SHROVE TUESDAY is a time for religious celebration and, more specifically, feasting on a glut of delicious pancakes ahead of the Lenten Fast to come.
It’s a chance for Irish families the world over to get together around the dinner table for a night of sweet and savoury treats in the name of the Holy Father.
But even if you can’t be with your nearest and dearest this Shrove Tuesday, there are still plenty of ways to ensure you get a taste of Ireland on your plate.
This Bacon Guinness Chocolate Pancakes recipe isn’t a traditional Irish favourite – it actually comes from the US website Closet Cooking – but it’s full of flavours that will stir memories of the Emerald Isle. Plus, it comes complete with a Guinness chocolate syrup. What more could you want? Let’s dig in.
What you will need:
For the Pancakes
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup of Guinness
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 4 bacon rashers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and cooked (optional)
- 1/2 cup whipped with 1/4 cup sugar
For the Guinness chocolate syrup
- 1 cup Guinness or other Irish stout
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
How to make it:
The pancakes
- Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.
- Mix the Guinness, egg and butter in a separate large bowl.
- Mix the contents of both bowls together and add in the bacon bits.
- Melt a touch of butter over a heated pan.
- Pour 1/4 cup of the mixture into a pan and cook until the surface starts to bubble and the bottom is golden brown.
- Flip the pancake and cook the other side until the bottom is golden brown.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter.
- Serve in a stack topped with a head of frothy whipped cream and Guinness chocolate syrup.
The Guinness chocolate syrup
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a pan.
- Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer to thicken.
- Heat for about 5 minutes.
- Let cool and enjoy!
