Mexican Pancakes

Pancakes are a winner on a Sunday morning, and these have a kick! Spice up the standard with traditional flavours and add a surprise with chilli chocolate sauce. For kids, tone down the spice or omit altogether.

Pancakes

1 cup buckwheat flour 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 cup unsweetened almond

milk or soy milk 1 ripe banana, mashed 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds 1 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp star anise ½ tsp cardamom 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda ⅛ tsp pink Himalayan salt coconut oil, for the pan

Cashew Cream

1 cup cashews, soaked ¼ cup water ¼ cup coconut oil melted 1 tsp vanilla 1 tbsp maple pinch of salt

Chilli Chocolate Sauce

¼ cup cacao 1 tbsp maple syrup, at room

temperature 2 tbsp melted coconut oil ⅛ tsp chilli powder ⅛ tsp allspice Start by soaking the cashews for the cashew cream. They need around 3 hours to soften, or you can speed up the process by soaking in hot water. Drain and rinse the cashews, then add to a high-powered blender with other cashew-cream ingredients and whizz until silky smooth. Place in the fridge to set. Next, make the chilli chocolate sauce. Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. It is important to have the maple syrup at room temperature, or even warmed slightly, to get a beautifully smooth sauce with a rich sheen. Set aside but do not refrigerate. Now, make the pancakes! There’s no need to be too specific with wet and dry: you can whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl, or even easier, throw it all into a food processor and blitz until you get a nice thick batter. Heat a little coconut oil in a non-stick pan and add some of the pancake mix. Depending on the size you like, make circular motions with the pan and flip once you start seeing bubbles form on the top. Continue until you have used all the batter. Remove the cashew cream from the fridge and start to build your Mexican towers. Warm the chocolate sauce again if it has cooled, and drizzle generously over to finish.