I love carrot cake on its own, so carrot cake pancakes seemed just too perfect. I made a few tweaks to Bobby's recipe based on my tastes and what we had available. Here is Bobby's original recipe. I made the batter and the drizzle and Brian cooked them up.
Carrot Cake Pancakes with Maple-Cream Cheese Drizzle
Pancakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons pure cane sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (but like Bobby, I always use more than it calls for)
1 cup finely grated peeled carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts, plus more for garnish
Cooking spray or melted butter
Maple-Cream Cheese Drizzle:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions
For the pancakes: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, powdered ginger, baking soda, and sea salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla in a separate mixing bowl. Add the carrots and orange juice to wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Fold in the pecans and mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.
Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Coat the skillet with cooking spray or brush with melted butter. Spoon 1/4 cup mounds of the batter onto the skillet, spreading with a spatula. Cook until the tops are covered with bubbles and the edges look cooked, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip the pancakes over and cook until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining batter. Keep the cooked pancakes warm in the oven on a baking sheet, if desired.
For the drizzle: Combine the cream cheese, maple syrup, butter, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment until combined, about 2 minutes. Add in the heavy cream while mixing to get drizzle to a lighter consistency.
To serve: Stack the pancakes on a plate and drizzle (or slather) with the maple-cream cheese drizzle. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans.
