Carrot Cake Pancakes

September 30, 2008

Forgive me.  I realize I’m a complete maniac about pancakes.  Not only did I post about pancakes just a few days back, but those pancakes were nearly two weeks in the making.

How about a pancake heavy on the cake?  These carrot cake pancakes are like living in the best of both worlds.  You’ve got all your warm pancake goodness embellished with carrot cake spices, loads of carrots and.  AND!  cinnamon cream cheese spread.  In some ways, and let’s try to keep this a secret,  these carrot cake pancakes are just an excuse to spread sweet cinnamon cream cheese spread all over my breakfast.

Joy, of Joy the Baker is learning all about Italian wines and cheeses.  I got home from a morning wine tasting and decided that I needed something that would sit in my tummy and stick to my ribs.  See,  at this particular morning wine tasting I discovered why there are spit buckets.  If you don’t spit out the glorious wines you’re tasting, you might find yourself tipsy, trying to pronounce Italian wine names to your Italian boss before 10 in the morning.  Not so hot.

Not a winner,  but these pancakes are.

If I’ve turned you into a pancake junkie then you know that there are all kinds of pancake types.  There are the thinner battered pancakes, there are the tall and fluffy pancakes, not to mention puff pancakes.

These carrot cake pancakes fall under the tall and fluffy category.  The spice in the pancakes is great!  I might add a few tablespoons of crushed pineapple for an added kick.  The carrots are grated, but when cooked, the carrots remain rather raw and crunchy.  They have a bite to them that at first, I wasn’t sure I liked. It’s just that the pancakes spend so little time in the pan, there’s no ways the carrots can soften.  Enjoy the crunch, think of all the vitamin A and fiber you’re getting!

Carrot Cake Pancakes

adapted from the food network

Print this recipe!

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Dash nutmeg
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup packed brown or granulated sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups finely grated carrots
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Spread
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 dash ground cinnamon

In a bowl, combine flour, pecans, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, brown sugar, milk, carrots, and vanilla; mix well.

Stir carrot mixture into dry ingredients until moistened. Pour batter by 1/4 cupful onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on the top of pancake; flip and cook until golden brown.

For topping, blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve with pancakes.

{ 87 comments… read them below or add one }

ttfn300 December 29, 2008 at 7:16 pm

made these for dinner tonight, and they were fantastic!!! thanks for sharing :)

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Cher December 30, 2008 at 6:51 pm

Hey! An excuse to eat my favorite cake for breakfast! Who knew? Thank you!

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Mike December 31, 2008 at 8:37 pm

Why, oh why, is my wife on Weight Watchers? All this wonderful food passing us by… OMG!

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BG February 7, 2009 at 10:53 am

If you don’t like the carrots crunchy, steam the shreds for a few minutes in the microwave before adding them to the mix.

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tara March 19, 2009 at 8:36 pm

so, i made these tonight and instead of grating the carrots, i microplaned them. i also microplaned the nuts (almonds instead of pecans) for the heck of it. it resulted in pancakes of basically normal texture with a yummy carrot cake taste. you should give that way a try =)

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bronte March 19, 2009 at 10:07 pm

hmmm…i wonder, would these taste good with some simple maple syrup on top??
probablyyy…but what do you think, joy?

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Dianne March 23, 2009 at 8:12 am

Hi Joy! I made these carrot cake pancakes this weekend and my boyfriend said “WOW! This is like an amusement park in my mouth!!” and “These are the best things ever!” :)

I wanted to add a note to the recipe: I grated my carrots on the smaller hole of the grater, and they came out finer and softer. They were not crunchy in the pancake at all. :) I recommend that if you are not into the crunch factor. Thanks for a beautiful site!

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rita March 24, 2009 at 1:11 pm

i wasn’t sure if i liked the crunch either when i made cc pancakes the first time. so now steam the carrots for a few minutes to soften them up a bit. adds an extra step… but still tastes great and no more crunch!

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Debbi March 27, 2009 at 12:50 pm

These are the best pancakes ever. I did the steam thing to soften the carrots and they came out awesome (as do ALL Joy’s recipes!!!) but had a bit much left over. (I live alone, didn’t want to wait until the b/f came over, and kitty Boo doesn’t care for carrots) Well….I wrapped each one, separated with plastic wrap and froze them. This morning I was hankering for them, took them out of the freezer and was deciding how to gently reheat when I got a brainstorm…the toaster!!!! A few minutes later I was once again sighing with delight at your genius. You totally ROCK Joy!!!!!

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mharper March 28, 2009 at 9:05 am

these pancakes were so stinkin’ good! i made them this morning for my brood of 5 girls and my hubby. everyone loved them! i need to double the recipe next time. i shredded the carrots extra fine and there was no crunch, just YUM. :) thanks for the perfect recipe for a rainy saturday. <3

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flappergirl425 March 30, 2009 at 2:07 pm

No need to steam the carrots or endure the crunch – simply shred them on the smaller size of a box grater! That is, shred on the size you would use to shred parmesean cheese, NOT mozzerella. This way, the carrots come out nice and soft and tender like real carrot cake!

I *love* this recipe, Joy, thanks for sharing it!!!!

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Morten Pedersen June 24, 2009 at 8:50 am

This is first time I have seen it. I must try it out next time I do some cooking.

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Stephanie June 24, 2009 at 7:39 pm

Could I use whole wheat flour in these pancakes? My hubby LOVES carrot cake, and he is gonna freak when I make these. You are awesome btw!

