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Pancake Day 2024: Easy pancake recipes and fun facts
It’s no secret the perfect pancake is tricky to master, but by using the right recipe and honing your flipping skills, it’s one of the most satisfying – not to mention delicious – desserts you can whip (or flip) up!
But if every year you’re left with batter stuck to the ceiling, it can be tempting to shrug off Shrove Tuesday and wait until Easter rolls around to get your sweet treat fix.
Well, the Easter bunny – for all its cuteness and chocolate-delivering goodness – can wait, because we’re serving up an eye-opening look into pancake day, full of facts, fun, and two easy recipes to delight your Shrove Tuesday sidekicks!
What is Pancake Day?
Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day preceding the beginning of Lent, which begins the following day (Ash Wednesday).
Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter) used to be a fasting period for Anglo-Saxon Christians. On Shrove Tuesday, a ‘shriving bell’ would ring at 11am, calling believers to church to confess their sins (shrive means 'confess').
Later, homemakers would remove all edible temptations from the home, and use up the remaining eggs and fats before the long Lenten feast. And what better way to use these ingredients than in pancakes?
Pancake Day traditions
The pancake has a long, winding history and appeared in cookbooks as far back as 1439! The tradition of tossing or flipping pancakes stretches back centuries, too: ‘’And every man and maide doe take their turne, and tosse their pancakes up for feare they burne.” (Pasquil’s Palin, 1619).
A smart couplet indeed, but why do we flip pancakes? Well, it’s believed the tradition came from the 15th century after a woman from Buckinghamshire rushed to the church to confess her sins while mid-way through making pancakes. Flipping heck!
What do pancakes symbolise?
Aside from their simplicity and crowd-pleasing status, the humble pancake’s symbolism is actually rather poignant:
Eggs – Creation
Flour – The staff of life
Salt – Wholesomeness
Milk – Purity
Why does pancake day change every year?
Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the dates vary each year but always fall between 3rd February and 9th March.
When is Pancake Day 2024?
This year, Pancake Day falls on Tuesday, 13th February.
How to flip a pancake
Start by frying the pancake on one side – you’ll know it’s cooked when it comes away from the pan after giving it a gentle shake. Next, tip the pancake to the edge of the pan, and after three, flip it.* Repeat the same action on the other side, and voila, one perfect pancake for you!
It’s all in the wrist
The flipping motion is the same action you’d make when stir-frying with a wok – a quick, confident flick of the wrist.
Easy pancake day recipes
Now you know your pancake day history and the fundamentals of flipping, let’s dive into two divine pancake day recipes, one American style, one traditional. We'll start by crossing the Atlantic for an American stack to die for, brought to you by the Naked Chef himself, Jamie Oliver:
Jamie Oliver’s American pancakes
These thick, spongy American-style pancakes are absolutely divine topped with a dollop of crème fraîche, streaky bacon, maple syrup – the list goes on!
For best results, dollop the batter onto a hot griddle (smooth side) or a heavy-based pan.
- 3 large free-range eggs
- 115g plain flour
- 1 heaped tsp baking powder
- 140ml whole milk
- Makes: 4 pancakes
- Prep time: 5 mins
- Cooking time: 20 mins
Step 1
- Separate the eggs, placing the whites into one bowl and the yolks in another.
- Add the flour, baking powder and milk to the yolks and mix to a smooth, thick consistency.
- Whisk the whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks before folding them into the batter.
Step 2
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, pour in some of the batter and cook for a minute or two or until it looks golden and firm.
- Sprinkle the flavouring (see below) onto the uncooked side before loosening with a spatula and flipping the pancake over. Continue frying until both sides are golden.
- Serve with butter, maple syrup, crème fraiche – whatever you fancy!
Calories per serving: 178
Protein: 9.2g
Carbs: 24.7g
Fat: 5.7g
Saturates: 1.6g
Sugars: 2.1g
Salt: 1.2g
Fibre: 0.9g
If you fancy a tasty pancake flavouring, try one of these:
- Crispy bacon or pancetta
- Fresh corn on the cob
- Banana
- Blueberries
- Stewed apple
- Grated chocolate
Easy traditional Pancake Day recipes
Our traditional pancake day recipe is easy to make, serves 10-12, and most importantly – tastes delicious! You could flip the script by practising right away, but you’ll be just fine if you decide to chance it on Pancake Day – we promise!
- 100g plain flour
- 250ml milk
- 2 large eggs (preferably free-range)
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp melted butter, cooled
- A knob of butter for frying
- Makes: 10-12 pancakes
- Prep time: 5 mins
- Cooking time: 20 mins
Step 1
- Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt and make a well in the centre.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, milk and melted butter, then pour into the well.
- Use an electric hand whisk to whisk the liquid into the flour until you have a smooth batter.
Step 2
- Cook the pancakes by heating a teaspoon of butter in a small frying pan until hot and foaming – a 16-18cm pan is ideal.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake, swirling it around the pan as you go.
Step 3
- Fry each pancake for 1-1½ on each side
- When you’ve finished frying each pancake, layer them between sheets of non-stick baking paper
Calories per serving: 95
Protein: 3g
Carbs: 8g
Fat: 6g
Saturates: 3g
Sugars: 2g
Salt: 0.1g
Fibre: 0g
- If you're making pancakes for a savoury dish, simply omit the caster sugar.
- Make the batter a few hours ahead, cover and chill.
