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south african pancakes

South African Pancakes With Cinnamon Sugar

Miranda | My Anosmic Kitchen
South African Pancakes (also known as Pannekoek) is an easy recipe known for it's light and fluffy texture. This pancake recipe uses simple ingredients like flour, eggs, milk and a touch of vanilla. They are an absolute treat enjoyed by families across the country, delivering pancakes that are irresistibly delicious! Served with a variety of fillings and toppings, they offer endless possibilities for customization. Whether you prefer the classic combination of cinnamon sugar and lemon juice or you're feeling a little savory and prefer fillings like minced beef or cheese and spinach, these pancakes are sure to satisfy your cravings.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Equipment

  • Electric stand mixer or bowl, spoon & whisk
  • Pancake or any non stick pan
  • Measuring cups
  • Egg lifte/Spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¼ cups cake flour or AP flour (all purpose)
  • ½ teaspoon salt (regular table salt)
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 to 2 tbsp/s granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tbsps butter, (30 grams) melted
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla essence/extract or paste
  • 2 cups milk

Serving Options

  • fresh lemon juice
  • cinnamon sugar
  • whipped cream
  • melted chocolate
  • fruit

Instructions
 

For Both Versions

  • Use room temperature eggs. If melting the butter in the microwave, use 20 to 30 second blasts to melt and not boil. Let the butter cool before using.

Blender Recipe

    Step 1. Mix and Blend

    • Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend into a thin and smooth pancake batter.

    For The Bowl and Spoon Method

    • Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder (dry ingredients) into a bowl. Make a 'well' in the middle of the bowl and set aside.
      Wet Ingredients: Now beat the eggs and milk in a bowl or jug until well combined. Add the melted and now cooled butter and the vanilla. Mix together.
      Combine dry and wet ingredients: Pour the wet ingredients gradually into the 'well' of the dry ingredients and start pulling the ingredients together mixing until you have a smooth thin pancake batter.
      1 ¼ cups cake flour or AP flour (all purpose), ½ teaspoon salt (regular table salt), ½ to 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 to 2 tbsp/s granulated sugar, 2 eggs, room temperature, 2 tbsps butter, (30 grams) melted, 2 cups milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla essence/extract or paste

    For All Methods: Cook The Pancakes

    • Heat a non stick pan over medium-low heat and when the pan is hot, lightly brush the pan with either melted butter or vegetable oil.
      Pour ¼ to ⅓ cup measure, of enough batter into a thin layer into the center of the pan and gently swirl the pan to spread the batter out a bit.
      The edges will cook first, you will notice they dry up a little, tiny bubbles will appear on the surface of the batter, flip and cook the other side. It takes about a minute to cook and just a couple second on the 2nd side.
      Continue until you have used up all the batter. If storing any remaining batter, see the storage and reheating notes below.

    Step 4. Serve

    • Serve immediately while still warm with cream, cinnamon sugar and honey. If adding cream, wait 5 minutes for them to cool (so the cream doesn’t melt) and then fill them up. You can use store-bought whipped cream in a can or you whip your own at home.
      melted chocolate, fruit

    Pannekoek (Pancake) Serving

    • Sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over and serve with fresh lemon juice.

    For Homemade Whipping Cream

    • Use a tub (250ml) of thick cream, a tablespoon or 2 of sugar and a drop (½ tsp) of vanilla. An electric stand mixer works best for this or a hand held mixer. You can do it by hand but it will take some muscle. Whisk until you have a soft yet firm whipping cream.
      whipped cream

    Notes

    Pancake Recipe Notes

      • Pour just enough batter to fill the base of your pan. If your pan is small, you are looking at ¼ cup measurement, bigger pan, ⅓ cup measurement.A soup ladle for larger pancakes works great. If your ladle is too big, use a cup measure instead. 
      • Use non-stick cooking spray instead of butter or oil if you prefer. 
      • Try and get the batter to cover the bottom of the pan, gently lift and swirl to get this done effectively. 
      • Use medium heat and adjust the heat if it's too hot to medium-low.
      • The less batter you use the thinner the pancake. 
      • If you find the batter a little thick and want to add a little water, use a tablespoon so that you can control the amount. 
      • Add cinnamon sugar to your pancakes as they come out the pan, cover and keep warm while you finish the rest of the batter.
      • Use room temperature eggs and if you forget to take the eggs out, place them in a bowl and run hot water from the tap, leave them for a minute in there. Hot tap water is never as hot as boiling kettle water so the tap water won’t ‘cook them’.
      • After melting the butter in the microwave, let it stand on the countertop to cool while you prep the other ingredients. The butter should be cooled before adding it to the heat sensitive eggs because we don’t want a curdled batter.
      • Cooking the pancakes doesn’t require a lot of butter especially (and it should be) in a non stick pan. If you add about ¼ to ½ teaspoon of butter, it should be good for another 3 pancakes. In saying that, if you see your pancake looking dry as you cook it, add a little butter to the pan.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 206kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 8gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 311mgPotassium: 170mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 328IUCalcium: 133mgIron: 1mg
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