Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love carrot cake, so combining it with breakfast is a big yes from me. These carrot cake pancakes are so fluffy and tender, perfectly spiced throughout, and drizzled with the dreamiest cream cheese frosting. A little bit of maple syrup and walnuts complete them. And you can do the prep the night before, making these delicious pancakes quick and easy to make.

this recipe

Easter is around the corner and I have spring recipes my mind. I love that these tasty carrot cake pancakes can be made ahead of time for super easy weekday breakfasts, or they can be dressed up and served as a decadent brunch. Although they are not overly sweet, the delightful cream cheese frosting makes them lean towards a 'dessert breakfast,' making them something the entire family will love. They are the best!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Instructions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tips for Success
• 📖 Recipe

If you love pancakes you are definitely going to love these blueberry buttermilk pancakes straight from Mildred's Temple Kitchen. They are so fluffy, so flavourful, and studded throughout with juicy blueberries.

Ingredients

• Carrots - Carrots are naturally sweet and soften beautifully when cooked. However, the carrots must be grated quite finely to be small enough to cook through during the short cook time. It's best to do this with a fine grater, or the finest side of a box grater, by hand. (If you don't feel like putting in that effort in the morning before breakfast, you could prep them the evening before.)
• Walnuts - These add crunch and authentic carrot cake flavour.
• All purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda - Ensure that your baking soda is fresh. This is important to get it to react properly with the acidic ingredient, the buttermilk, to give you fluffy pancakes.
• Salt
• Pure vanilla extract
• Brown sugar - This adds the perfect little bit of sweetness.
• Spices - Ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger. The warm and cozy spices of a real carrot cake.
• Buttermilk - This ingredient is crucial in these pancakes. It will form a reaction with the baking soda, resulting in incredibly fluffy pancakes.
• Large egg - Egg helps the pancake to stay together nicely.
• Vegetable oil
• Cream cheese frosting - Made of cream cheese, unsalted butter, milk, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar.
• Optional toppings: pure maple syrup, walnut pieces

See the recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions

• Walnuts - Pecans also make a great option.
• Frosting - These carrot cake pancakes are delicious with or without the frosting. A pat of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup is a great option, too.
• Buttermilk - If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can make a homemade substitute. Put 1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon lemon juice into measuring cup. Add milk until the volume reaches the line that says 1 ¼ cups/296 ml. Stir to combine and let rest for 10-15 minutes while it thickens. Use 1:1 as a substitute for buttermilk.

Variations

• Nut free - Just omit the walnuts for a nut-free version.
• Raisins - Do you enjoy raisins in your carrot cake? If so, you will love them in these pancakes too!
• Other toppings - A great alternate topping for these pancakes is whipped cream with a dusting of cinnamon.

Instructions

Cream Cheese Frosting

Make the frosting before starting on the pancakes.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Preheat your griddle to medium heat (375°F/190°C). If you use a large, non-stick skillet instead of a griddle, preheat it shortly before cooking pancakes.

Note: If you are using a skillet on a stove top you may have to adjust the heat. If your pancakes are becoming dark before the bubbles form you should reduce the heat. If you are getting bubbles but not achieving a darker colour, increase the heat.

While you are cooking your batches of pancakes, you can keep the already cooked ones warm by placing them in an oven preheated to 250°F/120°C.

To serve, drizzle the carrot cake pancakes with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting, a bit of pure maple syrup, and sprinkle some walnut pieces on top.

Equipment

To make this recipe you will need the following:

• Kitchen scale or measuring cup set
• Mixing bowls
• Griddle or skillet (large, nonstick)
• Rubber spatula

Storage

Before storing, allow pancakes to cool completely in a single layer.

To refrigerate: Individually wrap cooled pancakes in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To freeze: Individually wrap cooled pancakes in plastic wrap and store in freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. The quality will degrade after this time.

Reheat in a lightly buttered skillet (both sides), or in an oven at 350°F/180°C, or in a microwave.

Store any unused frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days.

Tips for Success

• Weigh to be sure - You should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar to get the best results. However, if you have to use a measuring cup rather than a kitchen scale, stir the ingredient to create air pockets then gently spoon it into the cup and level off the top. Do not scoop or you will get too much.
• Don't overmix - As soon as you mix flour into any batter or dough it is so important to not overmix. If you do, you will lose the soft and delicate texture and make something that is dense and tough. Only mix until the flour has just been blended into the other ingredients.
• Room temperature - Dairy and egg ingredients should be room temperature for this recipe. Cold ingredients simply won't combine properly to give you a smooth crumb, resulting in uneven lumps. Set them out an hour or two before you start.
• Fine grate - The carrots must be grated quite finely to be small enough to cook through during the short cook time. It's best to do this with a fine grater, or the finest side of a box grater, by hand. Grate the carrots and chop the walnuts the night before to make breakfast quick and easy.
• Buttermilk - Do not skip the buttermilk! The reaction that occurs between the buttermilk and the baking soda helps to make these pancakes fluffy and tender.
• Heat - Make sure your pan/griddle is hot before adding the batter. Keep an eye on it. If the pancakes are browning too quickly, turn down the heat a touch. A too hot pan will result in raw middles and burnt edges.
• Pay attention - Pancakes cook quickly so don't leave them unattended while cooking. Watch for those bubbles.
• Don't press - Do not press down on the pancakes after you've flipped them. It's time for them to rise to all of their fluffy potential!
• Grease well - You need a well-greased pan/griddle. Make sure that you re-grease with butter between each batch of pancakes.

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📖 Recipe