Take a stroll through Southbank or Camden Market in London and you’ll find yourself unknowingly drawn to the Dutch Pancakes stand because the smell is enough to give up any diet known to man. They’re mini, so you don’t even feel like you’re breaking any rules anyway. Dating back to the 17th-century, these market favorites are modernized and not to be missed.
The cool thing about Dutch Pancakes is the efficient way they’re made right in front of you, with fresh toppings that make the piled-high plate a foodstagrammer’s dream all while tasting like a fluffy cloud. The makers pour the batter so it makes around 35 at a time, each plate holding 10-15 Poffertjes, as they’re formally known.
Behold the method:
Photo courtesy of youtube.com
Behold my problem:
Photo by Rebecca Poole
Using a baggie as a piping bag, I tried to make the pancakes as circular as possible, but they still didn’t have the mold to make them perfect. Regardless, my ratchet method ~mostly~ worked. Adding more batter to the mixture helps (more so than you would with normal pancakes).
Next, I cut up strawberries and drizzled Nutella on top while they were still warm, making a truly decadent combo. You could also swap for lemon & sugar for a lighter option.
Photo by Rebecca Poole
Behold the London masterpiece (seriously, this picture almost resulted with the plate in the Thames):
Photo by Rebecca Poole
Behold, my attempt:
Photo by Rebecca Poole
So yes, my refrigerator had to suffice as Big Ben, and I was lacking a certain pool of Nutella gooeyness, but overall the taste was almost identical. And while the mini touch probably didn’t make them any different from making a normal stack of pancakes, it still made it that much more authentic to the Dutch method.
And you don’t need a knife to cut them, which is an added bonus.