Sparkle Kitchen: Birthday Pancakes
In the Dry Gables: Hands Together story “What Nothing Can Bring,” in Dry Gables, everyone's birthday is the biggest event of the year. This is primarily due to the attention and follow-through of Lena Denken, the co-owner of the town's dry goods store. Lena goes out of her way to make sure everyone gets their own special day.
There is one birthday, however, that is seldom up to snuff — Lena's own. Because Lena typically orchestrates Dry Gables birthday celebrations, her special day sometimes gets overlooked. That is, until Lena learns a valuable lesson from her friend Marta: how to let go and do nothing.
I'm quite a bit like Lena in that I also like to make a fuss for special days. That said, I feel qualified to tell you one of the secrets of being the person who makes a fuss for special days: plan your surprise early in the day.
Why is that important? Because if you wait until dinner time to surprise your birthday boy or girl, they may wonder if their day has been forgotten, but if you catch them early in the morning, they'll feel loved and cared for all day long. I promise, give it a try!
With that in mind, these birthday pancakes are a great way to kick off the next special day in your family. The recipe isn't extraordinary — just basic pancakes — but, by using a squeeze bottle to make notes or drawings in the batter, you can make these pancakes an extra-fun birthday morning surprise.
Birthday Pancakes
Ingredients
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups milk
A pinch of salt
Olive oil or butter (for oiling the griddle)
Maple syrup (for serving)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 250° and warm a large griddle or skillet to medium heat.
As your cooking elements heat up, lightly whisk the eggs in a large bowl — just enough to break up the yolks. Then, whisk in the flour, baking powder, milk, and salt. The batter should be mostly smooth, but a few lumps are fine.
Now, spoon about a cup of the batter into a small squeeze bottle.
Spread a few tablespoons of oil onto the griddle and use the squeeze bottle to draw a shape on the hot pan. You can write the birthday child's name or age, draw a heart, or even draw a birthday cupcake. Allow your drawing to cook for about a minute, then ladle more batter over the top to form a traditional, round pancake shape.
When the surface of the pancake batter starts to bubble, use a spatula to flip the pancake over. Be steady and confident as you flip to avoid breaking the pancake. Cook the pancake until the second side is golden brown, then slip the pancake onto a bake sheet in your warm oven. Repeat with additional pancakes until all of the batter is used up.
Once all of the pancakes are cooked, remove them from the oven and distribute them onto plates. Pour a generous drizzle of maple syrup over the top and enjoy surprising your birthday boy or girl.
If you liked this recipe, here are others you might enjoy:
Not yet a subscriber? Try a free trial HERE.
About the Author
Meryl Carver-Allmond
The Sparkle Kitchen Series is created by Meryl Carver-Allmond.
Meryl lives in a hundred-year-old house near the prairie with her sweet husband, two preschoolers, one puppy, one gecko, and about ten chickens. While she's been writing since she could pick up a pen, in recent years she's discovered the joy of photography, too. She feels lucky to be able to combine those skills, along with a third passion — showing people that cooking for themselves can be healthy and fun — in her Sparkle Kitchen posts.
