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