EASY GLUTEN-FREE CRUMPCAKES FOR PANCAKE DAY
Testing my Valentine’s Chocolate Raspberry Volcano muffins last week (If you haven’t tried them, you really should), I ended up with a bit of leftover batter that I couldn’t squeeze into my overfilled muffin cases. I poured it into a hot pan and minutes later I had a lovely thickish pancake. Not quite a Scotch pancake, which we think of when making thicker pancakes as opposed to thin crêpes, the texture was somewhere between a cake (that’ll be the muffin mixture) and a crumpet, and so… these Crumpcakes were born. Drizzled in ghee or butter and topped with some cassis (French for blackcurrant) jam, it all melted into the Crumpcake air bubbles and then into my mouth as I enjoyed them with a cup of tea.
Now if you’re not a flipping (‘scuse the pun) great pancake maker then what's fun about these is the fact that they are small and squat and much easier to handle. And in fact — unlike the classic case of making pancakes — my first one of the batch was the best! I’ve made them using one of those stainless steel rings that make your cooking look fancy every now and then just to accentuate the crumpetness of them. But they’re just as good without. As long as the pan is on medium-high, the thick batter doesn’t spread much.
This recipe makes plenty of pancakes, but if you’re only planning a small batch then you can divide fairly easily by 3 — e.g. 100g flour, 33g jaggery, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon olive oil and then you can make an estimate on the other ingredients. I love that you can make the batch ahead of time, which also helps with the structure apparently — allowing the starch in the gluten-free flour to really soak up the liquid, but honestly it won’t matter much however long you wait to use the batter. If you want a more traditional pancake, just add more water — about a quarter cup to three quarters of a cup and cook for less time. I’ve given a few options for types of sweetener similar to the jaggery that I love — if using maple syrup as a sweetener, make it 3 tablespoons and reduce the water by 2 tablespoons.
INGREDIENTS
Makes 10 Crumpcakes
300g gluten-free flour (I used an M&S one or try Bob’s Red Mill Paleo for grain-free)
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup/100g jaggery (choose light for a traditional pancake colour), coconut sugar or muscovado sugar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 medium organic free-range eggs or flax eggs*
½ cup warm water**
METHOD
In a large bowl, add the gluten-free flour, jaggery, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt and mix well.
Add the eggs, olive oil and warm water and beat until the batter is smooth and well mixed. Leave the batter to rest for 30 minutes if you like or in the fridge for up to 12 hours.
Heat a frying pan — a well seasoned cast iron pan or a non-toxic non-stick pan on a medium-high heat with a bit of ghee, coconut oil or some sunflower oil. Pour out any excess into a container and set aside.
When the pan is just starting to smoke, adjust your stove to keep this temp (turn it down if smoking too much). Grease the inside of the stainless steel ring if you’re using, place into the pan and then ladle in a quarter cup of the batter.
Let the Crumpcake cook on the bottom for 2 to 2½ minutes then when the edges start to lift (you can lift off the stainless steel ring now if using), tuck a spatula underneath and flip over. Cook for about 20 seconds longer and pop onto a plate, keeping warm under a clean tea towel while you make the rest.
Top with some ghee, butter, coconut oil or nut butter, spread with some blackcurrant jam and enjoy.
East by West tips:
* To make the flax eggs for this recipe: Mix 9 tablespoons cold water and 5 tablespoons whole flax or 4 and a half of ground flax (choose this option if you don’t want any “bits” in your batter) together and leave to swell and gel for 10 minutes or longer. NB: you won’t get the exact texture of eggs every time, and your bake won’t rise in the same way but it’s a good, easy option!
** If your jaggery is a little lumpy then make the ½ cup of water very hot and mix first with the jaggery before blending into the rest of the mixture.
