Dutch babies (the food) are delicious eggy, custardy pancakes. They puff up magically in the oven (like Yorkshire pudding or popovers) and are so fun to eat. The pancake is neutral in sweetness, lending itself well to a savory dish or a dessert. In this version, I’ve added cocoa powder and spices for a holiday treat. The dutch baby is served alongside some whipped cream (and salted caramel if you have it).
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Recipe: Chocolate Spiced Dutch Baby & Maple Whipped Cream
A holiday twist on a dutch baby with a cocoa base and maple whipped cream
Yields: 2 hungry people or 4 for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert
Ingredients
For the Dutch baby
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- A pinch of ground nutmeg
- A pinch of ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Maple whipped cream, recipe follows
- A few tablespoons of salted caramel, optional
- White or dark chocolate chunks or chips, optional, for garnish
For the maple whipped cream
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream, or heavy cream, cold
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more if desired
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon, plus more if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the mixer bowl for the whipped cream into the fridge to stay cold.
- Combine eggs, flour, cocoa powder, milk, brown sugar and spices in a blender jar and blend until smooth. Alternatively, batter can be mixed by hand as long as you sift the cocoa powder and flour well.
- Place butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet or baking dish and place in the oven. As soon as the butter has melted (watch it so it does not burn) add the batter to the pan, return pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake five minutes longer.
- Meanwhile, make the whipped cream. Remove the bowl from the fridge and whip the cream using a stand mixer or hand mixer until it’s just beginning to thicken. Turn the mixer off, then add the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Taste and adjust, adding more cinnamon or maple syrup if desired. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form. The entire whipping process should only take you about 2-3 minutes. Transfer bowl to the fridge to keep the whipped cream cold.
- Remove pancake from oven, cut into wedges, and top with maple whipped cream, salted caramel (optional), and chocolate chunks (optional). If desired, you can let the pancake cool for a few minutes until it reaches room temperature before adding the whipped cream so that it doesn’t melt onto the pancake. This chocolate version of a dutch baby is delicious hot or at room temperature.
Notes
- Fresh ginger can be used in place of ground ginger. I would use 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger for a stronger ginger flavor.
- You can make this pancake in a smaller or larger cast iron pan, but you’ll have to adjust cooking temps. In a smaller pan, it may take a couple minutes longer (as the pancake is thicker). In a larger pan, it will take less time.
