British Shrove Tuesday Pancakes
Shrove Tuesday Pancakes are a British tradition, better known as the star of Pancake Tuesday. However, they are so delicious, you’ll want to have them all year long!
Originally published on February 16, 2015.
As a little girl in Scotland, I remember bringing these lovely Shrove Tuesday pancakes to school the day before Ash Wednesday. This day is called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday in the UK (or Mardi Gras, aka Fat Tuesday in the US).
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I used to get so excited because we only made them once a year, and I just loved how they tasted!
Unfortunately, these pancakes are another source of confusion where the name, “pancake” means something different between the US and the UK.
American pancakes are typically light and fluffy and are eaten with syrup for breakfast, whereas these particular British pancakes look more like crêpes.
However, they are not the same as the French version, as the batter is a bit thicker. I could add even more confusion if we discussed Danish pancakes (aebleskivers), but I won’t go there. 😂 Speaking of French recipes, get a fabulous recipe for an Epiphany tradition in France for Galette des Rois (King’s cake.) However, King’s cake in the US is for Fat Tuesday! Goodness it gets confusing, no?
This is another one of those holiday dishes which I could kick myself for only making once a year.
Traditionally, they are served with a squeeze of lemon juice, and sprinkle of sugar, which is exactly the way I love them!
Speaking of sugar, here’s a twist on a Mardi Gras tradition of King Cake: King Cake cinnamon rolls!
I hope you try them as they are very simple to make, but actually look quite impressive! I just use a regular non-stick pan, but if you have a crêpe pan, even better!
Get ready for St Patrick’s Day with my Irish whiskey cake or Guinness chocolate cake!
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves as we need to make these delicious British pancakes first!
Traditional British Shrove Tuesday Pancakes
adapted from a Mrs. Beeton’s recipe makes about 12 pancakes
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- flour
- salt
- egg
- milk
- liqueur
- butter
- (lemon for serving)
- (sugar for serving)
Directions
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl; make a well in the middle and add the beaten egg.
Stir in half the milk, working in the flour gradually until it begins to form a batter, then beat well and add the rest of the milk and liqueur or water.
Pour batter into a jug and let stand for about 15 minutes or longer before making any pancakes. After the batter has rested, heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat, add a little bit of butter to the center of the pan, stir the batter then pour in a small amount into the pan then swirl it so that it spreads thinly.
Cook for about one minute, then turn and cook the other side for about 30 seconds.
Place on a plate, drizzle with juice from a fresh lemon, sprinkle with sugar then roll or fold to eat immediately. If you’re not serving them right away, keep the pancakes on a plate over simmering water to keep warm. Add the lemon juice and sugar just before serving.
Continue adding a tiny bit of butter to the pan and cook the remaining batter.
These Shrove Tuesday pancakes will go quickly, so be forewarned, you may be asked to make a second batch immediately!
March 1st is St David’s Day! Celebrate with Welsh rarebit and Welsh cakes!
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Traditional British Shrove Tuesday Pancakes
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all purpose flour (plus 2 tbsp if using cups)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 egg beaten
- 8 oz milk
- 1 Tbsp Grand Marnier liqueur or your favorite liqueur, or water
- 2 Tbsp butter or more as needed (for the pan)
- ½ lemon fresh, organic (to serve)
- 2 Tbsp sugar (to serve)
Instructions
- Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl; make a well in the middle and add the beaten egg.
- Stir in half the milk, working in the flour gradually until it begins to form a batter, then beat well and add the rest of the milk and liqueur or water.
- Pour batter into a jug and let stand for about 15 minutes before making any pancakes, if you have time. When batter has rested, heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat, add a little bit of butter to the center of the pan, stir the batter then pour in a small amount into the pan then swirl it so that it spreads thinly.
- Cook for about one minute, then turn and cook the other side for about 30 seconds.
- Place on a plate, drizzle with juice from a fresh lemon, sprinkle with sugar then roll or fold to eat immediately, or else keep the pancakes on a plate over simmering water to keep warm, then add the lemon juice and sugar.
- Continue adding a tiny bit of butter to the pan and repeat the instructions to cook the remaining batter.
Notes
- Allowing the batter to rest for a while makes for better results.
Nutrition
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I did not make this one, but I have one that I received from my sister-in-law many years ago. This is a traditional recipe from South Africa. You bake a big bunch of 4cups flour, and you mix your sugar with cinnamon. You can freeze your pancakes and heat it in the microwave afterwards if you have leftovers.
Sounds good, Hilda! Thank you!
one traditional important part of cooking pancakes is tossing them rather than flipping the pancake with a spatula. I made them and still had not lost my touch as I was able to toss each one to cook the other side. In England some villagers still have pancake races.
By the way the ones I made from your recipe was as good as I remembered them from childhood
Haha! Yes, absolutely! I really should add that in because many Americans won’t know about that tradition. I flipped mine yesterday and was happy I haven’t lost it either! Thank you, that’s a real compliment! :)