Black Forest [Pan]cake
- 50 comments
- Posted in: Breakfast, Pancakes / Waffles
Sorry to report that I am not flying very high today. But the week-end went fairly well, I had lots of visitors and that kept me really busy. It had been a long time since I’d seen my house so crowded and that felt pretty nice.
I spent my time cooking, for the most part, and I had a bunch of people to cook for, for a change! Boy did that feel good! I don’t know about you, but cooking is very therapeutic for me. So I guess we could say that I’ve had a very therapeutic week-end, sort of… 
My “therapy” started a little before company arrived, on Saturday morning, with the execution of this pretty elaborate pancake recipe, which I had envisioned a few days after making this gorgeous instant buckwheat bake. I’d been dreaming about them since and couldn’t wait to finally put them to the test.
I have to say they came out better than anticipated. Wow were they good! The pancakes themselves had a very decadent, rather intense chocolate taste and they got really poofy, light and moist.
I’m telling you, now matter how sad I was feeling that morning, what a moment of bliss eating those pancakes has been! Sitting there quietly at my dining room table, slowly savoring every bite, trying to think of nothing else but this delicious meal that I was eating. Comfort food at its best is what it was!
And comfort food that also happens to be good for me?
I can’t say no to that!
INGREDIENTS
(Serves 1)
Pancakes
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- 1 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 7 egg whites (a little over ¾ cup)
- ½ cup buttermilk
Cherry Sauce
- 150g cherries, pitted and chopped (about 16 cherries)
- 1 tbsp blue agave nectar
- ¾ cup water
- ½ tsp corn starch mixed with 2 tbsp water
Vanilla Custard
- 2 tbsp 0% fat plain greek yogurt
- ½ scoop vanilla flavored whey protein powder
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Cherry Sauce:
- In a small saucepan, bring cherries, water, and agave nectar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cherries start to “melt” and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes, then puree half the sauce in a food processor until smooth.
- Return to the sauce pan and bring back to a boil. Stir in corn starch mixed in water, simmer for 1 minute and turn off the heat.
For the Vanilla « Custard »:
- Mix plain yogurt together with whey protein powder to make vanilla custard. It might look like there is too much powder at first, but it will come together eventually, just keep stirring. Same goes for the “lumpy” feeling. Just let the custard rest for about a minute after mixing and it will become nice and smooth.
For the Pancakes:
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined.
- Spray a non stick panwith cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.
- When pan is hot enough, spoon as much or as little pancake batter onto griddle as you want, depending on what size pancake you desire. A little less than ¼ of a cup per pancake will yield about 8 small pancakes. (and a very high tower!)
- Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Transfer to low temp oven to keep them warm while you cook the remaining pancakes.
Assembly
- Start by laying a pancake on the plate, top with a little bit of cherry sauce, followed by a small amount of custard, about half a teaspoon of each.
- Keep building layers like that until you run out of pancakes, or until tower has reached desired height (mine got pretty high!).
- Finish by topping with cherry sauce, vanilla custard and about a teaspoon cacao nibs. Dust lightly with cocoa powder, if desired.
Mile high pile!
Collapsed!
So unbelievably moist!
Tender B.
A brilliant concoction. Love the way you capture the stack with one cut out before it topples.
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Oops… I read topless! For a moment there, I thought you had commented on the wrong post!
Cutting it without it collapsing on me was quite the challenge. Glad you like! 
Sky
Wow! That looks fantastic!!! Your recipe is on my brunch list for next weekend.
I’m glad to hear it comforted you and all the cooking helped out during this difficult time for you.
Thanks for sharing!
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
I really hope you like ‘em. I sure would love to
hearread your thoughts after you’ve tasted them!Heidi @ Food Doodles
That stack looks amazing! Especially when you sliced through it – I love that picture. Yummy
They look delicious, and so healthy! I know exactly what you mean about cooking being therapy(unless I’m pressured by hungry people or a deadline or whatever then it’s not so relaxing anymore). Hopefully you can get some more much needed “therapy” in 
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Thanks Heidi. Like I said, I never thought that I would be able to cut through that whole pile without it collapsing on me. I felt like a doctor handling a scalpel!
