Mad Hungry Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I love Lucinda Scala Quinn- a Mad Hungry recipe has yet to fail me. Always delicious! This special pancake recipe was adapted from Mad Hungry Cravings: 173 Recipes for the Food You Want to Eat Right Now by Lucinda Scala Quinn. I modified the recipe by incorporating whole wheat flour. They were wonderful- the lemon zest brought these fluffy pancakes to another level. Breakfast perfection. 🙂

Yield: Serves 6 to 8 (Makes approximately 18 pancakes)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp (heaping) ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 T granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries (I used frozen wild blueberries)
• 3 cups buttermilk (well shaken before measuring)
• 3 large eggs
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• vegetable oil or vegetable oil spray for cooking
• pure maple syrup, for serving

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar in a large bowl until throughly combined.
2. Toss the blueberries with 2 tablespoons of the dry mixture in a medium bowl and set aside. (If using frozen berries, fold them in very gently at the end to avoid entirely bluish-purple-toned pancakes.)
3. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the buttermilk, eggs, and lemon zest.
4. Whisk together the wet ingredients, gradually incorporating the dry mixture, mixing just until combined; some small lumps should remain in the batter.
5. Let the batter stand for 10 minutes. Incorporate the blueberries.
6. Preheat a double-burner griddle or a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
7. Brush or spray the pan with vegetable oil and ladle 1/3 cup of the batter per pancake onto the griddle. (I do 6 at a time.) When small bubbles appear across the surface of the pancakes and the edges lift from the griddle, flip and continue cooking until golden brown on the second side and springy to the touch, about 3 minutes total.
8. Serve warm – preferably on warm plates- with pure maple syrup.

One Year Ago:

• Healthy Morning Muffins
• Oatmeal Toasting & Sandwich Bread

Two Years Ago:

• Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
• Popovers

Busy Day Chocolate Cake

This is the easiest cake I have ever made, and it is delicious.  The recipe is from Lucinda Scala Quinn’s “Mad Hungry” cookbook, via Everyday Food.  I used a 9×9 pan and the cake was done after 25 minutes on convection.  I used my favorite buttercream recipe which is from Food and Wine.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 cup cold water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan, whisk together all-purpose flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and coarse salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add vegetable oil, pure vanilla extract, white vinegar, and cold water. Whisk until well combined.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 minutes (for a 9-inch square pan on convection) to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

For the Buttercream Icing:

• 6 T unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of coarse salt
• 2 T heavy cream or milk
• sprinkles, for garnish, optional

1. Mix the butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and mix until combined.
3. Add cream and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Garnish with sprinkles, if desired.

Note: One batch makes 12 standard cupcakes (sunflower version below). Bake for 17 to 18 minutes.