Blueberry Pancakes

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make delicious blueberry pancakes? Start by gathering everything you need for the batter. All the ingredients should be at room temperature, so take them out of the fridge ahead of time. Use large, good-quality eggs. If your eggs are small, add 1 more. Use all-purpose (top-grade) flour.

2. Step 2:

   

   Whisk the eggs with the sugar and 1 cup of milk until smooth.

3. Step 3:

   

   Separately, in a bowl, mix the sifted flour, cardamom, and salt.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add the flour mixture to the beaten eggs. Keep in mind you may need a little more or less flour than I did — go by the consistency of the batter.

5. Step 5:

   

   Stir until smooth, gradually pouring in the remaining milk — this helps you avoid lumps. The batter should be slightly thick, pourable, and smooth.

6. Step 6:

   

   Let the finished batter rest for 30 minutes. In that time the flour will swell and absorb moisture, and the batter will thicken a bit more.

7. Step 7:

   

   While the batter rests, melt a pat of butter in the pan and pour it into a small bowl. You'll use it to grease the pan before cooking each pancake.

8. Step 8:

   

   Once the batter has rested, cook the pancakes over medium heat on both sides until golden. I greased the pan each time. The pancakes came out with pretty lacy patterns and didn't stick. You should get about 15-18 pancakes, depending on the size of your pan.

9. Step 9:

   

   Stack the finished pancakes on top of one another.

10. Step 10:

    

    Cover the stack with a towel or plastic wrap and let it cool completely. If the pancakes are still warm, they'll melt the blueberry filling and it'll run.

11. Step 11:

    

    While the pancakes cool, make the blueberry filling. You can use store-bought blueberry jam — it should be nice and thick, not runny. I thickened blueberry purée with gelatin, but you can use pectin or agar-agar instead. Or, for an even easier route, stir 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in 40 ml (about 3 tablespoons) of water into the blueberry mixture.

12. Step 12:

    

    Pour 40 ml (about 3 tablespoons) of cold water over the gelatin and let it bloom.

13. Step 13:

    

    Sort through the blueberries, rinse, and dry them. If you're using frozen berries, thaw them first and drain off the released juice.

14. Step 14:

    

    Put the blueberries in a saucepan and cover them with the sugar.

15. Step 15:

    

    Stirring, bring to a boil over low heat and cook for 5-10 minutes.

16. Step 16:

    

    Once the blueberries come to a boil, mash them with a potato masher. Reduce the mixture until the blueberries start to thicken. At the end, add the bloomed gelatin, stir, and boil everything together for 1 minute.

17. Step 17:

    

    Cool the finished filling to room temperature, then chill it in the fridge or in a bowl set over cold water. You can even make the pancakes and filling the night before, let them cool overnight, and assemble the cake in the morning.

18. Step 18:

    

    Assemble the cake, spreading each pancake with blueberry filling and stacking them one on top of another.

19. Step 19:

    

    Lightly spread a little blueberry filling over the top of the cake too, stopping about ½ inch (1-2 cm) from the edges. Scatter fresh berries on top.

20. Step 20:

    

    You can use not just blueberries but also currants, wild strawberries, and raspberries. Enjoy!