Cake of the Week: Pumpkin Pancakes

I went to a very small elementary school with just one teacher per grade. That meant that everyone knew exactly what to expect each year, especially those of us with older siblings. I knew that Mrs. Mullins made her 3^rd graders stay in at recess if they didn’t finish the homework, that Steve was the coolest 5^th grade teacher in the world, and that Mr. Paul took his students to 6^th grade camp. Mrs. Wright’s 4^th grade class was arguably the best year ever – students went on an overnight on the C.A. Thayer, and the class made Pumpkin Pancakes on Halloween.

Since that fateful year, I have loved pumpkin pancakes with a love unparalleled by any other breakfast food adoration. Pancakes are my absolute favorite kind of cake (bold statement, but I stand by it). This is their Eat Run Read debut, mostly because I rarely have the patience to take pictures before I dig into a plate of light fluffy syrupy deliciousness.

I like all kinds - blueberry, whole wheat, chocolate chip, etc. etc. But pumpkin pancakes are the best of all worlds because they’re spicy and pumpkin-y and go ridiculously well with real maple syrup, toasted walnuts, and dark chocolate.

I made these for a house brunch, and I’d say they were a smashing success.

Pumpkin Pancakes (adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
•  pinch of ground cloves
• 1 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
• 1 dark chocolate bar, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, nutmeg, and a pinch of ground cloves.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together milk, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and egg; fold mixture into dry ingredients. 
3. Mix in toasted walnuts and dark chocolate pieces.
4. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat (unless you're using a non-stick skillet - in that case no butter necessary); pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side. 

Yields: 8 to 10 pancakes

I wish this picture were better focused on the chocolatey awesomeness inside these pancakes, but unfortunately I had urgent business to attend to and was unable to get a better shot. 

(That 'urgent business' may or may not have been eating the pancakes. Could you have waited???)