Red Velvet Pancakes with Mascarpone Whipped Cream

(This post is sponsored by Chocolove! Thank you so so much for reading and supporting the brands that I love!)

These Red Velvet Pancakes with Mascarpone Whipped Cream are made with whole wheat flour, dark chocolate, and a mixture of maple syrup and brown sugar for a little sweetness! They’re super light, the perfect amount of chocolatey, and they’re topped with a delicious mascarpone whipped cream and fresh berries!

Today I’m celebrating Memorial Day weekend a littttle bit early with Red Velvet Pancakes! They are SO good you guys. Oh my goodness. And instead of using all purpose flour, I opted for whole wheat, and I used a mixture of pure maple syrup and brown sugar instead of all sugar to sweeten them! But the BEST part is absolutely the dark chocolate that is melted into them. I mean, what more could we want?

Another thing that takes these pancakes to the next level is the mascarpone whipped cream. Yes, that’s right. Mascarpone. whipped. cream. I can hardly contain my excitement over it!!! My idea with that was to play up the classic red velvet with cream cheese icing combination, but make a mascarpone whipped cream to top these beauties instead! You could totally use cream cheese too, I just loooove mascarpone.

Instead of making these super decadent, I tried to make them a little healthier since we’re eating these for breakfast and don’t want to feel a huge sugar crash by the time we start our day! I used whole wheat pastry flour, which is a finer ground wheat flour that is an absolutely wonderful substitute to all purpose. I use it ALL the time in my baking.

I also melted my favorite Chocolove dark chocolate into this delicious batter.

The melted dark chocolate disappears so beautifully into the batter and gives it this subtle but amazing chocolatey taste, without feeling like you’re having chocolate cake for breakfast.

Which I mean, I wouldn’t be against on occasion. 😉

😍😍😍 That color though!

Even though the pancakes are a little lighter, I had to go all in and top them with mascarpone whipped cream and more dark chocolate.

Think of it as a whipped cream/cream cheese mousse. Like how amazing does that sound?!

Especially with the berries. It’s pure heaven.

And because they’re pancakes, we’ve gotta have maple syrup too! I love using pure maple syrup because it’s a little, actually a lot better for you than the stuff we grew up on!

I know that everyone is always thinking about burgers and pasta salad on Memorial Day, but I thought it would be super fun to make a festive breakfast this weekend to celebrate the holiday!

And every great weekend is made better with brunch, always.

The melted dark chocolate in these makes them not as super fluffy as your regular buttermilk pancakes, but I love them even better this way. It gives them a finer, cakier, lighter crumb and they practically melt in your mouth. Yes please.

I shared these with a friend and they even put them in the toaster and then topped them off a smear of the whipped cream, chopped dark chocolate, and berries and said it was an incredible dessert! So you can totally get creative here.

You really can’t go wrong with red velvet pancakes, cream cheese whipped cream, and dark chocolate!

Am I right?!

Happy almost Memorial Day Weekend! Tell me your plans!

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Red Velvet Pancakes with Mascarpone Whipped Cream

These Red Velvet Pancakes with Mascarpone Whipped Cream are made with whole wheat flour, dark chocolate, and a mixture of maple syrup and brown sugar for a little sweetness! They're super light, the perfect amount of chocolatey, and they're topped with a delicious mascarpone whipped cream and fresh berries!

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour*
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1.5 ounces (1/2 bar) Chocolove 70% dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons red food coloring
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup whole milk*

For the mascarpone whipped cream

• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• pinch of salt

For toppings

• 1.5 ounces (1/2 bar) Chocolove 70% dark chocolate, chopped
• fresh strawberries and blueberries
• fresh mint
• maple syrup

Instructions

For the red velvet pancakes

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. This should only take a minute or so.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, and maple syrup until combined. Add the melted butter and whisk again until combined. Once chocolate has cooled, add the chocolate and whisk again until smooth. 

3. Add the milk to a bowl or cup and add the vinegar. Stir to combine and wait a couple minutes for the milk to curdle and the milk to kind of "thicken." (This makes homemade buttermilk instead of having to buy it at the store, which helps make pancakes light and fluffy!) 

4. Once the milk "thickens," add it to the wet ingredients along with the vanilla and red food coloring and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring to incorporate with a rubber spatula until smooth. 

5. Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour the batter onto the griddle/pan (I like to use a 1/3 cup measure to do this), and cook for 1-2 minutes per side or until fluffy and cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.

6. To serve, top pancakes with the mascarpone whipped cream, fresh berries, chopped dark chocolate, a sprig of mint, and maple syrup. Enjoy immediately!

For the mascarpone whipped cream

1. To the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also use handheld beaters), add the mascarpone and vanilla extract. Whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, a few minutes. Lower the speed and gradually add the heavy cream. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl at this point. Once heavy cream has been incorporated, raise speed to medium-high and beat until thick and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and salt and beat again for a minute or so until incorporated.

Recipe Notes

*You can also sub all purpose flour for the whole wheat pastry flour. Whole wheat pastry flour is not the same as regular whole wheat, so that will not work in this recipe. The whole wheat pastry flour is much finer and lighter, and doesn't require as much liquid in recipes!