Chocolate Dutch Baby

Chocolate Dutch Baby recipe

This post is a bit of a two for one. This Chocolate Dutch Baby makes a tasty change to the standard Shrove Tuesday pancake offerings. And on the win bonus front, it’s Valentine’s Day on Wednesday so this chocolatey treat would make a romantic breakfast or dessert for you, or the one*s* you love.

I love a Dutch Baby; they’re a large, one pan pancake meant for sharing, but don’t feel you have to. This one is rich and chocolatey; not too sweet, crisp on the top, eggy and slightly custardy in the middle. This big old pancake can be adorned with whatever you fancy; make it breakfast with bananas and yoghurt or dessert with cream and strawberries or some sort of compote. Ok mine looks like the moon’s surface dusted in icing sugar, but it tastes amazing. Thanks to Two Peas and Their Pod for the pancake inspiration.

Pancakes are such a quick and satisfying treat, they’re far too good to be saved for a grey Tuesday in February. This Dutch Baby can brighten any day of the week.

Fairly standard pancake line up here, with the cocoa powder bringing all the chocolate feels to the party. I made this batter in my favourite Vitamix blender, but you could make by hand if you’ve got amazing arm muscles or in a food processor if not. A cast iron frying pan is the traditional pan for a Dutch Baby, but mine are either too shallow or two small so I went for a sturdy 9 inch cake tin.

Make a start on this quick recipe by pre heating the oven to 200℃ fan assisted. Next add the eggs, flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, vanilla and milk to the goblet of your blender, bowl of your mixer or a large bowl.

Blend until you have a lovely smooth, rich, chocolate batter.

Take your chosen pan and add the 30g of butter. Heat on the stove over a low to medium heat until it’s just starting to foam.

Swirl the melted butter around the pan, then pour the batter into the pan.

Turn the hob off then immediately place the pancake into the pre heated oven and cook for 20 minutes or until well risen, puffy and smelling amazing.

Using a spatula remove the pancake to a plate or board and dust with plenty of icing sugar.

Serve in generous wedges with whatever you like. I hinted at health with chopped banana, yoghurt and the option of some posh strawberry compote. But this could be a pud with ice cream and/or whipped cream and chocolate sauce. You decide.

We’re traditionalists in our house; not a year passes without pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. I’ve even sent a bag of pancake mix and a huge bottle of Golden Syrup to George at uni, because it’s too much effort to consult his Mum’s food blog, go and buy the ingredients and bloody well make his own.

Lucy x

Chocolate Dutch Baby recipe

Serves 2 hungry buggers or 4 more delicate eaters

You will need a blender or mixer, and a 9inch/23cm oven proof tin or cast iron pan

180ml milk

3 eggs

45g plain flour

30g cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

50g caster sugar

30g butter

Icing sugar to dust

Fruit, yoghurt, whipped cream, nuts, chocolate, whatever you fancy, to serve

Pre heat your oven to 200℃ fan assisted.

Add the milk, eggs, sugar, cocoa, flour, vanilla and salt to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and lump free. Take your chosen pan and put on the stove over a low to medium flame and add the 30g butter and melt until starting to foam. Swirl around the base of the pan.

Pour in the chocolate batter, turn off the heat and quickly put into the pre heated oven. Bake for 20 minutes until puffy and risen.

Turn onto a plate and dust with icing sugar. Serve in generous slices with the accompaniments of your choosing. Any leftover Dutch Baby is wonderful cold, to be nibbled on later on in the day.