I totally hear you about cooking under pressure. I can’t stand it either, which is why I wouldn’t want to own a restaurant. The best thing about the “cooking therapy” is that it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg! It’s something I have to do anyway! 
renee@sweetsugarbean
Cherries and chocolate? Yes, please. And there’s no need to feel guilty? Unbelievable!!!
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Not in the least! Not even a tiny bit!
That’s just the best!
Russell at Chasing Delicious
Wow! This looks beyond incredible. Cooking always seems to make me feel better too. These photos are absolutely gorgeous!
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Thanks Russell, appreciated!
chinmayie @ love food eat
That looks amazing! I can’t believe how beautiful these pancakes look! And that cherry sauce and fresh cherries only make it look better
Mellissa (sevimel on flickr)
I can’t WAIT to make these! Heading out today for the coconut flour which I’ve never tried! Thanks so much for being a constant source of inspiration in spite of your sorrow. Hope you are doing ok and that you continue to get support from your loved ones. Mellissa
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Oh, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on coconut flour. I’m telling you, this is one flour I could eat by the [very tiny] spoonful. And thanks to you for being such a great reader and supporter!
Nicole@HeatOvenTo350
That’s some of the most delicious looking therapy I’ve ever seen. Sorry today isn’t going so well. The ups and downs after you lose someone are so painful. Hang in there.
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Thank you so much Nicole! Your comment made me smile. I appreciate your appreciation of my therapy!
Thanks for the support, too!
Tres Delicious
I love Chocolate. They way you’ve piled them they look so delicious.. so scrumptious.. I would definitely ask for more. Great photo.
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Thanks Camille! Not sure you would ask for more though, for coconut flour is extremely filling! You might have to wait a couple of hours between orders!
Fée des bois
It looks soooooo delicious! This is a very inspiring blog! I will come back for sure!
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Glad you think so, Fée! And real good to see you here too!
Thanks much for visiting!
Andrea
Oh. My. Goodness. These look AMAZING!! I live for pancakes! [well, maybe i shouldn't go that far] I ordered coconut flour last night and the biggest reason for that being your pancake recipes! I can’t wait to try some of them out, especially this one!
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
So glad to hear Andrea! I’m almost certain you won’t regret! Coconut flour has got to be one of my favorite discoveries so far. I can never get over how much it fills me up! I hope you like the pancakes as much as I do!
Carolyn Jung
Wow! If that’s healthy, I am going to be eating those every morning from now on. That is one heavenly stack.
Charissa
I’ve died and gone to heaven. This looks out of this world!!!! Love pancakes and chocolate…and healthy food, sooooo I’m happy!
Natalie
I want breakfast for lunch now! Looks absolutely incredible!
Natasha
omg looks delicious!!!
http://natashassoiree.blogspot.com/
Lindsey @ Why Just Eat
Those look absolutely heavenly! And your photos are amazing – wonderfully done!! This recipe is going into my “stuff to make” list – right at the top
Kelly
This looks incredibly delicious and your photos are beautiful!!
Peggy
Oh wow! I love tall stacks of pancakes – and black forest? Sign me up!
Nora @ Natural Noshing
GORGEOUS!!!! I tried your protein custard the other day before my trip – all I have to say is AMAZING and I’m in love
Once I play catch-up from being on my vacation, I’ll be sending you some link love – on more than one recipe!!!!
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Isn’t it just the best? So sweet, smooth, creamy, tasty… it’s better than pudding, and it’s like LOADED with protein! I so can’t wait to see which recipes you made! And do we get to hear all about this little trip of yours? I sure would love to!
Nora @ Natural Noshing
Oh my goodness – YES better than pudding and I LOVE the fact its high in protein! Right up our alley! You are the recipe queen
I am going to post today about my trip and have more pics too, you always make my day with your sweet comments!!!
