Pancakes with Cake Flour

Ingredients in Pancakes with Cake Flour

• 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. Make sure you leavening agents are not expired or they will not do what they need to do in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract. For some flavor.
• Egg. To keep the pancakes together.

See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

What is Cake 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.

You can make your own cake flour at home if you can't find it in the grocery store. It's really easy to make and made with simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Here's how you do it!

1. For every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, you'll need to remove 2 tablespoons of flour.
2. Replace the removed flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
3. Sift the mixture together well to make sure the cornstarch is evenly distributed in the flour.
4. Repeat the process for however much homemade cake flour your recipe calls for.
5. Use the homemade cake flour in your recipe as you would store-bought cake flour.

Homemade cake flour is likely not as finely ground as store-bought cake flour, but it will work well in most recipes that call for cake flour. Keep in mind that because of the added cornstarch, homemade cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour.

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. Pushing them down will make the flatter and not as fluffy as they could be.
• The pancakes are ready to flip when the middle bubbles. Small bubbles will start to come through the batter in the center and around the edges. Then the edges of the pancakes will also start to dry out. When you see these two signs, it's time to flip the pancakes.
• Don't overmix the batter! If you overmix the batter, the pancakes will turn out tough. It's ok if there are a few lumps left in the batter. Just make sure all the dry ingredients are mixed into the wet ingredients.
• 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 and Substitutions

• 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.
• Make them vegan! 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!
• Change the size! ¼ cup batter will make about 10 pancakes, where as 2 tablespoons of batter will make about 20 silver dollar 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 pancake batter will stay fresh in the refrigerator up to 24 hours or until you are ready to cook them.
• 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 5 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. This is great when you are making pancakes for a crowd.
• 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