Lemon Mascarpone Pancakes

Name: Lemon Mascarpone Pancakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4-6 Pancakes
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour; 3 tbsp White Sugar; 2 tsp Baking Powder; Pinch of Salt; 2 tsp Lemon Zest; 1 Egg, separated; 1/2 cup + 2tbsp Milk; 1/3 cup Mascarpone Cheese, room temperature; 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil; 1tsp Pure Vanilla Extract; ¼ cup Mixed Berries; 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

March 26, 2015 By Riz 38 Comments

Fantastically fluffy and marvelously moist pancakes. That’s what you get when you add a luxuriously creamy element like mascarpone to your pancake batter. And lemon? Well, lemons are tangy and delicious. This makes for an elegant, perhaps even slightly elevated, variation to the usual Sunday morning pancakes.

Also, it’s a great excuse to add mascarpone to your shopping list (unless you already buy it regularly. In which case your shopping list is, well, different to mine.)! And if that weren’t enough, we’re going to top it off with a divine berry compote.

Lemon Mascarpone Pancake Ingredients

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour

2 tbsp White Sugar

2 tsp Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

2 tsp Lemon Zest

1 Egg, separated

1/2 cup + 2tbsp Milk

1/3 cup Mascarpone Cheese, room temperature

2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

1tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Mixed Berry Compote Ingredients

¼ cup Mixed Berries

3 tbsp Water

1 tbsp White Sugar

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Prep Time: 15 Minutes (Optional: 20-30 Minute Rest Time), Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Makes 4-6 Pancakes

Start this recipe like any other pancake recipe – by sifting all the dry ingredients together (flour, 2tbsp sugar, baking powder, and salt). Add the lemon zest and mix well.

In a separate bowl, add milk, mascarpone, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk together to combine. Add mixture to the dry ingredients mixture, and whisk till mostly combined.

Common Sense: Take your mascarpone out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature to allow for easier whisking. I say this because common sense isn’t very common. Okay… fine! I admit it. I keep forgetting this part!

Whisk your egg white separately to form stiff peaks. Add this to the batter, and fold gently to incorporate. The whipped up egg white just adds a heavenly lightness to the pancakes – somewhat similar to what you’re aiming for when making a very light mousse or a soufflé.

Optional: Allow the batter to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes – a little time to let the ingredients in your batter really incorporate, resulting in even fluffier pancakes. I use this time to start washing up, and to prepare the berry compote.

Do as much of the washing up as you can while you’re cooking.”

– One of the best things my mother ever taught me.

I’m pairing the pancakes with a mixed berry compote. You can easily swap this out for honey or maple syrup but I LOVE berries. And this compote is something special – ridiculously simple, but delicious enough to make you scoff at any restaurant-made compotes! Try it, you won’t be disappointed. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’ll end up using this compote recipe for all your berry compote needs!

In a small pot, combine 3tbsp water, 1tbsp sugar, and mixed berries. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer, occasionally stirring to help breakdown the berries and reduce the mixture. Add the balsamic vinegar. Stir, and let the compote cook for a few minutes more. Balsamic vinegar just elevates the compote to a whole other level. Give the compote a gentle mash with a fork if your berries still look too solid. The thickness of the compote is to your preference – some like it runny, some like jam in a pan. I prefer a viscous, slightly viscid (bet you didn’t expect to read that word today!), syrupy consistency.

Heat a non-stick pan (ideally, a heavy-bottomed one for a more even distribution of heat) over a medium heat and coat it with oil. Using a ¼ cup measure to drop dollops of the batter into the pan to create nice even pancakes. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and there are a few bubbles forming through the top. Flip and repeat. Adjust the heat as necessary. Serve with the compote.

Helpful Tools (Affiliate Links)

Heads up! The following is an affiliate link. If you buy something through it, I will receive a small commission. You won’t need to pay a penny more, but it’ll help keep my lights on! Thank you, bestie. You’re the best!

This Silver Dollar Pancake Pan is handy if you’re the type that likes your pancakes to be perfectly uniform!

Is this Lemon Mascarpone Pancakes recipe more work than my Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes recipe? A little. Does it take more time? Maybe a tad more. But if you’re looking for an elegant twist to your standard pancakes, it’s worth it.

The result is a delicious and versatile pancake recipe that works as both a feel good brunch, and as something to impress your weekly brunch bunch with. Feel free to mix it up! Some days I’ll stir fresh blueberries straight into my batter (before folding in the egg white) because life is too short not to put blueberries in your pancakes.

What do you think? What’s your favourite pancake variation? Leave me a comment below 🙂