Blood Orange and Dark Chocolate Pancakes
Chocolate and orange, what’s not to love? Blood oranges are in season in February so make a lovely choice - however if you can’t find any, you can substitute with normal navel oranges. Either use small chocolate chips here or break your bar into very small pieces so the chocolate is distributed evenly through the pancakes.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
for the pancakes
2 blood oranges
200g self-raising flour
50g caster sugar
Salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
120ml milk
50g dark chocolate - chopped into small pieces
for the syrup
Juice of 2 blood oranges (use the zest for the pancakes)
4 tbsp caster sugar
Method:
Prepare two of the oranges by removing the skin with a sharp knife, then cut the fruit into rounds, about the thickness of a one pound coin. Set aside until later.
For the pancake batter, mix together the flour, sugar, a pinch of salt and the zest of the remaining two oranges in a large bowl.
Crack in the eggs, one at a time and combine with the dry ingredients, then add the vanilla extract.
Add the milk and whisk until you have a smooth batter. The consistency should be a thick liquid that pours quite slowly. Finally, add in the chocolate and mix through the batter.
Lightly wipe the base of a frying pan or skillet with a little butter or oil and heat on low. Spoon in a ladleful of the batter into the pan. When bubbles start to appear on the surface of the batter, it’s time to flip! Once flipped, leave for 30 seconds on the other side until cooked. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
Meanwhile, make the sugar syrup. In a small pan, add the juice of the remaining two oranges along with 4 tablespoons of caster sugar. Bring to the boil, then turn down to simmer for 3 minutes. Set aside until your pancakes are ready.
Assemble your pancakes in a stack with the rounds of orange and drizzle with the orange syrup.