Pancakes

As someone who prides themselves as being a bit of a pancake connoisseur, I though it was about time I tried my hand at making some vegan pancakes. These use aquafaba to make them light and fluffy (as pancakes should be!), and are flavoured with a mix of spices and coconut, ready to be served with your favourite fruit toppings, ice cream or just simply drizzled with maple syrup.

Recipe - Makes 12

• 125g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 35g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 30g desiccated coconut
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 135ml coconut milk
• 60ml aquafaba (water from tin of chickpeas)

To make the batter, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl, then whisk the oil, syrup and coconut milk together in a jug and set aside. Pour the aquafaba into a clean glass bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form and the bowl can be inverted without the aquafaba moving. 

Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry, whisking with a hand whisk to a smooth batter. Fold the aquafaba into the batter one third at a time, trying to keep as much air in as possible. 

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and lightly oil it, wiping out any excess. Spoon large dollops of the pancake batter into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface and just about start to pop (don't let many pop) and the underside browns. Use a fish slice and flip the pancakes to cook the other side for a further 1-2 minutes or until browned. Remove and place on a plate in a warm oven whilst you cook the others, or leave to cool to reheat later on a dry pan.