Gingerbread Pancakes with Banana Whipped Cream

Perfect for Christmas morning, these yummy gingerbread pancakes are topped with decadent banana whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.

I don’t prepare a whole lot breakfast foods.  During the week, it’s all I can do to get myself and Little Tot out the door on time.  Breakfast is usually toast or something quick and easy that I can eat in the car on the way to work.  When The Husband and I were newlyweds, I used to cook a full breakfast on Saturday and we would spend a leisurely morning watching TV in our PJ’s.  That dynamic has changed a little since I gave birth to a son that likes to eat and wants his breakfast as soon as the sun comes up.

A couple of weeks ago, I was a “Hunter’s Widow” for a weekend.  Wives whose husbands like to deer hunt know what I’m talking about.  I was single-momming it for a weekend while The Husband camped out in the woods to track Bambi.  I actually had a fun little mommy-son outing planned and thought maybe I would make the day even more special by making breakfast.

I’m so glad I did because these gingerbread pancakes ARE. AWESOME.  The gingerbread flavor, the banana whipped cream, and then the maple syrup drizzled over top makes the perfect bite.  Little Tot agreed.  He ate four!

How to Make Banana Whipped Cream

Got a few overripe bananas on hand? Don’t throw them out! Ripe bananas are best for this flavored whipped cream. As they ripen, the sugar content in bananas intensifies, meaning they are really sweet. But the texture starts to become too soft undesirable for snacking after about five days.  However, the soft texture makes it really easy to fold it into whipped cream.

If you don’t have a ripe banana on hand, try this quick trick. Throw a banana in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes at 250 degrees F. Allow the banana cool, then peel, chop and set aside.

Step one. In a large mixing bowl, beat some heavy whipping cream at medium to medium high speed using an electric mixer until cream begins to thicken. Heavy whipping cream (aka heavy cream) is merely milk with a really high fat content of around 40%. This high fat content allows the cream to double in size when whipped.

Step two. Turn the mixer off and add confectioners’ (aka powdered) sugar. Start to mix on low so the powdered sugar doesn’t blow up in your face. Once the sugar is incorporated, you can increase the speed to medium and continue to mix until soft peaks form. What are soft peaks? My tutorial on how to make homemade whipped cream explains this terminology.

Step three. Turn the mixer off. Gently fold in chopped bananas. Folding just means that instead mixing the bananas into the whipped cream using a mixer, and risking overmixing the whipped cream, we very gently mix the bananas into the whipped cream using a spatula.

Step four. Cover the whipped cream and chill until ready to serve.

How to Make Gingerbread Pancakes

Step one. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt and allspice. Straining the ingredients together through a sifter ensures they are uniformly combined vs. doing it by hand. Set aside.

Step two. In another large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy. Creaming means we are whipping softened butter and another ingredient, in the case sugar, until it becomes a creamy paste.

Step three. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure that each egg is well-incorporated within the batter after each addition. Mix in the molasses.

Step four. With the mixer on medium-low, add about 1/3 of the flour mixture. Once it is well incorporated, mix in half of the milk. Repeat steps until the flour and milk are thoroughly combined within the batter.

Step five. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle or skillet. Turn pancakes when bubbles begin to form on top, about 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip and continue to cook until the other side is brown, about two minutes.

Step six. Stack pancakes on a plate. Serve with a dollop of banana whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.

This recipe makes A LOT of batter, so it would be ideal if you are serving breakfast to a crowd.  You can also make and freeze the pancakes for later, which means these gingerbread pancakes would be great for a Christmas morning breakfast.

You can make the banana whipped cream ahead of time. It will stay good in the fridge for a couple of days. Just whisk it a few times before to bring the volume back up.

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5 from 5 votes

Gingerbread Pancakes with Maple Syrup and Banana Whipped Cream

Perfect for Christmas morning, these yummy gingerbread pancakes are topped with decadent banana whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 6 minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 86kcal

Author Lisa B.

Ingredients

For the banana whipped cream:

• 1 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar sifted
• 1 medium ripe bananas chopped

For the pancakes:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cups milk
• Maple syrup

Instructions

For the banana whipped cream:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat cream at medium to medium high speed using an electric mixer until cream begins to thicken.
• Turn mixer off and add confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low until sugar is incorporated, the increase speed to medium and continue to mix until soft peaks form.
• Turn mixer off. Gently fold in chopped bananas. Cover whipped cream and chill until ready to serve.

For the pancakes:

• In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt and allspice. Set aside.
• In another large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, making sure that each egg is well-incorporated within the batter after each addition. Mix in molasses.
• With the mixer on medium-low, add about 1/3 of the flour mixture. Once it is well incorporated, mix in half of the milk. Repeat steps until flour and milk are thoroughly combined within the batter.
• Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle. Turn pancakes when bubbles begin to form on top, about 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip and continue to cook until the other side is brown, about two minutes.
• Stack pancakes on a plate. Serve with a dollop of banana whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2.4g | Fat: 3.7g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 0.5mg