Chocolate Pancakes with Blackcurrant Compote

American style pancakes made with cocoa powder and served with a rose and mint flavoured blackcurrant compote. These chocolate pancakes with blackcurrant compote are rich, sweet and chocolatey. Top with toasted caramelised flaked almonds for a most delicious dessert.

Random Recipes

I love Random Recipes and think Dom of Belleau Kitchen is a genius for coming up with the idea. I’ve been in from the beginning, so it always grieves me when I run out of time and don’t manage to make the challenge. Last month was such a one and I was beginning to panic that this month would turn out the same. But no, I was determined not to miss it again.

Dom gave us quite a bit of freedom with this challenge and allowed us to pick our own book. This is a highly unusual event. I went for my Valentine’s gift from CT (itself a highly unusual occurrence); a chocolate book I have long been lusting after, Chococo chocolate cookbook by Claire Burnet. I closed my eyes and opened the book on a random page, somewhat trepidatiously. You just never quite know what you might be letting yourself in for.

Sigh of relief, which then turned to one of excitment: chocolate pancakes platter. I have long wanted to make chocolate pancakes, but somehow I’ve never actually managed it. Fortuitously, I also had a tub of blackcurrants which were in desperate need of using up.

Chocolate Pancakes with Blackcurrant Compote

My mother’s freezer, not so fortuitously and very upsettingly, packed up unexpectedly. She ended up having to throw most of the food away. By the time we received some of her currants, they had been out of the freezer some time. So instead of making the cherry compote denoted in the recipe, I made blackcurrant, rose and mint compote instead. Why wouldn’t you?

I decided at the last minute to experiment with using hazelnut oil rather than the stated melted butter. It was a completely pointless exercise as the hazelnut flavour could not be detected above the blackcurrants. So I’ve stated butter for the recipe. If you’re going to make these pancakes with a less powerful topping, however, hazelnut oil is lovely.

Although I’ve suggested golden caster sugar in the recipe, I usually make these chocolate pancakes with either vanilla or cardamom sugar. Both work well.

These chocolate pancakes with blackcurrant compote should come with a warning. They are definitely a dessert and should not be eaten for breakfast. The pancakes are delicious and the blackcurrants complement them perfectly.

Instead of making several modestly sized pancakes, I made six large ones. The resulting pancake stacks were thus enormous and I struggled to finish mine. The mixture does, however, make twelve smaller pancakes, enough for four people. This is much better portion size. But we are not known for our restraint in such matters and felt we deserved it. After all we’d spent the day hacking back down at the plot.

Blackcurrant Compote

This blackcurrant compote is lovely in its own right. Serve it over ice cream for another delicious dessert. Alternatively spoon some over your winter breakfast porridge. It will perk it up no end.

Blackcurrants and rose make for a lovely combination. I use it quite a lot as I have in this blackcurrant compote. My homemade rose syrup is ideal for this purpose. But if you don’t have any, just use a little extra sugar and a teaspoon of rose water instead.

I’ve included mint liqueur as one of the compote ingredients, but it’s entirely optional. If you like the idea of mint, but don’t want the alcohol, add a sprig of mint when you cook the blackcurrants. Or just follow the instructions in my blackcurrant fool with fresh mint.

Blackcurrants can vary hugely in sweetness depending on the variety and year. I’ve suggested two tablespoons plus two tablespoons of rose syrup. But you may want to add a little more or a little less, depending on how sweet the blackcurrants are and how sweet you like them.

You can use either fresh blackcurrants or frozen ones for this recipe. Just thaw frozen ones before you make it.

Chocolate Pancakes with Other Toppings

I now make these chocolate pancakes on a regular basis. I’ll serve them with blackcurrant compote when blackcurrants are in season. But they work well with all sorts of other toppings.

• Any fruit compote makes a perfect partner
• Fresh berries and whipped cream
• Bananas and crème fraîche
• Salted caramel sauce and chopped toasted nuts

Other Pancake Recipes You Might Like

• Banana pancakes with ricotta and chocolate sauce
• Blackberry & apple spelt pancakes with brown buttered cobnuts
• Chocolate & cream pancakes – Cornish style
• English wholemeal pancakes
• Spiced kefir pancakes with manuka honey and crème fraîche chocolate sauce
• Wholemeal spelt pancakes with coffee cardamom chocolate sauce

Show Me

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these chocolate pancakes with blackcurrant compote, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. Do share photos on your preferred social media site and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

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Chocolate Pancakes with Rose, Mint and Blackcurrant Compote

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Chocolate Pancakes with Rose, Mint and Blackcurrant Compote

American style pancakes made with cocoa powder and served with a rose and mint flavoured blackcurrant compote.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Resting Time20 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, British

Keyword: blackcurrants, cocoa, compote, pancakes, rose

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 352kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

Chocolate Pancakes

• 150 g wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 30 g cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar (I use vanilla or cardamom sugar, both work well)
• 1 egg
• 175 ml milk
• 20 g melted butter (or 20 ml hazelnut oil)

Caramelised Almonds

• 1 tbsp flaked almonds
• ½ tsp icing sugar

Blackcurrant Compote

• 250 g blackcurrants
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 2 tbsp rose syrup (or 1 tbsp golden caster sugar and 1 tsp rose water)
• 2 tbsp mint liqueur - optional (I use a homemade version)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Chocolate Pancakes

• Sieve the flour into a bowl with the baking powder and cocoa powder.
• Stir in the sugar.
• Make a well in the centre and break in the egg.
• Start to mix from the middle outwards with a fork or whisk, adding the milk a little at a time as you go.
• Beat in the melted butter.
• Leave to rest for about 20 minutes whilst you get on with toasting the almonds and making the compote.
• Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a slither of butter.
• Place a tablespoon of pancake mixture into the pan, spreading it out with the spoon to form a circle of about 8 cm. Do the same until you have no more room in the pan. I find three usually works best.
• Leave for a few minutes until bubbles start to appear.
• Flip them over and cook for a couple more minutes.
• Place on a plate and put into a warm oven until all of the pancakes are cooked.
• Repeat the process until all the batter is used up. It should make about twelve pancakes in total.

Caramelised Almonds

• Over a medium heat, dry fry the flaked almonds with the icing sugar until they're lightly browned and slightly caramelised. Watch them carefully so they don't burn and stir occasionally. It should only take 2-3 minutes.
• Leave to cool.

Blackcurrant Compote

• Pour the blackcurrants and sugar into a pan with a splash of water. Set over a low heat.
• Add the rose syrup and stirring occasionally wait for the sugar to dissolve.
• Simmer for five minutes or so or until the blackcurrants have broken down.
• Take off the heat and stir in the mint liqueur if using.
• Assemble the pancakes by layering them with a tablespoon of blackcurrant compote and then another pancake.
• Stack them three pancakes high finishing with a layer of blackcurrants.
• Top with the almonds and dust with a little icing sugar.

Notes

You may want a little more or a little less sugar in your blackcurrants. It will depend on how sweet they are and how sweet you like them.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They're approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 542mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 399IU | Vitamin C: 113mg | Calcium: 178mg | Iron: 4mg

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