I adore pancakes, and have made hundreds of versions of them, but this version just may be my favorite to date. Lemony cakes made airy with egg whites, but still creamy from the addition of two egg yolks and heavy cream, these pancakes are my dream food. I suppose you could use melted butter in lieu of the cream, but I recommend the cream for best results. I like to serve a stack of these with fresh lemon juice sprinkled on top along with some crunchy demerara sugar, and/or a quick berry compote or citrus curd. Or passionfruit curd. Or nothing. Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't include chocolate chips, which are not to be trusted in any pancakes, but particularly these pancakes.
Ingredients:
1.25 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons poppyseeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites, whipped until stiff
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk yogurt
3/4 cup whole milk
finely grated zest from 2 lemons
3 tablespoons sugar
juice from one lemon (3 tablespoons)
Method:
Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda into medium bowl, then whisk in poppyseeds and salt. In a small bowl, rub lemon zest into sugar with fingertips until fragrant and combined. In a separate large bowl, whisk egg yolks, heavy cream, vanilla, yogurt, milk, and lemon juice until smooth, then add sugar/lemon zest mixture. Add dry ingredients and stir lightly, just until batter is smooth. Finally, fold beaten egg whites into pancake batter until no large fluffy pieces of whites remain, taking care to not deflate egg whites.
Heat large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat, when pan is hot enough for water or oil to sizzle on the skillet surface, add a small piece of butter and swirl to coat bottom of skillet. Pour 1/2 or 3/4 cup batter onto hot skillet (depending on how large you like your pancakes), and fry over medium heat until small bubbles appear on the top of pancake. Flip in one smooth motion, and finish cooking for another minute until golden brown. Be sure to only flip the pancake once, to prevent deflation. Top each pancake with a pat of softened butter while they're still hot. Serve with lemon juice and demerara sugar or a berry compote.