Home-Made ‘Nutella’ Hazelnut Truffle in a Big Fat Pancake

These big fat pancakes remind me of the soybean filled ones I gorged upon in Tokyo this April. I always love the idea of biting into something so fluffy and pancakey at the same time, but the fact that the soybean looks like chocolate but tastes like something else has always been a crushing blow.

After drooling over a beautiful article on Poires Au Chocolat, I had to try making my own Nutella. Here I’ve edited the original recipe by throwing in a handful of darker, richer ‘truffly’ ingredients. Whilst it really is a whole mouthful of delicious, Nutella purists may argue that it doesn’t actually taste like Nutella anymore. For real-life home-made Nutella-tasting fun, I’d recommend having a go at the original recipe. Click here.

Bizarrely, the thing that really seems to set this dish off is the shot of lemon juice over the top of the pancake, which stops the chocolate mix from becoming too ‘claggy’.

Recipe:

Big Fat Pancakes (makes 2)

• 1 Cup Self Raising Flour (I used Doves Farm Gluten Free variety)
• 1 Cup Rice milk
• 1 Egg
• Pinch of Salt
• Knob of butter

‘Nutella’ Truffle Spread  (makes lots)

• 150g Blanched Hazelnuts
• 100g good quality dark chocolate
• 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 65g Icing Sugar
• ½ tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1  tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 dates
• 1 tablespoon honey

To finish:

• A squeeze of lemon juice

Method:

First, mix the pancake batter. Make a mound of flour (with the salt added) and break the egg into the middle, add milk and whisk until smooth. If it looks too runny, add more flour, or milk if it looks too stiff.

Set aside to aerate and bubble.

Next, make the truffle sauce. Roast the hazelnuts until they’re golden brown and smell delicious (but not burnt). When they’ve cooled slightly, chuck them into a food processor and blend well until they’ve formed a smooth paste. This may take quite a while. Add all of the other ingredients (except the honey) and blend together until smooth and rich. This should take between 4 and 10 minutes.

Stop to taste. Add a touch of extra smooth sweetness with a few drops of honey, if needed.

Now we make the pancakes. Unlike our slimmer crepey friends, these little monsters are going to grow and rise like a little cake. First, heat up the butter in a small pan until it is melted through. Use a medium heat setting.

Pour in enough batter to cover the pan generously, make sure it is spread evenly and then allow cook through until the batter on the top is no longer wet. Flip over. The newly flipped side should be golden and fluffy. When the underside is a similar colour, the pancake is ready.

Add a spoonful of your Nutella to the centre of the pancake. Fold in half and cover with a generous squirt of lemon juice. Serve immediately and tuck in!