These thick and fluffy black forest pancakes are your answer to a guilt-free breakfast for dessert! Packed with protein and completely sugar free, they are naturally gluten free, low carb, vegan and dairy free!
Catching up from the weekend? Check out the update post here. Also- Giveaway winners were revealed!
Remember when I stated how I was waiting for cherries to be cheap so I could make black forest oatmeal? I think Australia, mother nature or a combination of the two have a secret vendetta against me.
- They are 95% of the time completely MIA at supermarkets
- The 5% they are available, it would cost an airfare to Canada and back.
Apologies. I have under delivered. However, to make up for it- I present you pancakes. That always makes things better. Black forest pancakes…without fresh cherries.
The other weekend when I was in Melbourne, I made the executive decision to help mum clean out her pantry. When I say ‘clean out the pantry’- I mean going through it and seeing what I can claim as my own.
Just pass me the ‘son of the year’ crown.
While ‘cleaning’ her pantry, I came across quite the assortment of intriguing items- stuffed vine leaves, peanut butter pretzels (which I had brought back from my Fall semester in New York…in 2012), shredded coconut (expired), chickpea flour (my mum’s staple flour in many Persian dishes) and a lone jar of what I thought was strawberry jam.
Upon further inspection, the jar of jam was not strawberry but rather cherry jam- which she had brought back from Iran. I’m not the biggest fan of jams because I find them overly sweet and in Australia, very rarely is there an unsweetened variety. This, however, was not 100% cherry jam either.
Friends, it was 2% cherry. TWO. The other 98% was sugar, water and stuff which made it slightly tangy.
…..I ‘borrowed’ it anyway.
I still will work on the black forest oatmeal but will await the actual cherries- because let’s be honest- digging into a bowl of creamy oatmeal in the morning with bursts of cherries would be amazing- unlike fake cherry jam.
What this jam would be perfect for would be….pancakes. Said pancakes that were made when my friends came over with personalized choices. A thin layer of this fake jam wouldn’t detract away from classic taste of a black forest cake, with the main stars of the show being the whipped cream cheese.
These pancakes are so damn fluffy, you’d be fooled your actually eating a slice of black forest cake. Did you know these pancakes are ridiculously good looking healthy? Yep. They are flourless, gluten free, grain free and high in protein without protein powder! If you omit the fake jam and use Norbu– it is also 100% sugar free.
Black Forest Pancakes
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon Norbu Sweetener/2 tsp Natvia natural sweetener or sweetener of choice
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4-1/2 cup milk of choice I used almond milk
- Cherry jam/fresh cherries to garnish
For the cream frosting
- 2 tablespoon cream cheese
- 2 teaspoon Norbu Sweetener/2 tsp Natvia natural sweetener or sweetener of choice
- 1 tablespoon milk of choice I used almond milk
Instructions
To make the pancakes
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the coconut flour and unsweetened cocoa powder to avoid clumps. Add in the baking powder, sea salt and sweetener of choice. Mix well to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and egg and add it to the dry mixture. Slowly, pour in the milk one tablespoon at a time until it reaches a thick batter consistency. Do not over mix.
- Heat a frying pan on low heat and spray with cooking oil. Once pan is extremely hot, using a measuring cup pour 1/4 cup of the batter and then cover the pan. Once bubbles appear and the edges go brown, remove cover, flip the pancakes and cover again for approximately 1 minute. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
- In a small bowl, mix the sweetener with the softened cream cheese and add the milk until a semi firm cream is made. Layer the pancakes evenly with the cream frosting and top with fresh cherries or cherry jam.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
Arman, these look really fluffy and delicious. I always raid my Mum’s kitchen too but I can’t do that for a while… :'( ha x
Hahah naw come raid my kitchen (although it’s pretty bare now)
I’m surprised you didn’t go the cocoa route–I always think of black forest cake as being chocolate! But still, anything with cherries (fake or not) is good by me!
The traditional ones here are mostly fluffy vanilla-like with hints of chocolate!
Haha love it! Gotta make things work with what you find 😉
LOL. True. Me and my 2% jelly.
I’m always looking for new recipes to try coconut flour – sounds like a fun combination for breakfast!
Thanks heaps, Jeanette!
Dude you weren’t kidding about those being super fluffy! I love that you cleaned out the pantry to make them can’t let good food go to waste 😉
Never ever let food go to waste!
These pancakes are so fluffy! Too funny that only 2% of the jam is made of cherries though, haha! It’s incredible what gets labeled as what… I will keep my fingers crossed for you so real cherries eventually find their way to you!
Thanks heaps Genevieve- I miss fresh cherries!
Hahaha I used to do that in college ALL the time. I would just kidnap a jar of peanut butter here, some canned goods there…no one ever noticed and it saved me so much money! Also dumb question but where did the term “black forest” even come from? It just seems random to me !
Haha, I need to show you some texts I got from my mum
“Didn’t I buy nutella last week?”
I will google it now and get back to you.
These are fantastic! I love a thick-ass pancake!
Thick pancakes are the ONLY way to go!
I would say I’m the weirdest thing in my kitchen. Don’t tell Sam, but yesterday I fed Atti some raw cauliflower & soup.
LOL. That is the best thing ever. Feed him a green smoothie.
Great minds think alike, I have a recipe on my blog for black forest pancakes too. It is hands down my favourite pancake recipe. Chocolate and cherries are perfect together.
Wow, I’ll have to check it out- it is SOOOOO good!
I would NOT dare raid my mother’s kitchen! She is kind of like a hoarder and that terrifies me. I have not tasted black forest anything but you are tempting me with that stack. Those look yum. And cream cheese anything is a favorite. Aren’t you coming my way soon?
YES! Cream cheese frosting is like crack! And yes! This time next week I’ll be getting ready to fly!
I would kill for a slice of black forest cake right now, but I’m not willing to sell my soul for fresh cherries (if I could even find them). So thanks for the pancakes haha
As long as you don’t kill me…you’re welcome for a slice of the real deal!
I am not a huge pancake or cake fan (never had black forest cake) BUT these look fantastic! I want them in my belly….right now! 😉
Thanks heaps- I promise they will convert you to…pancakes at least 😉
I feel your pain- cherries, which I can buy for practically nothing back in Oregon where I’m from, cost so much here in Malaysia– plus, they’ve traveled so far, they aren’t even good anymore! Those do look amazingly fluffy! I love coconut flour, so will give these a try!
Wow- I’m surprised- I thought Malaysia might be more generous with it! Maybe durian can be your substitute 😉
Coconut flour is so damn good.
Black forest is one of my favorite combinations. I love dark chocolate and cherry, it’s so bold and rich. I’ve helped my parents clean out our pantries which ends up in me finding interesting things I could use. HA.
It really is such a bold combination!