Raspberry Upside-Down (Pan)Cake

I mean, really, what other title do you need?  This recipe came about one night after a batch of pancakes went very wrong. I've no idea what happened, since directions were followed to the T, but the pancake batter turned out runny. So runny it couldn't go onto the griddle (at least not without also making its way to the floor).  But, I didn't want to waist a bowlful of potential pancakey goodness, so I poured it into a casserole and baked it. Nom.

What You'll Need

Supplies

Medium mixing bowl                                                  9 x 9" casserole

Measuring cups                                                          Knife

Whisk

Ingredients

Stick of butter                                                            Water

Pancake mix                                                               8 oz package raspberries

Now Let's Make Raspberry Pancake Cake!
The great thing about this recipe is its simplicity. Start by preheating your oven to 350F. Grease your baking dish by peeling the wrapper away from the stick of butter and rubbing the stick against the bottom and sides of the dish (Kinda like coloring, but with butter). Rewrap your butter and put it away; set the dish aside.

Prepare your pancake mix in the medium bowl according to the directions on the box. I use the one for 12-18 pancakes (and when does it ever make that many?), which called for 2 cups mix to 1 1/3 cup water. Find the comparable amounts on your box, measure, and mix! Use your whisk and make sure all the lumps are gone, but do not overmix or you'll have a really tough cake.

Rinse off the raspberries and pat them dry with a paper towel very gently.  Layer the bottom of your casserole dish with raspberries, making sure to space them as evenly as possible.

Next, pour the pancake batter on top of the raspberries, making sure to pour evenly across the dish. If any of your raspberries are uncovered, push a little batter over the top of them.

Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven.  Start checking at about 18 minutes, but do not check too frequently or the warmth will escape the oven. Remove from oven when top is just starting to turn golden and an inserted knife comes out clean.

Cut the cake into squares. Dust with confectioner's sugar or the topping of your choice and serve. There's a lot of toppings that go well with this: whipped cream, cream cheese, maple syrup, raspberry preserves, honey, caramel etc. This cake relies on toppings to sweeten it, so don't skimp. Pick one and enjoy!

   

Don't Let Your Flapjacks Flop!

Although, who doesn't like a good pancake? Unless, of course, you've burned them (I've never done that. Nope!). Pancakes are practically a world-wide dish, too, which is pretty cool; seriously, check out the Wikipedia page, which is . . . impressive. This is one of the first things I learned to cook, so this particular recipe is the result of plenty of practice and, well, flops. So, this is the recipe for my super-fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes; it makes about 6-8 flapjacks, depending on how good you are at stretching the batter (I'm not, and I always wind up with an awkward 7).

What You'll Need

Supplies

Medium mixing bowl                                                   Large mixing bowl

Measuring cups (Liquid and Dry)                                 Ladle

Measuring spoons                                                       Cast iron skillet or griddle

Whisk                                                                          Topping(s) of choice

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour                                               1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar                                                               2 large eggs

2 tsp baking powder                                                    3 Tbsp butter

1 tsp baking soda                                                         1 3/4 cup buttermilk

Now Let's Make Buttermilk Pancakes!

Take your medium mixing bowl and measure out 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt. (Do NOT confuse the powder and the soda! Again, I've never done this).  Whisk the dry ingredients together until there are no lumps and the texture is quite fine.  Set aside.

Now, melt 3 Tbsp butter.  While butter is melting, crack the 2 large eggs into your large mixing bowl. Remove shell if necessary and beat the eggs with the whisk until yolks and whites are blended.  Add the melted butter.  Shake the buttermilk and measure out 1 3/4 cup, pouring it into the bowl. Whisk all the wet ingredients together vigorously until they are thoroughly mixed.

Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the bowl of wet.  Whisk until all of the dry ingredients are mixed in and there are no lumps.  Try not to beat overly long, as this could result in a tough pancakes (and no one likes a pancake that gives you lip). The batter should be thick but pourable; if the batter is too thick, add buttermilk in very small amounts, mixing after each addition, until you reach the proper consistency. Be careful, it's really easy to overdo and get runny batter. (And, like snotty eggs, runny batter is just wrong).

Try not to burn the paper. Heh heh.

Set the batter aside and heat your skillet/griddle (cooking instrument of choice) to medium-low heat.  On my stove, anything above 3 results in burnt crisps (which couldn't flop if they wanted to, but suck nonetheless). Ultimately, you'll just have to know your stove. While your griddle heats, allow the batter to rest; this will help encourage overall fluffiness. Your griddle is ready when butter sizzles on it. Speaking of butter . . . take the rest of the stick that you cut the 3 Tbsp from and peel back the paper. Apply butter to the pan between each pancake as you cook using this stick (see photo).

Ladle pancake batter onto the buttered skillet.  Allow the flapjack to cook on one side until bubbles begin to surface on the uncooked side of the pancake.  This will be most pronounced around the edges. Pancake is ready to flip when the edge can be easily lifted without batter sticking to the spatula.  The color of the cooked side should be a deep golden brown.  Cook the other side of the pancake until it matches the top in color. Repeat until all batter is used.

Stack the flapjacks and serve with your choice of toppings.  I prefer powdered sugar, but my boyfriend likes maple syrup.  Other tasty options: fresh fruit, fruit sauce, whipped cream, jams and preserves, marshmallow cream, chocolate, nutella, caramel and nuts.  Also, because this pancake is not particularly sweet in and of itself, you can also it with savory toppings and/or dishes (I totally want to try this soon!).

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