Medium

Blueberry American Stack with Lemon Butter

Prep 15 minsCook 15 minsServes 4£1.30/servingAmerican Stack

Blueberries cooked inside an American pancake burst during frying and create pockets of jammy fruit surrounded by fluffy batter. The technique is to fold them into the batter at the very last moment, then add a few more directly to the surface of each pancake just after pouring. This recipe adds a lemon butter -- cold butter beaten with lemon zest and a little icing sugar -- which melts over the stack and cuts through the sweetness. A weekend recipe that takes about 30 minutes and looks considerably more impressive than it is to make.

Blueberry American Stack with Lemon Butter — american stack pancake recipe served on a plate, photographed from above

Ingredients

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Method

  1. 1

    Make the lemon butter: beat the cold butter with lemon zest and icing sugar until combined. Shape into a log in cling film and refrigerate until needed.

    Cold lemon butter sliced over a hot stack melts slowly and looks good. Soft butter just disappears.
  2. 2

    Whisk together flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, sugar, and a pinch of salt.

  3. 3

    Whisk egg yolks with buttermilk and melted butter. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks separately.

  4. 4

    Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. Fold in the egg whites. Fold in 100g of the blueberries at the very end with as few strokes as possible.

    Too much folding breaks the blueberries and turns the batter purple. Fold just until they are distributed.
  5. 5

    Heat a pan or griddle over medium heat with butter. Pour 80ml batter per pancake. Immediately press 4-5 extra blueberries into the surface of each.

    Adding blueberries to the surface as well as the batter ensures visible fruit on the finished pancake.
  6. 6

    Cook until surface bubbles burst and edges are set. Flip and cook for 1 further minute.

  7. 7

    Stack and top with slices of cold lemon butter. Serve immediately.

Pro Tips

  • →Make the lemon butter the day before and refrigerate. It keeps well and slices cleanly when cold.
  • →Add blueberries to the surface of each pancake immediately after pouring -- this gives visible fruit on the cooked side.
  • →Do not fold the blueberries into the batter until the last moment. Premixed batter turns purple and the berries break down.

Topping Ideas

Lemon butter and extra blueberriesMaple syrup onlyWhipped cream and blueberry compoteVanilla yoghurt

Terms in this recipe

ButtermilkBaking powderHotcakeFlapjack

Defined in the Pancake Day glossary.

Questions & answers

How do you keep blueberries from sinking in pancakes?⌄
Blueberries added directly to the batter tend to sink. The better technique is to fold a portion gently into the batter and then press individual berries into the surface of each pancake immediately after pouring. This distributes them through the pancake and keeps some visible on the surface.
Can I use frozen blueberries?⌄
Frozen blueberries work in this recipe but will release more liquid as they thaw, which can make the batter wetter. Add them straight from frozen and work quickly. The pancakes may take slightly longer to cook through. Fresh blueberries give a cleaner result.
What is lemon butter?⌄
Lemon butter in this context is cold unsalted butter beaten with lemon zest and a little icing sugar, then chilled until firm. It is cut into rounds and placed on top of the hot stack, where it melts slowly. It is not the same as lemon curd.
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