These apple carrot cake pancakes are topped with a maple cream cheese sauce. They’re hearty, warming and perfect for fall.
Here are the foods in every category I can think of that wouldn’t phase me in the least if I never ate them again.
Meat: chicken
Vegetable: peas
Sweets: candy (like the sugary, corn syrupy kind)
Grain: couscous
Nut: peanuts (as a nut, not as butter and I know it’s a technically a legume but let’s just pretend it’s not)
Legume: black beans
And lastly,
Fruit: apples
Apples are just so boring in the realm of fruit.
I’ll give Honeycrisp it’s deserved praise and say it is far superior to the rest but up against a peach, any berry and even a banana I have to say sorry, apple, I’m just not that into you.
The fact that I live in a place that refers to itself as The Big “least favorite of all my fruits” probably adds to my distaste for the state now that I think of it.
That said, it’s apple season and I live with someone who happens to think the exact opposite about the place of the apple in the ranking of fruit (he’s wrong, as usual) so our fridge is full of them.
When the idea of carrot cake pancakes came up, I knew I wanted to make a seasonal variation of them.
And while I’ve been apple bashing for a few paragraphs now, I have to say, they’re really the perfect addition to a hearty carrot cake batter.
They add sweetness and texture that works really well with the carrots and spice. Either that, or my brain is just clouded from the memories of the cream cheese topping.
Because does it even matter what’s underneath when it’s doused in a maple cinnamon cream cheese sauce?
The pancakes are dairy free thanks to Silk, the topping is obviously not. I’m cool with this as dairy isn’t a thing I have to avoid.
If it is for you though, I think trying a cashew cream sauce using maple syrup, cinnamon and almond milk would be pretty spot on like in the recipe for these paleo carrot cake cookies. I freakin’ love cashew cream, I just never have the foresight to soak nuts overnight. Or, try the vegan cream cheese option from these healthy carrot cake cookies.
For more fun fall-inspired pancake recipes, try these sweet potato chocolate chip pancakes, these apple spice pancakes or, these cinnamon pear pancakes.
I’ve got a handful of pumpkin pancake recipes to try too:
Pumpkin protein pancakes
Pumpkin paleo pancakes
Oatmeal pumpkin pancakes
And don’t forget this great base recipe for protein pancakes! With 30g of protein per serving, they can’t be beat.
Silk is also non-GMO verified and gluten free, so if you use a gluten free flour (I LOVE Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all-purpose flour), this will work for a gluten free diet.
Apple Carrot Cake Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Topping
Ingredients
For the Apple Carrot Cake Pancakes:
- 1 cup flour, all purpose, whole wheat white or gluten free mix
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, coconut sugar or turbinado sugar will also work
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup grated apple
For the Maple Cream Cheese Topping
- 4 ounces room temperature cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
For the Apple Carrot Cake Pancakes
- Heat a pancake griddle over medium heat.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl.
- Beat the egg, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl with a whisk until smooth.
- Add the almond milk and whisk again.
- Add the carrots and apples to the flour mixture, pour the wet ingredients on top and mix until just combined.
- Grease the heated griddle with butter or baking spray.
- Scoop the pancake batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto the griddle, spread into a circle (it will be a hearty batter) and let cook for about 2-3 minutes until edges set and bubbles start to appear. Flip carefully and cook another 1 minute on the other side.
For the Maple Cream Cheese Topping
- Whisk the cream cheese and maple syrup together in a small bowl until combined.
- Add the almond milk and cinnamon and whisk vigorously until smooth.
- Pour the topping over the pancakes and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Wow!! They look delicious, will have to try them out really soon.. :) xoxo
Meanwhile, I’m featuring this one on my food-and-drink blog Recipe Yard.
I would never make this again. No matter how long I cooked the pancakes they never seemed to cook in the center, it was like eating raw batter. If you make them leave out the apples.
Sorry you seemed to have problems cooking these. They haven’t done that to me any of the times I’ve made them. Usually issues like this are due to not properly pre-heating the pan before cooking. That said, they will be moist with the apples + carrots maybe that’s what you’re tasting as “undercooked”?
These sounds like great way to start the weekend off right!
I am a bit of an apple fanatic, but only the Honeycrisp. Anything else, I can totally take it or leave it! I pretty sure I would fall head over heels for these pancakes, though!
This looks awesome! My kind of breakfast!
HOOOMMMYYGAAAWWWDDD that MAPLE CREAM CHEESE TOPPING – I’m dying!!
I love that you added cloves!! My favorite fall spice!
Yes, yes, yes! I don’t ever want to eat chicken again. And I probably won’t. It’s just . . . yuck. I’m lukewarm on apples. Peaches, plum, cherries, blueberries, all the summer fruit I’m hanging on to are the best. But I try to settle for apples, mostly Honeycrisp, especially if they’re in these pancakes. Pinned!
What an interesting flavour idea to combine apple and carrots for pancakes! You definitely have got me craving a stack of these right now, great recipe!
Ooooh this sounds delicious! I have made apple cider pancakes, I have made carrot cake pancakes, and I have made a cream cheese topping, but not all 3 together, and certainly not with maple in there too! What a great recipe, please join us for meatless monday, this would be a fantastic addition! YUM!