When I was sent an OXO Good Grips non stick frying pan (£50 from Lakeland) to review I knew exactly what to make in it to test it – pancakes! they are one of the best (and tastiest) ways to test just how non stick a pan is, if you can flip a pancake cleanly then it’s a goodun. The Good Grips frying pan was perfect for pancakes – I only had to use the teeniest smidge of butter to cook them in and they didn’t stick at all. It felt very solidly made, with the kind of non-stick coating that isn’t just going to flake off after a couple of uses (I’ve bought some very cheap and crappy cookware in the past…always a false economy) and I was impressed by the addition of a silicone handle in place of the usual plastic which means that the pans are oven-proof up to 200°C, a bonus for me as I didn’t actually own a single frying pan that could go in the oven… And if you are lucky enough to own a dishwasher, it is dishwasher safe and suitable for use on induction hobs.
On to the pancakes! I was in the mood for something a little different than a bog standard pancake so went for cornmeal pancakes, made with buttermilk for a bit of a tang, and honey and cinnamon for sweetness and flavour. I have made cornmeal pancakes in the past, and although they were tasty I have found them to be a little gritty from the cornmeal… I got round that this time by partially precooking and soaking the cornmeal, it is an easy extra step and doesn’t take long but really does make a difference; the pancakes were light and fluffy with no grittiness.
But pancakes on their own are a sad thing… they need syrup! You could of course just use maple syrup, but I decided to really amp up the honey and cinnamon flavours by making a lemon honey cinnamon syrup to serve with mine. It is super quick and easy to make, and literally just contains those three ingredients. Make sure that you make the syrup before you start making the pancakes (it only takes a minute), to give the cinnamon time to infuse, and you could replace the lemon juice with the juice of an orange if you wanted, which would be equally as delicious.
I also like to serve my pancakes with fruit, and although fresh fruit would be great, I think that roasted fruit is even better… Roasting really intensifies the flavour and creates a bit of sauce which is amazing with the pancakes. I used plums, roasted with a bit of honey and cinnamon (though you could use sugar), which were gorgeous, though I have to admit that my reason for using plums over any other fruit is that I just love the colour… You could also use peaches, nectarines, strawberries or rhubarb, all would be delicious (though the cooking times may vary a bit).
Some of the other breakfast recipes I’ve been crushing on recently include these gorgeous looking almond danish pastries, these healthy banana oat waffles which are the prettiest breakfast I have ever seen, and carrying on the plum theme, this healthy but delicious millet porridge with honey glazed plums.
Cinnamon Honey Cornmeal Pancakes With Lemon Honey Cinnamon Syrup & Roasted Plums
Ingredients
Syrup
- juice of 1 lemon
- 160 ml (2/3 cup) honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
Roasted Plums
- 8-12 plums
- 1-2 tbsp honey
- pinch cinnamon
Pancakes
- 360 ml (1 + 1/2 cups) buttermilk
- 175 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) cornmeal
- 30 g (2 tbsp) butter
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) honey
- 2 large eggs
- 110 g (1 cup) plain flour
- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Butter or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
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Start by making the honey lemon cinnamon syrup. Place the lemon juice, honey and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan and heat until simmering; remove from the heat and set aside to cool and infuse.
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Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Halve and stone the plums, place them cut side up in a roasting dish, drizzle over the honey and sprinkle over a generous pinch of cinnamon. Roast for about 20 minutes until very soft.
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Whisk the cornmeal with 300ml (1 + 1/4 cups) of the buttermilk in a large bowl, add the butter in small pieces, cover, and microwave for 1 minute on full power. Stir, re-cover and microwave for a further 30 seconds, stir again, cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
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Whisk together the remaining 60ml (1/4 cup) buttermilk, the eggs and the honey then whisk the mixture into the cornmeal. Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt, whisk until smooth then set aside for 10 minutes.
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Heat a little butter or vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat, ladle dollops of batter into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, until the edges have set and bubbles have formed on the top of the pancakes. Flip the pancakes over and cook until the underside is golden brown.
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Serve the pancakes with the warm roasted plums and honey syrup.
