Hello lovelies and happy Sunday! We started the day very slow and cozy: the girls slept in, and once they finally wandered into the kitchen we were all craving some pumpkin pancakes with apple-cinnamon cream. This kind of slow, fragrant breakfast is exactly what I love most about autumn Sundays.
Since I had some leftover Hokkaido pumpkin in the fridge, I turned it into fluffy pumpkin pancakes on the spot. I adjusted one of my older pancake recipes that included banana and simply swapped the banana for the pumpkin. It worked so well: the pumpkin keeps the batter beautifully moist, lends it a soft golden color and tastes gently sweet without ever taking over.
Pumpkin in the pancake batter
Hokkaido is my favorite pumpkin for baking, because you don't have to peel it and it turns wonderfully creamy once cooked. About 150 g (5 oz.) of purée disappears completely into the batter and replaces part of the fat, so the pancakes come out light and fluffy yet still moist. If you don't have fresh pumpkin on hand, simply use pumpkin purée from a jar, or reach for a ripe banana as in the original recipe.
I made some airy apple-cinnamon whipped cream to go with the pancakes, and it's a perfect combination. I love these flavors together, and it's also a childhood memory of mine – I remember we had it with cream puffs, so delicious. For the cream I gently simmer small apple pieces with a little lemon juice, cinnamon and maple syrup for about 10 minutes, then fold them into the freshly whipped plant cream at the very end.
One little tip: the pancakes taste best fresh from the pan, but you can keep them warm until the whole stack is ready. And if any are left over, they crisp up beautifully in the toaster the next morning.
If you love these pumpkin pancakes with apple-cinnamon cream, my breakfast kitchen has more cozy ideas waiting for you: for a fruity twist try my apple pancakes, chocolate fans will adore my fluffy vegan chocolate pancakes, and to carry the pumpkin love right through fall you have to make my vegan pumpkin waffles. I'd be so happy if you try them – enjoy your lovely autumn day!
