German Pumpkin Pancake

This is my absolute favorite time of year – crisp air, changing leaves, cozy sweaters, Oktoberfest celebrations, and pumpkins. I just love how pumpkins find their way into almost every meal and drink during the autumn months. I fully compensated for the dreadful pumpkin shortage of 2009 the following year by including canned pumpkin in everything – from my morning oatmeal, to smoothies, to risottos, to face masks. If you couldn’t find canned pumpkin in your grocery store in 2010, it wasn’t because of Mother Nature, it was because of me.

As a way to integrate my beloved pumpkin and German traditions that are celebrated during Oktoberfest, I decided to whip up a German-style pumpkin pancake. This fluffy creation is a cross between a cake, popover, frittata, and soufflé. The greatest part of this recipe is that you can just pop the pancake in the oven, as opposed to standing and flipping individual pancakes on the griddle all morning long. Now that you have some time freed up, go put on your dirndl or lederhosen and fuel up on this German pumpkin pancake for a long day of Oktoberfest partying. Prost!


German Pumpkin Pancake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 2-4

Ingredients

4 eggs
1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup flour, sifted
2/3 cup milk
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter


Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except butter, mix together until smooth, and then set aside.

Add butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet or cake pan and place in the oven for a few minutes. After the butter melts, remove from the oven and swirl around the butter to coat the bottom and sides. Quickly pour the batter into the hot skillet and transfer back to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until the sides raise and brown and the middle sets. Top with toasted walnuts and maple syrup and enjoy!