The crux of any big American breakfast lies within the world of griddle cakes.

Though it goes by many different names, like pancakes, flapjacks and hotcakes, they are very uniform throughout the different regions of the US.

These thick and fluffy griddle cakes are cooked to perfection on the stovetop in butter and doused in more butter and real maple syrup.

Jump to:

• Why you will love these fluffy griddle cakes
• Tips
• Ingredients
• How to make griddle cakes
• Variations
• Serving suggestions
• Equipment
• FAQ’s
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why you will love these fluffy griddle cakes

Griddle cakes have a history that reaches all the way back to the 13 original colonies (and even before that) and the days of widespread homesteading.

One of the reasons why they have been a staple throughout US history is the use of such common ingredients.

Yes, this recipe has the most basic ingredients, but that doesn’t mean the flavor is basic or lacking anything at all.

What can go wrong with basic batter, cooked in butter and swimming in maple syrup?  That is what you will love about this recipe!

Delicious and simple!

You are going to love how thick and fluffy these griddle cakes are!  They turn out perfect every time.

Tips

For extra fluffy griddle cakes, take the extra time to sift the dry ingredients and to whisk the eggs until foamy.

If you take a few extra minutes for these steps, you will have the best fluffiest griddle cake texture you can dream of.

Ingredients

There is not much more to this recipe than a basic batter mix which includes buttermilk, flour, salt, sugar, eggs and a leavening agent.

But I would like to take a moment to discuss the use of buttermilk. Buttermilk is the milk that is leftover after churning butter from cream.

It’s slightly sour and thicker or even chunkier than normal milk.

While it is not a requirement for making griddle cakes, it does add a depth of flavor and some extra thickness that we want in our griddle cakes.

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute it by using whole milk and adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice.  After adding the vinegar, you just need to give it a stir and let it sit for about 3 minutes.

The milk will curdle and have a sour flavor to it and you won’t even be able to tell the difference between store-bought buttermilk and this buttermilk substitute.  Easy!

Also, we should also discuss syrup.  Most store-bought syrups in the aisle of your grocery store in the US are not actually real maple syrup.

They consist of mainly high-fructose corn syrup or a corn syrup derivative that is rather controversial if you study its health benefits or lack thereof.

I highly recommend getting 100% real maple syrup that is usually sold in a glass bottle.  Not only is it more natural and better for you, but it tastes better also!

These are the ingredients for homemade griddle cakes:

• Buttermilk (or milk + vinegar listed above)
• All-purpose flour
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Butter

How to make griddle cakes

Start by sifting all of the dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl.  Sifting the ingredients will give you a better fluff to your griddle cakes.

In a separate bowl, add the egg.  Vigorously whisk it together for a minute or two until it foams up and becomes frothy.

Add the buttermilk, melted butter and whisked eggs to the dry ingredients and mix it together until it is smooth and no lumps remain.

Now for the cooking.  Griddle cakes are what they sound like… cooked on a griddle or a large flat pan.

I personally have a Blackstone griddle and I LOVE it, especially when it comes to making breakfast for my large family. I can fit about 20 griddle cakes on it at one time.

I know most of you might not have a large propane griddle, so you are going to need to use a griddle pan on the stovetop.

The best type of pan to use would be a cast iron pan, since it distributes the heat more evenly, however a large non-stick griddle or pan will work equally as well.

Heat the griddle up over medium-high heat. Add a pat of butter to the pan and when it begins to sizzle, your pan is ready.

Coat the entire pan with the melted butter, then with a small ladle, pour the griddle cake batter into the pan. You want to make the griddle cakes about 5 inches in diameter or so.

You may be able to add more to the griddle at one time, depending on how big it is.

You will begin to notice that bubbles form on the griddle cakes as they begin to cook.  The edges will begin to brown also.

When the bubbles in the center of the griddle cakes begin to pop and to leave a hole, then you know they are ready to be flipped.  Once that happens you can flip your griddle cakes with a large spatula.

It should only take about 1-2 minutes on each side to cook a griddle cake through.

Make sure to cook them through, you don’t want the center to be runny with uncooked batter!  The outside should be a deep golden brown when it is done.

Immediately after the griddle cakes are cooked, serve them while they are hot with plenty of butter and real maple syrup.

The most disingenuous thing you can do to a freshly made griddle cake is to not serve it immediately.

No one wants a cold griddle cake!

Variations

The most traditional way to serve griddle cakes in the US is with butter and syrup, but we need to acknowledge that there is a population of millions of people who don’t prefer syrup.

There are other ways to vary and top griddle cakes that have nothing to do with sticky maple syrup.  Other options include:

1. Fresh berries and powdered sugar
2. Whipped cream
3. Chocolate chips
4. Cajeta (Mexican topping that is made from milk and kind of similar to caramel but not really)
5. Sweetened farmers cheese or ricotta (this is very European)

Serving suggestions

If you have problems with cold griddle cakes and not being able to keep them hot, I have a few suggestions for you.

Warm up your plates in the warmer of your oven for several minutes and serve your griddle cakes on warm plates.  This will help keep them warm and fresh as you eat them.

I also suggest stacking griddle cakes on top of each other.  If you go to a diner in the US, you can usually order a short stack or a tall stack of griddle cakes.

But there is rhyme and reason to stacking griddle cakes and it has to do with keeping them hot.

I also suggest warming up maple syrup and dousing your griddle cakes with it.  Cold maple syrup is a big No-No if you want to keep your griddle cakes hot.

Equipment

• Whisk
• Griddle pan or griddle grill

FAQ’s

Is a griddle better than a skillet when cooking griddle cakes?

A griddle pan or griddle grill is preferable to a skillet when it comes to cooking griddle cakes.

Griddle pans are flatter and don’t have high sides, ensuring that you can cook more griddle cakes at a time.

However, if you don’t own a griddle pan, a skillet will work just fine.

Why are my griddle cakes flat?

If you use too much liquid, your griddle cakes will be flatter.  Some people like it this way.

How to make my griddle cakes extra fluffy?

If you want to make sure your griddle cakes are extra fluffy, take the extra time to sift the dry ingredients and to whisk the eggs until foamy.

📖 Recipe