MAKE OUR COVER RECIPE

Best ever fluffy American pancakes with berry-cherry syrup

For as long as I can remember, we’ve been making pancakes on a Saturday morning in my house – it’s become a calling that the weekend has arrived. Having whisked and flipped a fair few, I can confidently say these are my best-ever, thick, fluffy breakfast pancakes. I alternate the toppings depending on what’s in the fridge or freezer, but blueberries, bacon and maple syrup are firm favourites.

MAKES 12 (serves 2-4, depending on your appetite) PREP 10 mins COOK 30 mins EASY

350g self-raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp

2 large eggs

150g buttermilk or plain yogurt

325ml milk

200g fresh or frozen blueberries

150g frozen or canned pitted cherries

1 tsp cornflour

1 vanilla pod, or 1 tsp bean paste or extract

200g thick-cut smoked streaky bacon flavourless oil, such as vegetable or sunflower, for frying

200g mascarpone maple syrup, to serve

1 Make the pancake batter up to a day ahead, or just before cooking. Tip the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and 2 tsp sugar into a bowl, add a good pinch of salt and combine with a whisk. Add the eggs, buttermilk or yogurt and milk to the bowl and whisk into a smooth batter. If making ahead, cover and chill until ready to cook.

2 Tip the blueberries, cherries, cornflour, 2 tbsp sugar and the vanilla into a pan, and stir until the berries are coated in cornflour. Add 1 tbsp water, then place over a high heat and bubble for a minute or 2 until syrupy but the berries are still holding their shape. Set aside to cool, then remove the vanilla pod, if using. This is best served warm.

3 Heat the grill to medium-high and arrange the bacon on a baking tray lined with foil. Set aside. If you have a separate oven, heat this to a low setting (50C/30C fan/gas 1/2) with a baking tray in it (this is to keep the pancakes warm as you cook them). If not, they can sit under the bacon, just keep a close eye on them.

4 Heat a glug of oil in a large, heavy frying pan, wipe the oil around the pan with a piece of kitchen paper, leaving a fine coating of oil on the surface. Transfer the pancake batter to a jug. When the pan is hot but not smoking (keep it over a moderate heat) pour the batter into the pan, making 7-8cm pancakes, with plenty of space between them (you should fit three pancakes in at a time). The batter should sizzle a little as it hits the pan, but not aggressively – adjust the heat if you need to. Cook each pancake until the underside is golden; by this time bubbles should be appearing on the surface and the edges beginning to set, indicating that the pancake is ready to flip over. Use a fish slice to do this. They should take roughly 2 mins on each side. Transfer the pancakes to the warm baking tray. Wipe a little more oil around the pan and continue cooking the rest of the batter in this way. You should make 12 pancakes.

5 When you’re halfway through the batter, grill the bacon for 4-5 mins on each side until crispy.

6 To serve, stack the pancakes with a dollop of mascarpone, bacon, and fruits between each layer, and serve with a jug of maple syrup.

GOOD TO KNOW calcium • 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING (4) 932 kcals • fat 47g • saturates 25g • carbs 96g • sugars 29g • fibre 5g • protein 28g • salt 3.1g