Carrot Cake Pancakes with Vanilla Cream Sauce

This meal was absolutely delicious. Last week I seemed to see pancakes everywhere, as a result I began to crave them. So I looked at many different pancake recipes and decided on three, but last week I only made 2 of them. I am excited to make the third recipe either this week or next week. When I read about the carrot cake recipe on Multiply Delicious, I thought they sounded wonderful. However I could not bring myself to put a syrup on these pancakes. It just did not seem right. Frosting them seemed wrong - it would make it a dessert not a meal. I decided to make a sauce that would be lighter than frosting, but still give that same feel - so I made a Vanilla Cream Sauce. The pairing was wonderful! Hubby loved it, which was good because he would have preferred having regular pancakes and toying with the syrups. Hubby likes the food he is use to and tolerates my desire to change recipes.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Original Recipe

In a medium to large bowl, combine 1-1/4 cup whole wheat flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 

In a small bowl (I used the measuring cup that I measured the buttermilk with) combine, 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon canola oil, 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 large eggs

 Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Mix in 2 cups grated carrot (about 1 pound or 5 large carrots). Be sure to finely grate the carrots or the texture of the pancakes will suffer.

The color looks a little weird because of the whole wheat flour. 

In a hot skillet, over medium heat place 1/4 cup batter, cook for 3-4 minutes and flip.

 

Cook for 1-3 minutes more.  Repeat with remaining dough.

Serve pancakes while warm. Top with Vanilla Cream Sauce.

Vanilla Cream Sauce

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
3 egg yolks
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small to medium bowl, beat egg yolks, cornstarch and sugar. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat cream and milk until almost boiling. Slowly, pour hot mixture over yolk mixture while beating. Once all cream and milk has been added to yolks return mixture to pan and heat gently while stirring to a smooth sauce. Do not boil.* Add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Serve over pancakes.
*You can strain the sauce at this point if desired.
-This sauce is also delicious when poured over brownies.

Enjoy!