Jacqueline Casey 
I entered these Pancakes meet Strawberry Shortcake into Trader Joes Strawberry’s Recipe contest. While I’m not sure if they will win, I’m happy with how they turned out. The pancakes are light and fluffy and full of chopped fresh strawberries. The pancakes are then topped with additional sliced strawberries, whipped cream and powdered sugar similar to a Strawberry Shortcake. These are pretty and delicious plus take advantage of the upcoming Strawberry and Summer season. These are easy enough to make for any Breakfast, but will also perfect for a special occasion or Brunch.
Looking for another Strawberry recipe? This Strawberry Banana Bread recipe is pretty awesome too!
Options, Substitutions & Tips!
- For best results, bring refrigerated items, the milk and egg to room temperature prior to mixing. This helps ensure all the ingredients bind together.
- I used recommend using fresh strawberries vs frozen strawberries.
- I used whole milk for this recipe but have also used 2%. The pancakes with whole milk had a bit more flavor and were extra fluffy in my opinion. But I usually make most recipes like this with whatever I have on hand in the refrigerator. These pancakes made with 2% also tasted amazing and were not that much different.
- Adding Vinegar to Milk creates a chemical reaction that while I can’t exactly explain, helps make the perfect pancake texture. This soured milk is similar to buttermilk. In the recipe directions, the first step is combing the vinegar and milk and allowing it to sit for at least 5 minutes. 5 minutes is about how long it takes me to do a bit of multitasking and chop up and slice the strawberries and then combine all the dry ingredients.
- You can substitute vegetable oil for canola oil. I haven’t tried any other types of oil to be able to recommend any other substitutions and say with first hand knowledge if they would turn out ok. As I continue to make these I’ll try some other oils/butters and update if the result is successful.
- When mixing in your dry ingredients to wet ingredients try to mix as little as possible to avoid overmixing. Overmixing=dense, heavy pancakes instead of light & fluffy.
- You can use a griddle or a frying pan. I like using my griddle because I can make all the pancakes in just 2 batches. I’ve also made these in a very tiny pan one at a time so any frying pan works as long as you have the time and patience
- I typically pour my pancake batter by eye. For a more uniform in size, you can make either regular sized pancakes using a 1/4 measuring cup to pour out the batter or large size pancakes using 1/2 measuring cup. Seen here is me using a ladle and my eye to the best of my ability.
- You will want to heat up your griddle or pan prior to adding the batter. I can often be distracted while things are cooking ie, start cleaning up, washing dishes, etc. But I try to watch these and even make changes to the temperature because they can be ready to flip in as little as 3 minutes. You do not want the temperature too high that the outsides are burned, but the inside is still raw.
- The easiest way to tell when the pancakes are ready to flip is to look for when bubbles start forming. Once bubbles start forming I can slide the spatula under to check and see there in a golden crust the formed around the edges and the rest of the pancake is also a golden color.
- For the topping I opted to arrange the sliced strawberries in a ring, whipped cream in the middle and then with a shifter, sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar. I drew inspiration by looking up images of “Strawberry Shortcake” and there were lots of different ways to arrange the toppings.
- These will refrigerate or freeze nicely. After cooking, wait for them to cool down and then place in a airtight container or zip-lock bag. They will last in the refrigerator 3-4 days and in the freezer 2-3 months.
Enjoy!!!
Strawberry Short(Pan)Cakes
Fluffy pancakes are filled with fresh strawberries then topped with more strawberries, whipped cream and a little bit of powdered sugar.
- Large mixing bowl, Medium Mixing Bowl, Griddle or Large Frying Pan/Skillet.
- 1 lb. Fresh Strawberries
- 1 cup Milk ((room temperature))
- 3 Tbsp White Vinegar
- 1½ cups Flour
- 3 Tbsp White Granulated Sugar
- 1½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 large Egg ((room temperature))
- ¼ cup Canola Oil
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
In large mixing bowl, combine milk and vinegar. Set aside and allow to sour for at least 5 minutes.
Chop one strawberries in small pieces to make 1 cup and slice the remaining strawberries for the toppings.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix until all are combined.
At this point, at least 5 minutes should have passed. In large mixing bowl add egg and mix into the soured milk. Add oil and mix until just smooth.
Add dry flour ingredients to the wet milk ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
Set griddle or pan to medium-high heat. Add a pat of butter and pour pancakes with a ladle or using a 1/4 measuring cup for pancakes consistent in size.
Cook for 3-4 minutes or until pancakes start forming bubbles. When flipped pancakes should have a golden crust on the edges. Cook on the other side for an additional 2-4 minutes.
Top pancakes with additional fresh strawberries, powdered sugar an whipped cream.
