Tenderest Cardamom Pancakes

by spiceaholic on May 29, 2015

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I’ve happily eaten yogurt for many years, but it has only been within the past few that I’ve transitioned from being merely a yogurt consumer to a yogurt user as well.  You see, it took me a while to appreciate how versatile yogurt is and how it can be used in so many different ways.  But now that I know, I love trying out new yogurt tricks!

I have to say, becoming part of Stonyfield’s Clean Plate Club has given me so many opportunities to play with yogurt and I love how I’ve challenged myself to come up with some interesting recipes.  For this month’s challenge, we were given the opportunity to review Cheryl Sternman Rule’s new book Yogurt Culture, which is an ode to yogurt and its history and presence in so many cultures, providing 115 recipes from around the world from different categories such as “Flavor,” “Sip,” “Slurp,” “Bake,” etc. I’ve already bookmarked the Afghan Beef Noodle Soup with Yogurt (Aush) and Kulfi (saffron-pistachio frozen yogurt) as recipes I’d like to try.  I loved flipping through the book and drooling over both the recipes and photography – it’s quite clear that Rule spent quite a bit of time researching for this book and I appreciate her effort.

Yogurt Culture

(photo credit: Ellen Silverman)

We were given the opportunity to make one of the recipes from the book or come up with our own.  Knowing how busy I would be with finals, getting ready for the baby (August is sneaking up fast!), and social plans I opted to try the recipe for Tenderest Cardamom Pancakes from the book.  I love cardamom and I liked the use of yogurt in the pancake recipe instead of buttermilk.  The recipe makes a LOT of pancakes, 30-40, so you can either keep any extra batter in the fridge for a couple days or reduce the recipe by half.

So not only did I get an amazing new cookbook to add to my collection, but OXO was a sponsor for this month and sent us kitchen tools that paired up with the recipe we were trying. Since I was making pancakes, I received a mini silicone flexible pancake turner plus a “bonus” gift of a butter dish!

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Back to the pancakes.  As promised by the title, these are indeed tender pancakes. I have to admit to adding a little cinnamon to the batter and since my cousin is visiting me, I added some chocolate and cinnamon chips as well just for fun! We gobbled up quite a few of the pancakes and still have some leftover! I still need to work on my pancake-cooking skills as evidenced by my pictures, but I will say that the pancake turner was the perfect size for flipping the pancakes!

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I hope you enjoy the pancake recipe and that it makes you want to search for this cookbook to add to your collection! You won’t regret it.

*Disclosure: Stonyfield Organic provided me with samples of their Greek yogurt and a copy of Yogurt Culture as part of their Clean Plate Club. OXO provided me with the mini silicone flexible pancake turner as part of this month’s campaign. All opinions are my own.

Wake_Pancakes_81097

(photo credit: Ellen Silverman)

Tenderest Cardamom Pancakes

Recipe from Yogurt Culture used with permission from Cheryl Sternman Rule

MAKES 30 TO 40 PANCAKES

Yogurt transforms a simple whisk-up batter into the lightest, fluffiest, tenderest, and most magical pancakes imaginable. Any extra batter keeps nicely in a covered jar in the fridge for 2 or 3 days.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1½ cups plain yogurt (not Greek) or whey

1½ cups milk, preferably whole or 2%

4 large eggs

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus additional butter for the griddle

Maple syrup and/or additional yogurt, for serving (optional)

Preparation

MIX THE BATTER. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt and milk until smooth. Then whisk in the eggs, followed by the butter. Scrape the wet ingredients into the dry. Switch to a large silicone spatula and combine thoroughly, sweeping the sides and bottom of the bowl; do not overmix. The batter will be a bit lumpy but should have no powdery pockets. Set aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

COOK AND SERVE. Heat a cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. When a drop of water on the griddle sizzles and evaporates, coat the griddle with butter. Dragging your spoon or scoop in a round (this creates thinner pancakes), distribute about 3 tablespoons batter per pancake onto the griddle. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until deep golden. Work in batches, slicking the griddle with more butter as you go. Serve with maple syrup and additional yogurt, if desired.

 

 

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Sues May 29, 2015 at 10:42 am

These pancakes really do look SUPER tender! And I love the idea of putting cardamom in pancakes; yum!

Cheryl May 29, 2015 at 2:28 pm

Farihah! Your pancakes look gorgeous… exactly as they’re supposed to look. Well done!

I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and are enjoying Yogurt Culture. I really appreciate your sharing my book with your readers in this way. Happy summer-to-be… sounds like there are some exciting changes coming your way in August 🙂

c.

Aiman Masud June 24, 2015 at 10:24 pm

Wow those pancakes look awesome! Yes yogurt is a very versatile item for cooking.

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