Inspired by the classic dessert cake, you can enjoy these healthier whole-wheat pancakes topped with a juicy, caramelized pineapple any time of the day. This recipe for pineapple upside-down pancakes uses Greek yogurt to keep them fluffy and soft.
You will need:
Whole-wheat flour - 1 cup
All-purpose flour - ½ cup
Baking powder - 1½ tsp
Baking soda - ¼ tsp
Salt - ½ tsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Eggs - 2, large, separated
Greek yogurt - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Citrus zest - 1 tsp (lemon, lime or orange)
Pineapple rings - 8-10, cores removed
Butter - 2 tbsp
Brown sugar or Demerara sugar - 2-3 tbsp
How to:
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed till slightly stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg yolks, Greek yogurt and milk together till pale and creamy. Add vanilla extract and zest and mix well.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine gently with a spatula till all the flour is just mixed in. Do not over-mix.
Now add ⅓rd of the egg whites to the batter and fold in gently with a spatula to slightly loosen the batter. Then fold in the rest of the egg whites. Batter will be light and airy.
Melt butter in a large skillet/griddle over medium-high heat. Sprinkle some brown sugar or coarse Demerara sugar over pineapple slices and cook them on both sides, 2-3 minutes each or till they are soft and slightly caramelized. Do this in batches if needed. Remove pineapple slices to a plate.
Rub your skillet clean with a paper towel and brush lightly with melted butter.
Place a caramelized pineapple slice and pour ⅓ cup batter over it, lightly spreading the batter around the sides of the fruit. Cook on low to medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes or till you see small bubbles at the sides. Gently flip and cook the other side till lightly browned. Repeat till all the batter is used up.
Serve pancakes warm on their own or with syrup.
Notes:
1. I experimented with different thicknesses of pineapple slices and found that it works best if the slices are neither too thin nor too thick. Keep them around ¼" - ½" thick. 2. While making the pancakes, only the batter at the edges will be in contact with the skillet. It is important to cook them at low or medium-low heat. When one side is done, you will see bubbles at the edges. Lightly lift at the edge with a spatula to see if it is browned, then flip gently so as not to break the pineapple slice. A large spatula helps.
Recipe by At The Corner of Happy And Harried at https://www.happyandharried.com/2017/03/22/pineapple-upside-down-pancakes/