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Colleen July 15, 2009 at 6:42 pm

Ohhh my goodness.. My boyfriend and I are both totally knocked out with bad colds and I made these to try and cheer us up. THANK YOU, JOY!!!! =D These absolutely did the trick. Beyond good…. I just love this site.. and you, of course!!!!

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Sandra August 24, 2009 at 8:24 am

These pancakes are great!!! the best ones i have ever tried!!! Thanks for posting this wonderfull recipe!!!

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Amber August 28, 2009 at 7:19 pm

OMG! These are next on my list. DrooOOOOOoooling!

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sam September 1, 2009 at 11:25 am

why hello there, dinner!

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Laura Emily September 20, 2009 at 3:35 am

OMG I needed a pancake fix for dinner last night. Yes I ate pancakes for dinner. These were amazing! Just what I wanted! I subbed walnuts for pecans, and loads of extra nutmeg because I love it, and a handful of golden sultanas (which would have been even better if I had soaked them in orange juice, but I was just too hungry). They were just like my mum’s carrot cake. Divine, and a new favourite, for those days when only pancakes will do.

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Ngoc October 20, 2009 at 3:24 pm

These were a prefect “happy-birthday-to-me” breakfast. All fluffy, cinnamon-y goodness. Thanks for sharing the recipe! :)

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TheRoosterChick October 22, 2009 at 8:25 am

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’ve got a ton of carrots and this recipe will help me use them for more than soups and stews.

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Anni November 2, 2009 at 9:37 am

Like book filled with yummy pancake recepies! :D :) =D

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Ulya from KitchenImpromptu November 3, 2009 at 12:17 pm

It is a very good idea to make pancakes with carrot. I will try them on Sunday. They look absolutely delish! Your blog is very creative and give me some good cooking ideas! Thanks!

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ashley November 15, 2009 at 1:02 pm

Delicious!!! I used carrot baby food in place of the grated carrots for simplicity. Incredible… and no skinned fingers on the grater! :)

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Cate December 6, 2009 at 7:58 am

These look sublime. I love carrot cake made with a whole orange pureed including the skin but minus the white pithy bit in the middle and the seeds. So would probably add some grated orange rind and a bit of juice. I am also obsessed with cottage cheese at the moment so wonder if it would be possible to use that to make the frosting instead.

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Erin January 14, 2010 at 10:14 am

These are so.stinkin.good! So good in fact that because I was talking about their goodness at work, I’m not recruited to make 3 batches of this to bring into work! Thank you for sharing it. My life would not be complete without it…not really, but close :)

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Rachael January 21, 2010 at 6:45 pm

seriously reading everything on this site is making me fat just thinking about it!! pancakes have to be the best thing ever invented, ever…how bout some pumpkin pancakes?

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Aine March 10, 2010 at 10:40 am

Be still my beating heart……these are getting made pronto!

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Allie March 18, 2010 at 7:54 am

Thanks again for this recipe! This has become a birthday tradition for my husband…not much of a cake guy, but he loves these!

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x3FLO April 4, 2010 at 10:27 pm

OMG.
i had a 10 pound bag of carrots and needed to make as much things with carrots as possible so i made this for my boyfriend this morning and he LOVED it.
i love that you used a LOT of carrots in this, you could actually taste the carrots in the pancakes!

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Hawra'a April 5, 2010 at 7:38 am

Hi Joy.. I tried ur carrot cake pancakes recipe with the cream cheese spread and they’ve turned out so GOOD!! thanks for such an amazing recipe! keep them coming :))

u can check them out here http://www.flickr.com/photos/7070/4493659740/

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VoguetteMum April 6, 2010 at 10:33 am

This looks yummy!!! I love pancakes too and lately, I have been making pancakes for at least three times a week…I make it anytime of the day LOL! I am so gonna try this for breakfast tomorrow. Thanks Joy, I am new to your site…I find everything amazing =)

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Suzie May 4, 2010 at 6:11 pm

Stumbled upon your blog this morning as I was on the search for some amazing but different cake recipes to take into work and impress the office with!! Oh my gosh…you have made my day!! THANK YOU!! But before I get started on your avocado cake, I’m gonna make these pancakes for breaky first. Cheers! Also, cheers in advance for forcing me into the gym to work it all off :P

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A Teenage Gourmet June 18, 2010 at 5:32 pm

I’m pretty positive that cooking light took your idea on this one. Are you aware of that?

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A Teenage Gourmet June 18, 2010 at 5:33 pm

Oh, wait. They took the Food Network’s idea. ;)

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Sarah July 30, 2010 at 7:50 pm

Thanks for this awesome recipe, in the ultimate compliment, you turned my “don’t like it” toddler into “like it” with these, and she was eating veggies! I cut the sugar to 1/4 cup and subed in whole grains and flax for most of the flour so this may even qualify as healthy. Now if you could just get her to sit down in her chair. . .

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Casey Chappell August 6, 2010 at 11:18 am

Just made these this morning and Oh My Starry Eye Surprise!!! They were a HIT!! Loved them. Thanks for blogging. I really love reading from your point of view.

*good luck with the asking the boy out!!…. let us know how it goes. :o) I think anything that involves more colors than texting is always a win!!!

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EmilyFay August 26, 2010 at 4:04 pm

Wow, I’m sooo glad I Bing-ed ‘Carrot Cake Recipes’, and your blog popped up. I soon as I found this I hopped on facebook and linked the page to my mom. So maybe we’ll have these soon??? Who knows really, but I’ve been reading and I absolutely love your blog, its up-beat and lively, and trust me, being 16, its really hard to hold my attention with much, so your doing something right.^^
Good Luck
&&
I look forward to more reading (and cooking!).

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