Strawberry Cloud Cakes with Strawberry Sauce
These thick, rich pancakes are made with a dollop of ricotta cheese, clouds of fluffy egg whites and red, ripe strawberries tucked inside. Top with a warm, rosy strawberry sauce and brunch is pretty wonderful!
Equipment
- Blender
- small saucepan
- Electric mixer
- Electric or stovetop griddle
Ingredients
- For the strawberry sauce:
- Zest of 1 lemon, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, about ½ lemon
- ⅓ cup water
- 4 cups strawberry halves, about 1 to 1-½ quart of fresh
- 8 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- For the pancakes:
- 2-½ cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ⅓ cup ricotta cheese
- 2 extra-large eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for cooking the pancakes
- 1 quart fresh strawberries, rinsed, stemmed, hulled and sliced
- Optional serving toppings: ricotta cheese, warm strawberry sauce, maple syrup, and powdered sugar
Instructions
- To make the strawberry sauce:
- Toss the lemon zest, lemon juice, and water into a blender. Add the strawberries and 6 tablespoons of the sugar. Process starting on low, then raise to medium speed. Blend for about 1 to 2 minutes until very smooth.
- Transfer the puréed strawberries to a small saucepan. Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cornstarch and add to the sauce. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Makes about 2-¼ cups of sauce.
- To make the pancakes:
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
- Combine the buttermilk with the ricotta cheese, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and melted butter. Whisk to blend together.
- In a small bowl beat the egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.
- Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined; the batter will be stiff.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in the egg whites.
- Warm an electric griddle to 325-degrees.
- When the griddle is hot, lightly brush it with additional butter. Scoop about ¼ cup of the batter onto the griddle, leaving enough room between each pancake to flip them. Top with some of the sliced strawberries pressing them gently into the pancake batter.
- Cook until the pancakes are golden and the batter on top is set. Flip and continue cooking until the cakes are cooked through. These pancakes are thick and take a few minutes longer to cook through, about 5 minutes per side.
- Serve with an extra touch of ricotta, warm strawberry sauce, and maple syrup plus a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
- To keep the pancakes warm while you finish cooking, place the pancakes on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and place in a 200-degree oven.