Almond Cardamom Pancakes with Fig Jam and Vanilla Coconut Cream

I normally don’t have decadent or fancy breakfasts. Oatmeal, creamy millet and a bowl of fruit are just the right things for me.
But sometimes, when the mood strikes me, I make myself a batch of healthy pancakes.
If you expect me to give you a recipe for fluffy white pancakes with loads of sugar and syrup, I have to disappoint you. That’s not how I roll.
When making those, you have to wave the white flour and sugar goodbye. Instead, thunderous applause for fiber, nuts and natural sweetness. Does not sound too appealing? Wait until you have tasted them!

Those pancakes are a great way to start a lazy Sunday morning and will fill you up for hours.
I recommend to serve them with fig jam, because its sweetness complements the nuttiness of the pancakes nicely, and adds even more fiber to the meal.
But, since life also needs something fancy once in a while, top those rustic beauties with a dollop of vanilla coconut cream and a generous splash of apple syrup. I tell you, don’t omit the cream! It is heaven! When serving it over the hot pancakes, the cream melts and covers everything with coconut deliciousness.  
I’ll be honest with you: I was a huge whipped cream lover as a kid.  There was strawberry cake, plum cake, streusel cake buried by an avalanche of whipped cream. Have you ever tried crumbled marble cake mashed with a generous heap of whipped cream? I will stop here because the times of heavy whipped cream have come to an end. Now is the time of coconut cream my friends. (OHO!)
Although, there is nothing compared to the “real” thing, I am totally in love with coconut cream those days.  Of course, coconut cream has a subtle coconut flavor, but really, it is not disturbing at all. Its creaminess will win you over for sure. And it is free of cholesterol as well.
When making the pancakes for your own, don’t worry to prepare the whole batch. The pancakes reheat well in the toaster the next morning.
Now you’ll excuse me because I have a batch of pancakes waiting to be devoured.  

Almond Cardamom Pancakes

Ingredients (Makes 6 medium pancakes):

1 cup oat flour, (1 cup regular oats ground into flour)
½ cup ground almonds,(almond meal)
¼ cup shredded coconut
2 Tbsp ground flax
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cream of tartar or baking powder
1 cup oat milk
1 banana, mashed

Vegan butter for frying

Place a plate on the lower baking sheet and preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F).
In a medium bowl mix oat flour, almond meal, shredded coconut, flax, cinnamon, cardamom and cream of tartar. Add mashed banana and milk and stir to combine (I used a wooden spoon!). Don’t over mix.
Bake pancakes in a nonstick frying pan with some vegan butter. Add approx. 1 1/2 Tbsp of dough to the hot pan and form a round pancake.
Wait until the edges of the pancake start to look dry. If the underside is golden brown, it is time to flip. Let the pancake slide on a large, flat lid, and with a quick turn, place the pancake back into the pan.
When the other side has brown, put pancake on a plate and keep warm in the oven until serving.

Coconut Cream with Vanilla

200g can fulfat coconut milk, stored in the fridge
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1 tsp liquid sweetener

In a bowl mix together the hardened coconut cream from the top of the can, vanilla seeds and sweetener. Add as much coconut water from the can as needed to receive a smooth cream.


Fig Jam

250g dried figs
250ml apple juice
½ vanilla bean
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp honey or liquid sweetener (optional)

Place figs, apple juice, and vanilla bean into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Start smashing the figs with a fork. Simmer for about 10 minutes on low.
Remove vanilla bean and start puréeing. Don’t over mix, just mix until a thick smooth jam texture is received. Add cinnamon and let cool.