Rum Raisin Pancakes
Where did the weekend go? Why do weekend days go faster than work days? This morning I whipped up a batch of rum raisin pancakes for the Payaso and me for breakfast. We saw Bobby Flay make these pancakes on his show and I thought, “I could do that!” These pancakes are amazing! Light, fluffy, a hint of orange and rum and little drunk, raisins act like jewels as you chow down through glorious stacks of these not-yo-mamma’s flap jacks. The Payaso and I felt like we were back in Nassau, Bahamas. Don’t tell Bobby, but I modified his recipe a bit.
Rum Raisin Pancakes
Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground apple pie seasoning
Wet Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- zest from one orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
Glaze:
- 4 ounces room temperature cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar (be sure to sift)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Reserved rum/orange liquid
Directions:
- In a saucepan, combine the rum, orange juice and raisins. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool for 15 minutes. Once cooled, strain raisins and keep reserved rum/orange liquid.
- Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients (flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, salt, cardamom and apple pie spice) in a medium sized bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients (buttermilk, melted butter, orange zest, eggs and vanilla) into a separate bowl. Add in the rum-soaked raisins.
- Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
- To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar and combine with cream cheese and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, combine these ingredients well. Add the reserved rum/orange liquid until the glaze pours easily.
- To make the pancakes, heat an electric griddle to 350 degrees; alternatively, heat large pan on stove top.
- Coat bottom of the griddle or pan with butter. Using a 1/4 cup, measure out batter and add to hot, buttered pan. Allow to cook approximately three minutes per side.
- Serve pancakes with glaze; add maple syrups if desired.
The Payaso and I really did feel like we were back in the Bahamas with these pancakes. We took a cruise for my 40th birthday a few years ago, and our first stop was in Nassau. Every gift store we went into had these prepacked rum cakes that were absolutely amazing. Rum flavored, moist and flavored in lemon, vanilla or chocolate. Absolutely amazing. These pancakes took us right back to Nassau. I think one of our favorite stories from our day in Nassau was spending time at the Straw Market on Bay Street. The Straw Market has vendor after vendor of locals selling their handmade goods. Lots of hats, clothes, ornaments and other souvenirs throughout the building. My birthday is in December, and it was fun to see Nassau decked out for Christmas. As we were buying some Christmas ornaments in the Straw Market, a full concert broke out from the loft area above the market. There was one singer in particular whose nerves got the best of her. The lady we were buying the ornaments from excused herself from the sale, went to the aisle where she yelled up and gave her support to the lady singing (“you got this, Betty!”); other vendors followed the example and joined in. The entire Straw Market, including the Payaso and me, joined in singing Silent Night. The way the community rallied around this one lady was absolutely beautiful. Emotion overload. We left the Straw Market with full hearts, and a memory that we’ll never forget. Nassau is a beautiful city, and we highly recommend a visit. We hope to get back sometime. The picture above is of us next to the port at the end of Bay Street.
I know, I know. It’s a lot of ingredients, and a lot of steps, but I know you can do it. My biggest advice in making these pancakes is when it comes to the glaze: sift that powdered sugar! I didn’t sift the powdered sugar and you can see little lumps of sugar in the glaze in my picture. Does it change the taste? Absolutely not! It’s just my minor OCD coming out in trying to take the perfect picture for y’all. I made some sausage links and served them alongside the pancakes. To keep everything warm, I used a 250 degree oven and a rimmed baking sheet as a holding oven until it was breakfast time. I hope you’ll try these rum raisin pancakes and that they take you someplace tropical. I love when food can evoke a memory and that’s exactly what these pancakes did for us. Who knew sometime so simple as a pancake would be so nostalgic with each bite?
Buen provecho.