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Valentine’s Day is approaching and we all love a little sweet treat from our hunnies. Especially one to start off the day! Red velvet pancakes with delicious cream cheese icing are a fluffy fun, way to begin a romantic Sunday adventure. It is basically like having cake for breakfast, and who can be mad at that? It’s a special occasion, calories don’t count!

This year will be my first Valentine’s day as a married woman! Unfortunately it is also yet another year of this pandemic, which means no crazy scavenger hunts or adventures in the city. That’s okay though, because I would much rather spend this rainy weekend curled up on the couch in my fuzzy socks, watching movies and eating with my hubby. And what better way to start the day than with a Valentine’s themed breakfast, aka an acceptable way to eat cake first thing in the morning!

Red Velvet Pancake Batter

Red velvet batter, whether making cupcakes, cake, or pancakes, is secretly just chocolate. The red color actually comes from the addition of cocoa powder. It gets its red color from the addition of acid (buttermilk or milk+vinegar), which reacts with the cocoa and turns it a red tint. In most recipes, red food coloring is added to enhance the red color. So for these pancakes, I really just used my regular buttermilk pancake recipe, and added in cocoa powder and red food coloring. But in case you don’t want to click through to a different recipe, here is the breakdown!

In a large bowl, sift together 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder. To that also add in 3 tbsp of cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 cups of buttermilk (or 2 cups milk + 2 tbsp vinegar), 2 egg yolks, 1/4 cup melted butter, and 1/2 tsp of both vanilla and almond extracts. Also add in 1 1/2 tsp of red food coloring (I used the gel as opposed to liquid).

Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine. DO NOT overmix. There may be flour clumps in the batter, but that is okay. Now, whip the egg whites from 2 eggs into stiff peaks and fold into the batter. Only fold it a few times until it is barely combined. You do not want to deflate the egg whites.

Heat a buttered griddle or skillet over medium low heat. Scoop batter into the pan with an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measure. Cook until the top of the pancakes look dry, and bubbles emerge, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes with a wide spatula and cook an additional 30 seconds-1 minute.

Cream Cheese Icing

Now for the piece that brings this all together. It is time to make cream cheese icing. Begin with 6 tbsp of softened cream cheese and 6oz of unsalted butter. Whip them together until light and fluffy. Add two cups of powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture. Next, whisk in 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Whip until you reach a smooth consistency.

I like my icing a little bit thicker to mimic actual cake icing, but if you like a more syrupy consistency, then add in more milk, 1 tbsp at a time. Drizzle your icing over a stack of pancakes and enjoy! Whether you are serving brunch for one, or the one you love, these red velvet pancakes are sure to be a hit!

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