Pumpkin pancakes

These fluffy pumpkin pancakes are just the thing for an autumn breakfast. They’re soft, tender and full of pumpkin flavour, with pumpkin purée giving them a lovely golden colour and keeping them wonderfully moist. They’re quick and easy to make and delicious with a knob of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup, just like American-style pancakes. You can even stir some chocolate chips into the batter if you fancy something a little sweeter. My favourite way to serve them, though, is with a dollop of sour cream and cranberry preserve, finished with a light dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon. Perfect for a cosy autumn morning – but honestly, I’d happily eat them any time of year!

Makes 15 pancakes.

Ingredients for the sweet pumpkin pancakes:

• 140 g pumpkin purée
• 300 ml buttermilk or kefir
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 190 g plain flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the pumpkin purée, buttermilk or kefir, egg and sugar in a bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Sift the plain flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly into the mixture and add the salt. Whisk briefly, just until combined.

Cook the pumpkin pancakes in a frying pan over a medium heat, using a little oil or no oil at all if you’re using a non-stick pan. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbles start to appear on the surface, then quickly but carefully flip and cook on the other side until golden and cooked through.

Serve with sour cream, maple syrup, plum butter or cranberry preserve, dusted with icing sugar and a little cinnamon.

Enjoy!