Vegan Blood Orange & Cacao Pancakes with Whole Spelt Flour

Citrus season is in full swing. Make the most of it while it’s still here with these delicious Blood Orange Cacao Pancakes.

I first posted these blood orange cacao pancakes on the one year anniversary of my old blog, Harmony à la Carte and while I no longer update that blog, it’s a collection of recipes that I created and loved and go back to often. I’ve been slowly moving my favourites over to this space and this just happens to be one of them.

These pancakes are made with whole spelt flour which is higher in soluble fiber, vitamins and minerals compared to wheat flour. It's also easier to digest and tastes slightly nuttier and sweeter and is more enjoyable overall, assuming you can tolerate gluten, as this whole grain is not gluten free. I also added pure raw cacao powder which is a great source of polyphenols (antioxidants), a natural endorphin and seratonin booster and the best way to have chocolate for breakfast.

Vegan Blood Orange & Cacao Pancakes with Whole Spelt Flour

Author Nissrine Boufawaz @ HolisticNiss.com

Time 30 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Servings 8 Pancakes
Diet vegan
Category Breakfast, Brunch, Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 C + 2 Tbsp Whole Spelt Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp Pure Bourbon Vanilla Powder
Pinch Fine Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Pure Raw Cacao Powder
3/4 C Oat Milk or Rice Milk
1/4 C + 2 Tbsp Blood Orange Juice, freshly squeezed
1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Coconut Oil for the pan
3.5 inch cookie cutter or shaper (optional)
Pure Canadian Maple Syrup for serving

Method:

Preheat the oven to 100 C, and then reduce it to the lowest setting, just to keep it warm.
Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment paper and put it in the oven, you'll use it to keep the pancakes warm while you're making them, so the first ones don't get cold by the time the last one is ready.
Sift the flour and other dry ingredients together into a large bowl, add milk and orange juice and stir to combine. Do not over mix the batter, a few lumps are ok. DO NOT ADD the apple cider vinegar yet.
Place a heavy bottom pan on the stove, on medium heat, and let it get really hot.
Now, add the apple cider vinegar to the pancake batter and stir to combine. The batter will expand a bit and become more bubbly at this point, which means you're going to get nice and fluffy pancakes. It's important to do this just before you start cooking the pancakes, and you'll want to move as quickly as possible since the chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda/powder will weaken over time.
Place about 1/4 cup of pancake batter into the center of the pan. I use a 3.5 inch cutter/shaper to get perfectly round fluffy pancakes, but this is totally optional. The result is 8 thick and fluffy pancakes. If you like your pancakes thinner, use less batter for each one and you'll get about 10.
Let the pancakes cook until air bubbles start to form at the top, about 3 minutes. Be patient here, it's important. The top of the pancake should be almost dry before you flip it. At this point, flip the pancake and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes on the other side.
Once the pancake is ready, Place it on the parchment lined tray in the warm oven and proceed with the next pancake.
Serve with pure Canadian Maple Syrup.