Disclaimer: I was sent a free OXO Good Grips frying pan to review but I was not paid to write this post and all opinions are my own.
I am sharing these with Fabulous Foodie Fridays, Fiesta Friday, Foodie Fridiy, Foodie Friends Friday, Friday Favourites and Friday Features
Hannah – you have created my dream breakfast! These look unbelievably gorgeous you have really outdone yourself. I love the idea of roasted plums – this looks the perfect balance between decadent and healthy. Yum!
You’ve made some beautiful pancake/waffle creations yourself 🙂 I really like roasted fruit, it is really flavourful and makes it’s own sauce so is perfect with pancakes. They are actually fairly healthy, and the cornmeal makes them quite filling too! x
These look gorgeous and I love the addition of the fruit too…yum!
Thanks Carrie 🙂
Can’t go past delicious pancakes for a Sunday breakfast! Love the added fruit too.
Yep, on a Sunday it’s got to be pancakes or waffles for breakfast! 🙂
Oh my, they look delicious! Thank you for linking to #cookblogshare
Thank You!
These look so yummy! I love the sound and look of those roasted plums too! I imagine they would also be delicious with some yogurt and granola.
Laura
http://www.agirlandherhome.com
Thanks Laura, yes I think the plums would be amazing with yoghurt and granola for a slightly healthier breakfast (not that the pancakes are particularly unhealthy)
I love roasting vegetables, but I had never thought to roast fruit before. That is genius. And these pancakes look amazing. I love that you used cornmeal!
Roasted fruit makes the best ice cream! I haven’t tried a roasted plum ice cream yet but I made a roasted strawberry one which is amazing 🙂
These pancakes are simply gorgeous! What a lovely breakfast! I love the idea of roasted plums. Funnily enough, that’s exactly what I did to test the OXO’s non-stick, I made pancakes…well I made crepes and then crepe cake but you get the idea. 😉
Ha ha! I couldn’t think of a better way to test a pan than to make pancakes 😛 Thanks Julia
Wow, yes to everything about these pancakes! They sound so delicious! Can’t wait to give them a try – thanks for sharing! #FFF
Thanks Kathryn 🙂
What gourmet pancakes! Love the addition of cinnamon to the syrup!
Thanks Dani 🙂
Cornmeal, cinnamon, and honey sounds likes an unbeatable combination! These pancakes look absolutely lovely, and with roasted plums?! Well, I won’t say no to that!
It is a fantastic combination if I don’t say so myself 😛 Thank you!
Who wouldn’t love pancakes in the morning? They are just so good. These look amazing, Hannah. I just love the syrup. 🙂
Thanks Jhuls 🙂 The syrup was delicious, sweet and tangy all at once.
A stack of these pancakes would be the perfect way to start the day! Thanks for linking up with us for Fabulous Foodie Fridays!
Thanks Lauren 🙂
That looks like the perfect pancake recipe!
HUGE CRAZY YUM!
Lol! Thanks Steph!
What a delicious breakfast!! So glad you shared it with us at #FoodieFriDIY…pinning and sharing it to my Facebook page tomorrow morning too…would love it if you had a chance to stop by! Hope you are having a great weekend!
Thanks Michelle 🙂 and thank you so much for sharing!
I am fascinated by the Lemon Honey Cinnamon Syrup. I can only imagine the flavours.
It is delicious 🙂 and so simple!
These sound delicious! I love the flavours you’ve used! Oh and that pour shot… amazing!!! Thanks for linking up with our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party. xx
Thanks Lucy, I was so pleased with that pour shot! It was my first attempt at one and I did a little happy dance when it turned out so well! xx
These are the perfect way to begin a weekend! Looks absolutely gorgeous 😀 I definitely want to try that beautiful syrup… lemon honey and cinnamon is such a dream combo!
Thanks Dini 🙂 the syrup is really delicious, and so easy to make!
Yes to roasted fruit, my Mum loves roasting all kinds of fruit and this has reminded me of my childhood and teenage years in particular, roasted fruit and custard was something we had a lot, Mum would stuff raisins into apples too, such healthy but comfort kind of food. Oh as always, your pancakes look DIVINE, I want you to bake and cook for me one day please! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x