Amelie's House: Hot Cross Pancakes

I know, I know, it's been over a month since I visited Amelie's House, so you can imagine that I am looking very shame faced at the moment...but I do have a good excuse, I have been busy shooting pictures for my book (out next year!). It has been six weeks of very long hours and lots of hard work, but it has been totally worth it, because the pictures look fabulous.

Anyway I am having a few easy weeks for now and I thought it was time to meander back to a comfy sofa and spend some time here, and I have the perfect excuse.

Some time ago OXO sent me an OXO batter dispenser and an OXO flip & fold omelette turner, they challenged me to come up with a fabulous new pancake recipe for Pancake Day..as usual I have let it go down to the wire, but you should have all these ingredients in your pantry at home and it is a matter of minutes to whip up these delicious goodies.

Shrove Tuesday marks the start of the Lent period which finishes on Easter day. The supermarkets like to mark this period of time by filling groaning shelves with hot cross buns, a small fruit bread bun traditionally eaten at this time of year. So I thought, why not link these two special days by making some hot cross pancakes?...and even though I say it myself, they are absolutely delicious, I am trying to stick to a wheat-free diet at the moment, but at least five of these little cakes made it past my defenses!

Recipe

Pancake ingredients (makes 10-12 pancakes)

135g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
130ml milk
1 egg
2 tablespoon melted butter plus extra for the pan

To make the cross

2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons plain flour

For the sauce

50g mixed dried fruit
2 tablespoons honey
grated rind of one lemon
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Method

Put the mixed fruit into a saucepan and cover with boiling water, leave for five minutes then strain. Put the fruit back into the saucepan with the rest of the sauce ingredients and heat gently
Sieve the flour, salt, sugar and spice together into a bowl.
In a jug lightly beat the milk, egg and melted butter together. Pour onto the dry ingredients and beat together with a whisk or a fork
Mix together the milk and flour for the cross, then spoon this batter into a piping bag and cut a small hole in the tip
Heat a saucepan and brush the surface with melted butter.
If you have the OXO batter dispenser squeeze out enough batter to form a small pancake, or you can use a spoon.
While the pancake is cooking on the first side pipe a cross on it's top. Then flip the pancake over once you see bubbles bursting on the top of the pancake.
Pile the pancakes up as high as you can, and then drizzle the sauce over the top.