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. For each pancake, scoop up about ¼ cup of the batter and drop 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.