Cart
When my baby brother was turning eleven, he planned out every detail of his birthday. He started organizing and thinking about how exactly he wanted everything to go down about a month before his actual birthday.
He gave me a few pieces of paper stapled together, and said he had a “few” ideas. He’d decided on a specific guest list, the look of the invitations, who would sit where, the decorations were sketched out on one of the pieces of paper, a strict schedule of activities, and a menu with a side note saying, “Please don’t burn anything this time!” As you could imagine, that last part did wonders for my self esteem.
Don’t worry! I didn’t burn anything. I simply managed to forget to go grocery shopping the night before. So when I woke up in the morning and there were no chocolate chips, or blueberries for his pancake breakfast, I flipped out. I rummaged through the cabinets and fridge pulling out everything that might go good in a pancake so I could come up with some sort of game plan.
I collected the ingredients on the kitchen table, and started to run through ideas in my head. I had strawberries, bananas, a pineapple, a can of coconut cream, and cinnamon that figured I could do a cinnamon bun version of a pancake with.
Strawberry pancakes were a no go, because I figured the strawberries would get watery and mushy by the end of the pancake cooking time. Cinnamon was also out because there wasn’t enough for the amount of pancakes I needed. So I decided on a piña colada inspired pancake. I made a pineapple marmalade and a batch of whipped coconut cream. While the first pancake was cooking on the first side I figured why not throw some of these bananas in? I sliced one of them up and in it went!
My brother ran down the stairs once he smelled the pancakes cooking, but when he saw what was on the table, he looked at me like I had totally messed something up. Frustrated, he cut into it with his fork and took a bite. He chewed it slowly, critiquing it so he could complain, but instead grinned and forked more onto his plate!
Once I knew that they were that good I sat down myself and started eating. I couldn’t believe how well the bananas turned out! They were soft and pudding like which made the texture of the pancake creamier, and sweeter. When I got a bite with the pineapple marmalade and whipped coconut cream, the bright flavors hit me in different waves, and I was transported back to my vacation in Hawaii.
If you prepare the marmalade, and put the can of coconut milk in the fridge the night before, then you can pull this breakfast together in 30 minute or less.
When picking your ingredients, it’s best to grab the more yellow pineapples for sweeter softer fruit, and as always, organic is the way to go. As for the coconut milk, I have found that Whole Foods brand works the best for making whipped coconut cream.
Start by combining 3 cups of finely chopped pineapple, a half of a lemon that has been thinly sliced (seeds removed), 1 cup of sugar, and ½ cup of water in a medium sized saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until pineapple and lemon are soft, about 35–45 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and let it cool completely.
Meanwhile, whip the coconut cream with either an immersion blender (stick blender), or a hand mixer.
In a medium sized bowl, mix together all of the pancake ingredients until just combined. Don’t overmix it! It’s okay for pancake batter to be clumpy. The pancakes will end up being more tender if you only mix it until there are no more dry patches, so that the gluten doesn’t get the opportunity to develop.
Also, slice the banana(s) into ¼ inch slices, and set them by the cooking station for ease of assembly.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat, and grease it lightly with nonstick spray, or butter. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and place 5–6 banana slices on top. Cook pancake until the bottom is golden brown and the top looks almost dry, about 2 minutes.
Flip and cook until the pancake is just set and the bananas are golden brown, 1 minute longer. Transfer the finished pancakes onto a baking sheet. Cover it loosely with foil and place it in the oven to keep the pancakes warm. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, and banana slices, transferring to the oven as you work.
Serve the pancakes hot with pineapple marmalade, whipped coconut cream, and good coffee or a latte.
Banana Pancakes with Pineapple and Whipped Coconut Cream
Ingredients:
Pineapple Marmalade
- 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
- 3 cups finely chopped pineapple (from about 1 medium pineapple)
- 1 cup sugar
Whipped Coconut Cream
- Chilled coconut cream (from 1 can of full-fat coconut milk)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Pancakes
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1-2 ripe bananas, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick
Preparation
Pineapple Marmalade:
- Bring lemon, pineapple, sugar, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until pineapple and lemon are soft, 35–45 minutes. Let cool completely.
Whipped Coconut Cream:
- Using a blender, hand mixer, or immersion blender whip the coconut cream in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar, and beat again to combine.
Pancakes And Assembly:
- Preheat oven to 200°. Whisk the pancake ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Heat 1/2 tablespoons butter in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and swirl to coat pan. Pour 1/4 cup batter into pan and place 5–6 banana slices on top. Cook pancake until bottom is golden brown and top looks almost dry, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until pancake is just set and bananas are golden brown, 1 minute longer. Transfer to a baking sheet; cover loosely with foil and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, and banana slices, transferring to the oven as you work.
- Serve pancakes hot with pineapple marmalade and whipped coconut cream.
Recipe Notes:
- The marmalade can be made 2 weeks in advance.
- Whole Foods brand coconut milk works the best for making whipped coconut cream.
Do you prefer sausage or bacon with your pancakes?