My neighbor knocked on my door at nine on a Saturday holding a stack of these on a plate, and I have been making them wrong ever since. Chocolate pancakes are not just regular pancakes with cocoa stirred in. The cocoa needs a little more liquid, the whipped egg whites need a light hand, and the chocolate chunks inside want a pan that isn't screaming hot.
Here's the short version. You whip two egg whites, fold them into a cocoa batter, let the whole thing sit for 15 to 20 minutes, and cook 1/4 cup scoops on low to medium heat. While the pancakes stack up, you warm cream and pour it over chocolate chips for a ganache that takes about three minutes.
One thing I learned the hard way: a whisk will knock every bit of air out of those whites. Use a spoon and fold from the bottom up. The batter looks lumpy and wrong for a minute, then it comes together.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. In a large bowl, mix together yolks and sugar, while still whisking, add milk
2. Carefully fold in whipped egg whites.
3. NOTE: It's better to use a spoon rather than a whisk.
4. Add and mix the melted butter and the vanilla.
5. In another large bowl, mix the sieved flour, cocoa powder, and the baking powder.
6. Form a little well in the middle and pour the milk and eggs mixture. Stir until the batter is smooth.
7. Mix in the chopped chocolate. Let the batter sit for 15-20 minutes.
8. To make the ganache, in a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream, without letting it boil.
9. Take off the heat, mix with the chocolate chips until perfectly smooth.
10. Over low to medium heat, pour ¼ cup (60 ml) of pancake batter on a well-oiled pan.
11. When bubbles start to form on the surface of the pancake, flip and cook it for a minute on the other side.
12. When the pancakes are ready, pour the chocolate ganache on top.
13. NOTE: If the ganache has hardened while you were making the pancakes, you can microwave it for 15-20 seconds.
14. Garnish with raspberries.
15. Enjoy !
Pro Tips
How to Store Chocolate Pancakes
Refrigerator
Cool the pancakes completely, stack them with parchment between each one, and keep them in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Store the ganache separately in a jar, it firms up cold.
Freezer
Freeze cooled pancakes flat on a sheet pan for an hour, then move them into a bag. They keep for 2 months. Reheat straight from frozen.
Reheating
Warm pancakes in a toaster or a dry skillet over low heat for about a minute a side. Reheat the ganache in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between each one.
Variations
Double Chocolate
swap the chopped chocolate for chips and add an extra tablespoon of sugar to balance the semisweet pieces.
Raspberry Swirl
drop three or four raspberries onto each pancake right after you pour the batter, before the bubbles start.
Mocha
stir a teaspoon of instant espresso powder into the warm milk before you add it to the yolks.
Buttermilk Version
use the same amount of buttermilk in place of milk and drop the baking powder to 2 teaspoons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did my chocolate pancakes turn out flat?
Usually it's old baking powder or overmixing. Fold the whipped whites in with a spoon and stop early. Check the date on your baking powder too.
Q: Can I make the batter the night before?
You can mix the dry ingredients the night before and separate the eggs, but fold the whites in right before cooking. A batter that sits overnight loses most of its lift.
Q: How do I know when to flip a chocolate pancake?
Look for bubbles popping across the surface and edges that look dry and set. Color won't help you here, the cocoa makes every pancake look dark.
Q: Can I use hot cocoa mix instead of cocoa powder?
No. Cocoa mix has sugar and milk powder in it and throws off the liquid and sweetness. Use unsweetened cocoa powder.
Q: What if I don't have heavy cream for the ganache?
Whole milk works in a pinch, but the ganache will be thinner and won't coat the pancakes the same way. Use 3/4 cup milk and expect a sauce rather than a glaze.
Chocolate Pancakes With Ganache and Raspberries
Fluffy cocoa pancakes studded with chopped chocolate, stacked high and drenched in warm two-ingredient ganache. A weekend breakfast worth setting an alarm for.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1In a large bowl, mix together yolks and sugar, while still whisking, add milk
- 2Carefully fold in whipped egg whites.
- 3NOTE: It's better to use a spoon rather than a whisk.
- 4Add and mix the melted butter and the vanilla.
- 5In another large bowl, mix the sieved flour, cocoa powder, and the baking powder.
- 6Form a little well in the middle and pour the milk and eggs mixture. Stir until the batter is smooth.
- 7Mix in the chopped chocolate. Let the batter sit for 15-20 minutes.
- 8To make the ganache, in a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream, without letting it boil.
- 9Take off the heat, mix with the chocolate chips until perfectly smooth.
- 10Over low to medium heat, pour ¼ cup (60 ml) of pancake batter on a well-oiled pan.
- 11When bubbles start to form on the surface of the pancake, flip and cook it for a minute on the other side.
- 12When the pancakes are ready, pour the chocolate ganache on top.
- 13NOTE: If the ganache has hardened while you were making the pancakes, you can microwave it for 15-20 seconds.
- 14Garnish with raspberries.
- 15Enjoy !
Priya writes about eggs and breakfast casseroles, cookies and bars, and slow cook breakfasts that feed a crowd without fuss. Her angle is flexible, budget-minded cooking: one base recipe that scales for two or for a holiday table, with clear notes on freezing and reheating. She keeps the writing light and story-first, then lands on a tight recipe card.
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