- In a large bowl, add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar. Mix well to combine the wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix the batter or you will end up with tough pancakes.
- Add a pat of butter to a pan or a griddle and let it melt. Scoop some batter into the melted butter. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. When there are bubbles coming up through the center of the pancake, flip the pancake over.
- Cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Take the pancake out of the pan and serve it with maple syrup, fresh fruit, and butter.
Video
Notes
- To make your own buttermilk, mix together 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice with 2 cups of milk.
- It's ok if there are a few lumps left in the batter. Overmixing will cause the pancakes to be tough.
- When flipping the pancakes, do not push the pancakes down as the pancakes will be tough.
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