Red Velvet Pancakes EASY Recipe for Valentine's Day *AMAZING*

Valentine’s day is just around the corner you guys! I can’t even explain how excited I am. And no, this has nothing to do with the fact that I am very much in love, but with the fact that everything around me is red. Flowers, gifts, candies, red wrappings… it is literally like a scene from a movie, and it is a tradition that is embedded in America’s history. The day that celebrates love honors the martyr Valentinus and dates back to the 5th century, with its origins tracing back to a Roman holiday, Lupercalia.

Get the best guide on how to make the perfect pancake recipes from scratch!

I won’t bother you with the holiday’s history, but I do believe there are some things everyone needs to know.

It was in the 1300s that the holiday gained its status of the Holiday of LOVE.
The very first Valentine’s day cards in the USA appeared in the 1840s
Today the number of cards sold for this holiday reaches 1 billion
The first box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day was produced in the late 1800s by Richard Cadbury.
62% of Americans celebrate Valentine’s day

So, if you are in this 62% maybe besides a card you can prepare a meal for your significant other. For that purpose, I am going to give you some tips and tricks on preparing the best pancakes.

Why Pancakes?

Easy, because even the most inexperienced cooks can handle a pancake recipe. Plus, the internet contains so many different pancake recipes, that all you have to do is find one that catches your eye and set to prepare it. Even if you fail the first time, many of the recipes won’t take more than 30 minutes, so you will have plenty of time to retry in case you fail.

The Most Appropriate Valentine’s Day Pancake Recipe

Since I already said, red is the color of love, and the color of this holiday, hence, a recipe for red velvet pancakes is more than likely to be a staple!

The pancake recipe will require:

one and a half cups of all-purpose flour,

¼ cup of milk, and the same amount of melted butter

a cup of buttermilk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and the same amount of distilled white vinegar.

2 teaspoons of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of red food coloring.

2 tablespoons of white sugar.

a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder.

a pinch of salt.

2 eggs.

To make the pancake recipe healthier:

Make sure to substitute the regular dairy milk with coconut (or almond) milk.

Substitute the regular all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, or even almond flour.

Replace sugar with stevia.

Replace eggs with flax eggs. *for 2 flax eggs you will need 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds and 2 tablespoons of water).

How to obtain the Red Pancake Color Without Food Coloring?

We all know that the best result will come out of a drop or two of food coloring, but you can also try and use fruit flavored gelatin powder (use cherry or strawberry one).

Another alternative would be beet puree, half a cup of it to be more precise. If you are using fresh beets for the puree you will need to roast them prior to pureeing them, or you can just buy a can of sliced beets and puree those, pouring a little bit of almond milk if needed. Be careful not to get the pickled beets! Otherwise, your date will turn to a disaster :p!

If this doesn’t seem appealing maybe a cup of cranberry juice will be more up your alley. Or, go ahead and get a cup of boiled cranberries, cover them with water and boil for two hours, mashing them as they soften.

How to Make the Pancakes Even Lovelier?

Owning a heart shaped cookie cutter is certainly going to come in handy. You can use it in two ways. Prior to frying the pancakes, i.e. use it as a mold in which you are going to pour the batter, or after frying the pancakes and while they are still hot, cut them into heart shapes. I would go for the first alternative for the best results. If you opt for this suggestion, then as soon as the pancakes begin to get firm, you should take the cutter off with a pair of metal tongs.

You can even make some silver dollar pancakes, carefully making pancake kebabs with strawberries (that will resemble hearts). If you have a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter you can make these in heart shapes as well.

Serve your pancakes with some whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and colorful sprinkles.

Nuts

You can also use nuts (did you know they are the best aphrodisiacs :p?) Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts, choose whichever you prefer. Make sure to roast them, though, this way the nutty taste will be enhanced and every bite will be even more scrumptious.

Berries

Go for the red ones. Anything from cranberries to strawberries, raspberries to cherries. If you are bold enough, you can also make a berry syrup.

You will need 2 cups of the berries you opted for, a cup of water and a cup of white sugar. (If you decide to serve the pancakes with a syrup, make sure to reduce the amount of sugar in the pancake batter). Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves. Proceed to add the strawberries into the saucepan and bring everything to a boil (boil for 10 minutes, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens).

Chocolate

Get a pack of M&Ms and place them on top in the form of a heart, or even spell out your significant other’s and your initials.

Edible Roses

A well-known fact is that roses are the flowers of love, but a little less known one is that they were the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. This Valentine’s day, buy your loved one a bouquet of roses, but you can also decorate the pancakes with little edible ones. Preparing these little edible roses is very easy, just follow the instructions this video provides and you are good to go.

Go ahead and whip up a batch of pancakes, and don’t miss National Pancake Day and you will be eating a scrumptious meal, and I can vouch for the fact that your valentine will be more surprised by a gesture like this one, than if you buy him/her a box of candies.