Kevin (Closet Cooking)
Those pancakes look so decadently good!
anda
Wow, this is absolutely brilliant! I adore both buckwheat and cherries so I will make these soon. Your pictures and your website in general is really beautiful!
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Thank you Anda! I really appreciate!
Nilou
Hi Sonia! Greetings from Holland
I just tried this recipe for breakfast, but unfortunately it did not came out good. I followed your recipe to the word but the pancake batter came out too runny and I just could not flip the pancake, it was way too soft 
Yours came out so good, so fat and stronglik, what could I have done wrong? Looking forward to your reply.
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
I’m really sorry to hear that Nilou!
I wish I could tell you exactly what went wrong, but unfortunately, I have no idea.
Now, you say you followed the recipe to the word, so I assume you used coconut flour, right? So that wouldn’t be the reason…
One thing I did notice is that I had forgotten to write the measurement for buttermilk, the word “cup” was missing, so I just added it. I figure that you had figured it out and used half a cup? Now, maybe the pancakes didn’t cook long enough before you tried flipping them? Were yours also really tiny or did you make them bigger? It’s a lot easier to flip smaller pancakes and they cook a lot faster too…
Nilou
Thanks for your swift reply Sonia, I really appreciate it. The buttermilk cup I figured that out yes
I do wonder if I have used the right coconut flour. Is the coconut flour supposed to have a texture like normal flour? Mine is a little grainy and not as smooth as normal flour I suppose that is how coconut flour is? Was your batter consistency thick?
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
That sounds like coconut flour alright! My batter was not too thick nor too runny, it was, well, pancake batter consistency!
I guess I will have to rerun that recipe and see if maybe I’ve made a mistake while transcribing or something. It looks good to me at first glance, but you never know…
Nilou
That would be great
Perhaps there should be a minimum amount of minutes to blend the batter mix aswell? Hmmm…the quest continues, haha
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Well, Nilou, I have retested the recipe this weekend and unfortunately I can’t see what went wrong for you. The batter came out fine.
The only thing I could think of is maybe you didn’t let the pancakes cook long enough. They might look like they are very solid but they are in fact extremely moist and somewhat fragile, so you have to handle them with care. Also, you have to wait until they are almost completely cooked before you flip them over. Poor the batter delicately so that it sets in a nice round shape and make sure the pan is not too hot. Last but not least, make sure your pancakes aren’t too big, it would only make it harder to flip them over.
If you ever give them another go, please let me know how it went!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
Oooh, I’m just now seeing these. I just came back from the Black Forest and your pancakes look way more exciting than anything I saw there. Amazing pictures! And it’s a super way to use up egg whites, which is always a problem when I make ice cream. I just have to find some coconut flour!
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Hmmm… I actually BUY my egg whites in a carton! I go through so much of them…
And yes, you HAVE to find coconut flour. You will love it, I swear… which reminds me, I am all out. I too, need to get some!
Erin
I’ll look tomorrow! Egg whites in a carton don’t exist here, but I love making ice cream so it won’t be a problem to get my hands on some egg whites.
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
NO EGG WHITES IN CARTON? OMG, I would just die! I must go through one or two cartons a week!
Erin
Haha. Wow. Way to go with getting your protein! I found coconut flour today for 17 USD per kilogram which just sounds crazy for flour. I get whole spelt for 1.22 USD per kilo. Is the coconut flour really so much better? If you say it does magical things, then maybe I’ll get some.
Sonia, The Healthy Foodie
Oh, Erin… haven’t you read my post about one of my favorite discoveries of all time, aka, coconut flour?
I’d indeed say that it does do magical things. It’s simply awesome! Very well worth the hefty price tag, if you ask me. In fact, I’m not even certain that it can be subbed… I’ve never tried! Can you buy a smaller bag, maybe, just to try it? In case you didn’t like it, you know… I wouldn’t want to be held responsible for your wasting 17 bucks! 
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
Oh gosh. I haven’t made it through all your posts yet! Thanks for the link, I’ll go check it out. And I’ll look around for a smaller bag.