With all the excitement of Valentine’s Day over, we can now look forward to the highlight of the year; Pancake Day! Whether you’re wanting to indulge on Shrove Tuesday, or are still sticking to your January diet, we’ve got two great recipes that are equally delicious, as well as some of the best café’s in Manchester serving up pancake goodness.

Nothing beats cooking up fresh pancakes in the morning! We’ve two pancake recipes that are quick, easy and more importantly, delicious! – it’s worth noting at this point that pancakes rarely go well on the first attempt, so remember to persevere.

Gluten and Dairy Free ‘chocolate chip’ pancakes

Ingredients for two pancakes:

1. 2 Eggs

2. 1 Banana

3. 1 Nakd chocolate orange bar cut into chunks

4. Your choice of fruit for topping, but we love strawberries and pomegranate seeds

Method:

Using a hand blender or food processor, mix the banana and the eggs together.

Heat up a small amount of oil in a frying pan

Pour half of the mixture into the pan, and add the cut up Nakd bar, spacing it out evenly

Flip the pancake when it’s cooked on one side

Repeat with the other half of the mixture

Add fruit of your choice for topping and tuck in! Healthy, easy and gluten and dairy free pancakes.

Easy American-style pancakes

Want to treat yourself this Pancake day? These light and fluffy American-style pancakes are perfect for sharing, and great topped with syrup, icing sugar and fruit, or streaky bacon if you want the full USA experience.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1. 3 large eggs

2. 115 g plain flour

3. 1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder

4. 140 ml milk

Method:

Carefully separate the eggs, by putting the whites into one bowl and the yolks into another. Move the whites to one side

Mix the flour, baking powder and milk into the egg yolks until you have a smooth thick batter

Whisk the egg whites with 1 pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks, then fold into the rest of the mixture

Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat, pour some of the batter into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, or until it starts to look golden and firm.

Flip the pancake and continue frying until both sides are golden.

You can make these pancakes to be large or small, depending on what you prefer. To serve, stack them and add a drizzle of maple syrup, icing sugar and fruit, or scrap the fruit and add a serving of streaky bacon. As far as toppings go, the world is your oyster, keep it classic with lemon and sugar or go to town and add a dash of vanilla ice-cream and grate some chocolate over the top to finish, et voilà!

Where to find the best pancakes in Manchester city centre on Pancake Day?

Here at Manchester Apartments, we’re big fans of brunch, as we’ve previously mentioned in our best places for brunch in Manchester blog. With pancakes on almost every brunch menu around the city, we’re certainly spoiled for choice. Here are some more of our favourites:

Moose Coffee
££
Station Approach Piccadilly Station, Manchester M1 2GH and
York House, 20 York St, Manchester M2 3BB

First up is Moose Coffee, with their menu growing from a love of American breakfast culture, it’s easy to see why Moose is a constant hotspot for Manchester brunch goers. Their menu has a whole section of Moose American Pancakes, ranging from apple and salted caramel to a banana and pecan stack. Get their early to avoid waiting for a table!

The Pen and Pencil
££
Fourways House, 57 Hilton St, Manchester M1 2EJ

The Pen and Pencil are another New-York style diner, based in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Pen and Pencil take their name and inspiration from the infamous mid-20th century bar on East 45th Street in New York, which was popular with newspaper journalists and the original ‘Mad Men’. Their menu continues to reflect this today, with bottomless brunches and all-day breakfasts making The Pen and Pencil a popular brunch hotspot. Their pancakes, which are available in the bottomless menu, are a classic example of simple food being made well, available topped with maple syrup, fruit compote and mascarpone or Bacon, maple syrup and pecans.

Alabama’s
££
10 Tariff Street, City Centre, Manchester, M1 2FF, United Kingdom

Somewhat hard to find, as this eatery sits above street level and up a small flight of stairs, once inside Alabama’s is bright and friendly, and their food is incredible! Their buttermilk pancakes are made fresh to order and can be topped with wild berries, banoffee, chocolate and peanut butter, or the classic bacon and maple syrup. Whatever your style, Alabama’s will accommodate.

LEAF
££
113 - 115 Portland St, Manchester M1 6DW

Leaf on Portland Street is home to great tea, coffee, food and fantastic hospitality. Their vast brunch menu is served until 5pm with their pancake stack taking centre stage. Leaf’s pancakes are a classic homemade style, served with Maple syrup, Greek yogurt & blueberry compote - the classic American pancake stack.

We hope this has given you loads of inspiration for Pancake Day this year! Good luck if you’re trying out the recipes at home and be sure to tag us in the photos of your creations. If you’re out brunching for Pancake Day, let us know what you have by sharing your photos on Instagram!