All the delicious flavour of lemons in biscuit form. These easy lemon and sultana biscuits…
English Pancakes with Lemon and Sugar
Pancake day is right around the corner. Why not try making these traditional English pancakes with lemon and sugar?
Wondering how to make English pancakes? Not sure how hard it is? What if I told you it is really easy? You can cook up a batch of pancakes in thirty minutes or less and have the whole family wanting more. Read my complete guide to making English pancakes with lemon and sugar to find out how. You will be impressing the family in no time.
Table of Contents
- Pancake Day Traditions
- English pancakes with lemon and sugar
- English Pancakes with lemon and sugar recipe
- Other pancake ideas for pancake day
Pancake Day Traditions
Pancake day is nearly here, a day when it is traditional to eat pancakes.
As a child I always looked forward to my mum making pancakes. Now I make pancakes for my son. He never forgets pancake day and always requests them.
Pancake day is the one day when you know most households in the UK will be eating the same meal – English pancakes with lemon and sugar.
You don’t just have to make pancakes on pancake day, they make a delicious dessert at any time.
What is pancake day?
Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday marks the start of the abstinence of Lent. It has many different names in different countries and different ways of celebrating it. In New Orleans they celebrate with the Mardi Gras. The origins of the name come from the French for Fat Tuesday. Pancake recipes vary from country to country as well.
Read more: Pancakes from around the world
Pancake Day always falls on a Tuesday but the date is different every year. It depends on the date of Easter. This date changes depending on the cycles of the moon.
Why do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?
Pancake day or Shrove Tuesday is a day when it is traditional to eat pancakes. Shrove Tuesday marks the start of Lent and pancakes are made to use up all the milk, butter and eggs in the house. These are forbidden during the abstinence of Lent.
English pancakes with lemon and sugar
English pancakes with lemon and sugar are the traditional pancakes most people make in the UK for pancake day. Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom to get a complete printable recipe.
Ingredients for English Pancakes
English pancakes are made with a simple batter which is made from three ingredients:
- Plain
flour - Eggs
- Milk
You will also need a little butter or oil to put in the frying pan to cook them.
How do you make English pancakes?
Making the pancakes is quick and easy but making the perfect pancake takes a little bit of time.
- Make the batter: Sift the
flour into a bowl. Doing this will help prevent lumps forming in the mixture.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and milk. Whisk together
until the batter is nice and smooth. Let the batter rest for ten minutes. - Cook the pancakes: Add some butter
into a frying pan on a medium heat. When it is sizzling pour the batter into
the pan, swirling the pan until a thin layer covers the pan. Cook until the
batter starts to come away from the sides and you can slide it round the pan. - Flip the pancake: Turn the pancake over and cook
the other side. You can either turn it with a spatula or if you are brave try
flipping it into the air to turn it. The challenge is catching it on the way
down. Cook for a couple of minutes on this side. - Add the topping: When the
pancake is ready put on a plate and add the topping. A sprinkle of sugar and a
dash of lemon juice make a delicious topping. See below for some more ideas.
How can I stop the pancakes sticking to the pan?
If you use a good non-stick pan you should be fine.
If you are still worried the secret is to ensure the pan has a good covering of oil or melted butter before you add the batter. Pour the oil or put the butter into the centre of the hot pan. Swirl the oil round the pan until the surface is completely covered.
How do I flip the pancakes?
Kids always have great fun trying to flip the pancake. Make lots of batter as there are bound to be some disasters!
When the pancake moves freely around the pan it is ready to flip. Tip the pan so the pancake slides forward to the edge. With a flick of your wrist move the pan up in a smooth fast motion. The pancake should fly up and you just need to catch it.
How do I keep the pancakes warm?
If you are making a big stack of pancakes you can put the oven on low and place them on a plate in the oven when they are ready. This will keep the pancakes warm until you are ready to serve.
Can I freeze pancakes?
Don’t worry if you have more pancakes than you can eat. Pancakes freeze very well.
Just layer them on top of each other with some greaseproof paper between them. Place the stack of pancakes into a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. When you want to use them just defrost them.
To reheat them just heat a frying pan and cook each pancake for about thirty seconds on each side.
English Pancakes with lemon and sugar recipe
English Pancakes with lemon and sugar
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 110 g plain flour
- pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 200 ml milk mixed with 75ml water
- 50 g butter
To serve
- caster sugar
- lemon juice
- lemon wedges
Instructions
- Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs into it
- Whisk the eggs into the flour
- Gradually add the milk and water mix and whisk all the time until a smooth batter is formed.
- Melt the butter in a pan.
- Add 2 tbsp of the melted butter to the mixture and whisk.
- Keep the rest of the butter aside to use in the frying pan
- Heat a frying pan until hot and swirl some of the melted butter round it
- Turn to medium heat
- Using a jug pour some batter into the pan and swirl round until a thin layer coats the pan
- Cook for thirty seconds until the batter is coming away from the sides and the pancake moves round the pan.
- Flip over and cook the other side.
- Place the pancake on a plate and repeat until all the batter is used
- Serve the pancakes with sprinkle of lemon and sugar.
Why not pin the recipe to try later?
Ideas for pancake toppings
You can either put the toppings on top of a flat pancake, like a pizza or roll the pancake round the topping.
Sweet topping ideas
- Lemon juice and sugar
- Chocolate spread or nutella
- Fruit jam
- Maple or golden syrup
- Chopped bananas
- Fresh berries
- Yoghurt
- Ice Cream
Savoury topping ideas
- Cream cheese and black pepper
- Chicken and bacon
- Garlic mushrooms
- Tomatoes and mushrooms, fried
- Chilli
- Smoked salmon and a poached egg
Other pancake ideas for pancake day
Whilst traditional English pancakes with lemon and sugar are always a big hit on pancake day they are not the only option. Why not mix it up by trying a different pancake recipe? You could have make savoury pancakes and serve them for dinner. Crispy chicken and bacon pancakes are ideal for this and really tasty. For something a little sweeter you could try making Indonesian pancakes. The bright green colour will cause a stir. Play it safe and make a stack of American pancakes for breakfast. These are always a crowd pleaser.
Are you making pancakes for pancake day? What style are you making? Let me know below.
Jennifer says
My children always love pancakes. After I show them the post, they ask me to make the pancakes for them. I will make it at this weekend. Thank you very much for a wonderful recipe!
Dragons and Fairy Dust says
I hope your kids enjoyed the pancakes. I love nothing more than a traditional pancake
Kristi Cathey says
I love pancakes! It is an delicious and tasty dish for breakfast. I will cook it for tomorrow breakfast and maybe dessert after dinner, too. Thank you!
Dragons and Fairy Dust says
I hope you enjoyed them. I love pancakes, so tasty