Shrove Tuesday Easter egg pancakes – low calorie

Easter egg pancakes

Today is Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday. For those of you who aren’t religious (I’m not either), Shrove Tuesday is the day before the beginning of Lent. It’s traditionally a day of final indulgences before 40 days of repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. It became known as Pancake Day in some cultures because pancakes were made to use up things like butter and milk which wouldn’t be consumed during lent.

I decided to made pancakes with a little Easter twist this year. They are low calorie with a chocolate and cinnamon flavour. Delish!

Dry ingredients

First step – mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Leave the cocoa out.

Wet ingredients

Add the wet ingredients.

Mix it up

Mix it all up until just combined.

Chocolate decoration

Put the cocoa in a little bowl and add a few tablespoons of the pancake batter. Mix it all up.

Set the scene

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and place the chocolate batter into a piping bag or icing tube.

Easter egg pancake

Using a tablespoon, spread the batter into the pan and shape it into an Easter egg shape using the back of the spoon.

Decorate

When the bubbles start to settle, it’s time to decorate. Pipe the chocolate mixture into the pancake however your heart desires.

Flip

When the chocolate batter loses its shine it’s time to flip. Cook it for another minute on the other side.

Cool

Remove the cooked pancakes to a plate covered with paper towel.

Easter egg pancakes

Serve them up with berries or ice cream if you’re feeling a little naughty. Enjoy!

Easter egg pancakes – adapted from whole wheat pancakes on Gina’s Skinny Recipes

makes 18 medium sized pancakes, 50cals per pancake

• 1 cup wholemeal plain flour
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbs sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cocoa

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (except the cocoa) together. Add the wet ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well with a spoon until there are no more dry spots but be careful not to over-mix.
Remove about 6 tablespoons of the batter to a small bowl and add the cocoa. Mix to combine.

Heat a frying pan on medium heat. If you use a non-stick pan there’s no need to grease it but you can use a little low-fat spread of a spray of olive oil to grease it if need be.

Using a tablespoon, heap spoonfuls of mixture into the pan and spread it into an egg shape using the back of the spoon. When the bubble begin to pop, decorate the pancake with the chocolate batter. Once the chocolate decoration has lost its shiny appearance, flip it over to cook on the other side.

Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to cool.

Serve with honey and berries or on its own.

Enjoy!