At the moment it is British carrot season, which I think is perfectly timed with all things autumnal. The orange of the carrots fits well with the pumpkin, squash, and fallen leaves that are all around. So what better time than to enjoy all things carrot?

If you are looking for something a little different to your standard carrots with a roast or pretty typical carrot cake, here are some carrot cake pancakes to give a bit of a twist on the classic. You get to enjoy all of the flavour of carrot cake, just in mini pancakes! And with the addition of mixed spice, they are a perfect snack or dessert for this time of year, when a little bit of spice goes a long way.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Serves 4 (approx. 2 pancakes each)

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 100g wholemeal self-raising flour (gluten-free would work too)
• Pinch of salt
• 1⁄4 tsp ground mixed spice
• 20g light muscovado sugar
• 1 large egg
• 4 tbsp low fat plain yogurt (I use coconut yogurt and it works well)
• 100ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
• 150g British organic carrots, peeled and grated
• 50g raisins or sultanas
• 3-4 tsp vegetable oil
• Clear honey, golden syrup or maple syrup, to serve (optional)

What to do:

1. Put the flour, salt, mixed spice, sugar, egg, yogurt and milk into a large mixing bowl and use a hand whisk or fork to mix everything together thoroughly.
2. Stir in the grated organic carrot and raisins or sultanas.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add 2-3 drops of oil. Cook tablespoons of the batter in batches, turning them over after 1-2 minutes to cook the other sides. Make about 8 small pancakes altogether, adding a few more drops of oil to the frying pan with each batch.
4. Serve the warm pancakes with a drizzle of honey or syrups, if you like.

Cook’s tip: You could use white self-raising flour, though wholemeal provides more fibre.

It would be great to hear what you think and if you think you’ll give these a go! They are filling, but have much more of a nutritional twist than your standard pancakes.

*recipe in collaboration with British Organic Carrots.