Ricotta Hotcakes
Ricotta hotcakes are the Australian café brunch staple: thick, pillowy, and rich with a fine, almost cloud-like crumb. Folding whipped egg whites into the batter is what separates these from a dense cheese-heavy pancake. The ricotta provides moisture and mild flavour without weighing the structure down. The medium difficulty reflects the egg-white folding technique. These are best served with honeycomb butter and banana, or with fresh berries and icing sugar.
Ingredients
- 250g (9oz)full-fat ricotta
- 100ml (3.5fl oz)whole milk
- 3 (3)large eggs, separated
- 130g (4.5oz)plain flour, sifted
- 1 tsp (1 tsp)baking powder
- 1 tbsp (1 tbsp)caster sugar
- 1 pinch (1 pinch)fine salt
- small knob (small knob)butter, for the pan
Method
- 1
Combine ricotta, milk, and egg yolks in a bowl and stir until smooth.
Full-fat ricotta is essential -- low-fat versions release too much water and make the batter runny. - 2
Sift in flour, baking powder, caster sugar, and salt. Stir until just combined -- the mixture will be thick.
- 3
In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks.
Do not beat to stiff peaks -- soft peaks fold in more easily and keep the texture lighter. - 4
Add one-third of the egg whites to the ricotta mixture and stir to loosen. Fold in the remaining whites in two additions, keeping as much volume as possible.
- 5
Heat a non-stick pan over a medium-low heat and add a small knob of butter.
Cook on medium-low: these are thick and need time to cook through without burning. - 6
Spoon heaped tablespoonfuls of batter into the pan (approximately 80ml per hotcake). Cook for 3 minutes until the undersides are golden and the tops are just set.
- 7
Flip and cook for a further 2 minutes. Serve immediately with honeycomb butter and sliced banana, or berries and icing sugar.
Pro Tips
- →Full-fat ricotta is essential -- low-fat versions release too much water and make the batter runny.
- →Do not beat the egg whites to stiff peaks -- soft peaks fold in more easily and keep the texture lighter.
- →Cook on medium-low: these are thick and need time to cook through without burning.
- →For honeycomb butter, beat 50g softened butter with 2 tablespoons of honey until combined.
Topping Ideas
Questions & answers
Can I prepare the batter in advance?⌄
My ricotta hotcakes are raw in the middle -- what went wrong?⌄
Can I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta?⌄
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