It’s the weekend and pancakes are on the menu! And nestled inside these delicate breakfast cakes are golden raisins that have soaked in sweet apple juice for just a bit. Then these tiny bits of fruit are wrapped in a batter made with buttermilk and sour cream, gently spiced with cardamom.
This is a twist using our buttermilk ricotta pancake recipe as the base – swapping the ricotta out for sour cream. During the holidays my Mom frequently made a sour cream raisin pie, a combination that sounds odd but is really quite delicious. So taking a page from her book I tossed raisins into the mix to hang out with the sour cream.
Pancakes are so common in the breakfast world we forget there are many fun ingredients you can add. They’re really just simple thin cakes, “baked” in a skillet or on a griddle and have been found in the food arena for centuries. They share similar ingredients with cakes baked in the oven – flour with baking powder and baking soda for a little lift plus just a touch of sugar. Buttermilk and sour cream bring tang and tenderness, eggs provide richness.
A delicate punch of flavor is added from fresh lemon zest and cardamom – that wonderful spice from the ginger family. Then the sweet golden raisins – along with the apple juice they soaked in – are whisked into the batter and ladled onto a hot griddle, cooked until steaming, fluffy, and golden.
Top with a pat of creamy butter and drizzle on some warm maple syrup. Brunch can be both easy and delightful!
Sour Cream and Raisin Pancakes
½ cup apple juice
¾ cup golden raisins
2 cups flour
2-½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
Zest from 1 lemon, about 1 teaspoon
1-½ cups buttermilk
2 extra-large eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
About 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Extra butter and maple syrup for serving
About 30 minutes before you’re ready to mix up the pancake batter combine the apple juice with the golden raisins to plump up a bit. While the raisins soak mix up the batter.
Whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, sugar, cardamom, and the lemon zest.
In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk with the eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil. Add the golden raisins and the apple juice*, whisk until smooth.*If you want thicker pancakes reduce the apple juice added to the batter to ¼ cup.
Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk just until blended together. Don’t over mix the batter or the pancakes will be tough.
Let the batter rest about 10 minutes. Heat a griddle to 350-degrees or warm a skillet over medium heat. When the griddle is hot, lightly brush the surface with a small amount of the melted butter. Using a large ice cream scoop or a small ladle drop batter onto the hot griddle.
Cook the pancakes until golden on the bottom and the top is set – about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pancakes and continue cooking until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. To keep the pancakes warm while you finish cooking, you can set them on a wire rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet and pop them in a 200-degree oven. Any leftover batter can be refrigerated for a day or two. Just let the batter warm at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Top the pancakes with a bit of butter and warm maple syrup! Makes about 16 to 18 pancakes – 4” to 5” each.
Sour Cream and Raisin Pancakes
Equipment
- Electric griddle
Ingredients
- ½ cup apple juice
- ¾ cup golden raisins
- 2 cups flour
- 2-½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Zest from 1 lemon, about 1 teaspoon
- 1-½ cups buttermilk
- 2 extra-large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- About 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Extra butter and maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- About 30 minutes before you’re ready to mix up the pancake batter combine the apple juice with the golden raisins to plump up a bit. While the raisins soak mix up the batter.
- Whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, sugar, cardamom, and the lemon zest.
- In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk with the eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil. Add the golden raisins and the apple juice*, whisk until smooth. *If you want thicker pancakes reduce the apple juice added to the batter to ¼ cup.
- Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk just until blended together. Don’t over mix the batter or the pancakes will be tough.
- Let the batter rest about 10 minutes.
- Heat a griddle to 350-degrees or warm a skillet over medium heat. When the griddle is hot, lightly brush the surface with a small amount of the melted butter.
- Using a large ice cream scoop or a small ladle drop batter onto the hot griddle. Cook the pancakes until golden on the bottom and the top is set – about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pancakes and continue cooking until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- To keep the pancakes warm while you finish cooking, you can set them on a wire rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet. Keep warm in a 200-degree oven. Any leftover batter can be refrigerated for a day or two. Just let the batter warm at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
- Top with a bit of butter and warm maple syrup.
