Carrot Cake Pancakes with Whipped Maple Butter

It is quite surreal to be typing up the announcement that accompanies this recipe. Eat This My Friend is soon to be in print. A hold-it-in-your-hands type of actual real life book. And whilst I am incredibly excited, it kinda also seems too good to be true. So much so that sometimes I am wonder when I am going to wake up from this awesome dream? Besides, I was always under the impression that cool amazing things like this didn’t happen to me. They only happen to other people. Lucky people. But now I have learnt that indeed I had it all wrong. All of those who I considered to be lucky, not only worked incredibly hard, but also took an enormous risk. They made themselves completely vulnerable to rejection. They had enough resilience and passion to keep persevering despite the setbacks they might encounter along the way. And somehow, through all of the peaks and troughs I became one of those people. It didn’t matter to me what other people thought of my book because I really loved it. Publishing deal or not. 

I embarked on this project eight years ago, and never could have imagined that it would evolve into what it is today. I love flicking through the pages, through all the recipes and illustrations, as it is so much like a visual journal for me. I remember where I was and what I was doing for each and every drawing. And I can really see my style develop and become more refined over the years. It is kind of a reflection of how much I have grown as a person I guess, slowly but steadily improving at this whole life business.

The book is due for release in February through Hardie Grant. Tonight I am working on the front cover. Stay tuned for details (:

Carrot Cake Pancakes with Whipped Maple Butter

pancake batter

• 2 large carrots
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup raw caster sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/4 cup sultanas
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• butter, for frying

whipped maple butter

• 125g salted butter, chopped
• 40ml maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. To make your pancake batter start by grating your carrots, but not too coarsely, you don’t want the pancakes to be crunchy. Set aside.
2. Next add your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk them gently until combined. Add the egg, buttermilk and oil, and beat them well with an electric mixer or handheld beaters for a minute or two, until the batter is smooth.
3. Add the carrots, sultanas, and pecans and beat again for a minute or until mixture is thoroughly combined.
4. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add a decent knob of butter. Once melted, add a few spoonfuls of batter – i made mine about 8cm in diameter. Fry on one size until you notice little bubble form on the top. Flip over with a spatula and fry on other size until golden and cooked through. Set cooked pancakes aside on a wire rack and repeat process until the batter is finished.
5. Make the whipped maple butter by beating the butter with an electric mixer until pale. Add cinnamon and maple and beat again until combined.
6. Serve the pancakes warm or room temp with a generous smearing of the whipped maple butter.