Everybody loves Pancake Day.
Other than your birthday, what other day gives you the excuse to start your day with a dessert?
Pancake Day
Pancake day, otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in the Christian calendar.
It was often tradition for those celebrating Lent to eat plenty of pancakes on this day as a means of getting rid of fatty foods prior to the 40-day fasting period of Lent – many years ago it was common for Christians to refrain from eating fatty foods – eggs, milk, and meat – during Lent.
Nowadays, people tend to give up just one thing, whether it be junk food like chocolate or caffeinated drinks like coffee.
Why is it called Shrove Tuesday?
The word shrove, past tense of shrive, is defined as obtaining absolution for one’s sins, traditionally achieved through confession.
Given how the first day of Lent always falls on a Wednesday, people would then go to confession the day prior, given that day the title “Shriven Tuesday”, before later becoming Shrove Tuesday.
Why does the date of Pancake Day change every year?
Shrove Tuesday falls on the seventh week before Easter, and its date changes depending on whenever Easter falls that year.
Easter is always celebrated on the most recent Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox in March.
Easter Sunday always falls on a day between March 22nd and April 25th – this year Easter will be celebrated on April 12th.
Whether you prefer your pancakes traditional, served straight from the pan, doused in lemon and sugar, or delivered in a tall stack of fluffy goodness – there’s a pancake out there for everyone.
This year, we have picked an easy pancake recipe from The BBC and if you are home alone, a surprisingly simple Dutch baby from the Cornish Trewithen Dairy .
Easy pancakes from BBC Good Food
Ingredients
- 100g plain flour
- 2 large eggs
- 300ml milk
- 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil, plus a little extra for frying
- lemon wedges to serve (optional)
- caster sugar to serve (optional)
Method
- STEP 1
Put 100g plain flour, 2 large eggs, 300ml milk, 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil and a pinch of salt into a bowl or large jug, then whisk to a smooth batter.
- STEP 2
Set aside for 30 mins to rest if you have time, or start cooking straight away.
- STEP 3
Set a medium frying pan or crêpe pan over a medium heat and carefully wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper.
- STEP 4
When hot, cook your pancakes for 1 min on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.
STEP 5
Serve with lemon wedges and caster sugar, or your favourite filling. Once cold, you can layer the pancakes between baking parchment, then wrap in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.
SERVES 1
Ingredients for the pancake
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 50ml Trewithen Dairy Whole Milk
- 35g plain flour
- ½ tsp vanilla paste
- pinch of crushed sea salt
- 10g Trewithen Dairy Salted Butter
Ingredients for the caramelised apple
- 1 large eating apple
- 15g Trewithen Dairy Salted Butter
- 2 tsp light soft brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Ingredients for the toffee sauce
- 30g Trewithen Dairy Salted Butter
- 35g dark muscovado sugar
- 25g Trewithen Dairy Cornish Clotted Cream
To serve
- icing sugar for dusting
- Trewithen Dairy Cornish Clotted Cream
- 1 tsp chopped, toasted hazelnuts, optional
- For the pancake, heat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas 7 and place a small (15cm) ovenproof frying pan, sponge tin, cake tin or round ovenproof dish on the middle shelf of the oven.
- In a medium size jug or bowl, whisk (or use a stick blender) the egg, caster sugar, milk, flour, vanilla paste and salt together to a very smooth batter.
- Using oven gloves, remove the frying pan from the oven and add the butter to the pan. Swirl the pan a few times to melt the butter, then immediately pour in the batter.
- Return to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until puffed up and golden.
- Meanwhile for the caramelised apple, peel, core and slice the apple 1cm thick. Melt the butter in a small pan, then stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Add the apples and cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until just beginning to soften. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- For the toffee sauce, place the butter, sugar and clotted cream in a small pan and heat over a medium heat, stirring, until the butter and cream have melted and the sugar has dissolved.
- To serve, dust the edges of the pancake with icing sugar, then spoon the caramelised apples into the centre of the pancake, then pour over the toffee sauce. Top with a generous spoonful of clotted cream and sprinkle with chopped, toasted hazelnuts.
