Make breakfast perfection with this classic fluffy hotcakes recipe. An inexpensive, easy, delicious, freezer friendly breakfast recipe the whole family will enjoy.
One of my kid’s favorite breakfasts are these hotcakes. One of my favorite breakfasts to make for them is this recipe. Do you know why?
They taste so delicious, fluffy, rich especially with a pad of butter and warm syrup. They are also super easy to make, inexpensive AND freezer-friendly.
My family might eat 12 to 15 pancakes during breakfast. I make the whole batch (about 28 hotcakes) and freeze the rest. My kiddos (and I) love that on mornings we don’t have a lot of time, they can pull out a bag of pancakes, heat them in the microwave or toaster and viola! Breakfast is served.
HOTCAKES VS PANCAKES:
To be honest, there isn’t really a difference between hotcakes and pancakes. The definition of a hotcake is “a pancake.” The definition of a pancake is a cake batter that is fried on both sides.
WHAT MAKES THESE HOTCAKES THE BEST?
I haven’t tried ever pancake/hotcakes recipe out there but I do know out of the couple dozen I have made, these are our favorite. I made this recipe to be sweeter than a traditional buttermilk pancake recipe. It’s still fluffy and freezes well but can almost stand on it’s own (without syrup or jam). The outside and edges remain soft and absorbent syrup well.
Sometimes I even enjoy these breakfast cakes with a little butter and that’s it.
HELPFUL TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKING GREAT PANCAKES:
- Blend the dry ingredients together and mix the wet ingredient separate before combining them all together.
- Don’t overmix the batter. A perfect pancake/hotcakes batter will have some small lumps in it. This will help create those delicious fluffy hotcakes until all the batter is cooked.
- Don’t make the cakes too large. 4-5 inch round hotcakes are optimal. This will allow the hotcakes to cook within a few minutes. It will also make flipping them much easier.
- Be patient and wait until you see bubbles form on the top side to flip the hotcakes. This will help you achieve that fluffy consistency.
- When freezing, place 2-3 pancakes in a sandwich bag. This will make it easy to heat up rather than having to separate a bunch of frozen breakfast cakes before reheating.
IF YOU LIKE THIS BREAKFAST RECIPE, YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE:
- 15-Minute Mini Cinnamon Muffins
- Blueberry Muffins
- Dulce De Leche French Toast Bake
- Double Chocolate Muffins
- Cream Cheese French Toast Muffins
HERE’S THE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE. ENJOY!
Hotcakes Recipe
Make breakfast perfection with this fluffy hotcakes recipe. A delicious, freezer friendly breakfast recipe the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, or 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 3 cups buttermilk, or 3 cups milk + 3 Tbs vinegar or lemon juice, let sit 1-2 minutes to sour
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, blend all dry ingredients together.
In another smaller mixing bowl, mix all wet ingredients together.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix only until all dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. There should be some small lumps in the batter.
Cook over medium heat on a greased (butter or pan spray) heated skillet. Cook hotcake on first side for 2-3 minutes or until several bubbles begin to surface on uncooked side.
Flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Hotcake is done when both sides are golden brown and batter is cooked through.
Serve immediately or freeze for later. See notes for freezing and reheating instructions.
Top with butter, your favorite syrup, jam, peanut butter, etc.
Notes
To freeze for later:
Cool hotcakes. Place hotcakes in labeled and dated ziploc bags. Press excess air out of bags before sealing. I like to place 2 hotcakes in each sandwich size ziploc. The kids can pull out a one bag for breakfast.
To reheat frozen pancakes:
Separate pancakes into a single layer on a microwave safe plate. Microwave on high for 45 sec to 1 minute or until hot OR using a toaster, toast pancakes using lower heat setting (1-3). Microwaving will make the pancakes soft. Toasting will give them a more crisp exterior.
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Yes, there is absolutely a difference between hot cakes and pancakes. Once you’ve had hot cakes, you’ll never want pancakes again. Go to the Hot Cake House in Portland and then rewrite this. You’re welcome.
This made me laugh a little. I’m not sure why people get such pleasure out of comments like this. I’m so happy to hear you love the pancakes served at the Original Hotcake House in Portland. Next time I’m in the area I will check them out but for now I will stick with this recipe.
Also, Do you know the definition of a hotcake or pancake?… In the US they are interchangeable. If you do a quick google search you will find some fun stuff like this…
“What is the difference between “pancakes” and “hotcakes”? …so what I can give you is how things worked in the big timber country of SW Washington State, circa 1950’s:
Because, between pancakes and hotcakes, the deciding factor in this era is who is eating them!
* * *
If you were a logger, farmer, carpenter or someone like that who got your living with your own hard labor, then what you ate was called hotcakes.
But if you were the upper crust who took your living from the sweat of everybody else’s brow, then the exact same recipe was called pancakes and you ate them while sipping your tea from Dresden china cups with your little finger crooked.
;)” -Virginia Hanlon