Mini Dutch Baby Pancakes with Berry Compote by Meseidy

You’ve heard me express my love for breakfast before, and I’m a pretty normal gal when it comes to breakfast: give me some over medium eggs, bacon, potatoes, and a side of toast, and I’m a happy camper. But every once in a while, I like to treat myself to a special breakfast treat. Dutch baby pancakes are one of those treats.

If you’ve never had a dutch baby, imagine a slightly sweet and custardy giant breakfast popover. They’re served with powdered sugar, fresh fruit, and/or syrup. But today, I’m making mini dutch baby pancakes.

 
 

Dutch baby pancakes are typically prepared in a hot cast iron skillet. But all you need for mini dutch baby pancakes is a muffin pan. And almost everyone has a muffin pan laying around. Besides, there’s something about mini food that makes it more fun to make.

 
 

With a name like “dutch baby pancakes,” you’d think that these pancakes are, well, Dutch. But you’ll be surprised to know that, just like french fries aren’t French, dutch babies aren’t Dutch.

The “dutch baby” was actually created in a small Seattle restaurant called Manca’s Cafe sometime during the early 1900s. This giant breakfast popover is an Americanized version of a German dish called Apfelpfannkuchen (try and say that 10 times). As the story goes, the daughter of the restaurant owner, Victor Manca, could not pronounce “Deutsch,” the German word for “German.” Instead, she would say “dutch,” and the dutch baby pancake was born.

 
 

This is a very simple dutch baby pancake batter, easily customizable with different toppings. My personal favorite is a berry compote, but dutch baby pancakes are great with all kinds of fruit toppings. Serve them with sautéed apples, peaches, or even with ice cream as a dessert.

The one think I must insist upon when making dutch babies is the lemon zest. The lemon zest gives the pancakes a little tang and amplifies the sweetness and flavor of the vanilla extract. Just to be clear: don’t skimp on the lemon zest.

 
 

So, who wants to make mini dutch baby pancakes this weekend? The mini version is a great option if you ever wanted to make a dutch baby pancake bar. How fun would that be to make a few batches of mini dutch pancakes and let friends and family choose their toppings!