Carrot Cake Pancakes w/ Cream Cheese Topping

I'll have to admit, I was a little nervous to try these pancakes because the pancakes I made previous to these were a savory veggie pancake and my kids would NOT touch them! I thought I would be doomed and banned from making pancakes after that. I actually made these pancakes the very next morning after that fiasco and I was trying to make the batter up quickly before my girls saw that I threw in the shredded carrots. I had this plan to tell them they were yummy sprinkles but my 2 year old came in and called me on it, she knew exactly what they were. Much to my surprise though, she wasn't put off by them and asked for a bite. In the end, both girls ate up their pancake and we all liked them.

Although these are carrot CAKE pancakes, don't let the name fool you. They are actually pretty healthy with whole wheat flour and flax meal, as well as little added oil and sugar. The cream cheese topping is quite a treat, but, again, not too sweet. If you like carrot cake, you'll enjoy this healthy version as a pancake.


Carrot Cake Pancakes w/ Cream Cheese Topping
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
dash ginger
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 egg
2 cups finely grated carrot

Clean, peel and grate carrots. Mix flour, flax, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger and brown sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine egg, milk and oil. Add liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Fold in carrots. Let batter sit while griddle heats up.

Using a 1/4 measuring cup, scoop batter onto preheated griddle. Cook over medium heat, flipping when the pancake bubbles and the edges become slightly dry. Continue cooking until batter is gone. Serve warm with cinnamon cream cheese topping.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Topping
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat cream cheese until smooth, then add powdered sugar, milk and cinnamon. Beat again, until well incorporated.

SOURCE: Adapted from Baking Serendipity

Here are a few more of my favorite pancakes:
Oatmeal Raspberry Pancakes w/ Berry Coulis









Banana Pancakes w/ Peanut Butter and Maple Syrup









Gingerbread Pancakes