Cloud Cakes Recipe
ricotta pancakes with fresh berries and real maple syrup
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Batter
For cooking
Toppings
Method
Batter
Separate and mix eggs
Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk lightly until combined.
Combine ricotta base
Add the ricotta cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and milk to the eggs. Whisk until smooth and slightly fluffy. A few small curds are fine.
Dry ingredients
In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and a pinch of sea salt until evenly distributed.
Fold together
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter should be thick but pourable; if it seems too thick, stir in up to 1 more tablespoon milk.
For cooking
Preheat skillet
Place a heavy skillet or nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat. Allow it to preheat for 3–4 minutes until warm but not smoking.
Melt butter and oil
Add 1 tablespoon butter and the optional 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet and swirl to coat. The oil helps prevent the butter from burning. Maintain heat at medium-low so the butter browns lightly but does not burn.
Cook pancakes
For each pancake, spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet (you should get ~8 pancakes). Smooth the top slightly with the back of the spoon. Cook undisturbed for 2.5–3 minutes, until edges look set and small bubbles appear on the surface. Carefully flip and add another 1/2 teaspoon butter if the pan looks dry. Cook on the second side 1.5–2 minutes until golden and set. Adjust heat as needed — lower if browning too quickly.
Keep warm
Transfer cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200°F (95°C) oven while you finish the remaining batter. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel and add more butter as needed between batches.
Toppings
Prepare berries
Rinse the mixed berries gently and pat dry. Slice larger strawberries into quarters or thin slices.
Plate and dress
Stack 2–3 warm ricotta pancakes per serving. Spoon fresh berries over the pancakes, drizzle generously with real maple syrup (about 2–3 tablespoons per serving), and dust lightly with powdered sugar if using. Garnish with mint leaves.