Blueberry Cake Batter Pancakes

The Art.
    Breakfast food is hands down my most favorite food of all. I think I could give Ron Swanson a pretty good run for his money when it comes to loving eggs and sausage. Of course, pancakes and waffles have a special place in my heart, too. But if we're being perfectly honest, I have always been disappointed with the texture of the pancakes I make at home, compared to the amazing pancakes you can get at a diner. They somehow manage to simultaneously be fluffy, dense, and moist all at the same time. None of that rubbery stuff that you flip in your frying pan at home. I so desperately wanted to make a pancake of the hometown diner caliber, I sank into one of my Baking Depressions. Then, I had an epiphany: what if I used my fluffy cake batter to make pancakes? If it makes such a wonderfully light, moist cake, shouldn't it make a great pancake? And indeed, this was the case. I know for sure I'll never make any other pancakes again. These cake batter pancakes have the perfect, fluffy texture I was after, and are delightfully sweet when topped with a fresh blueberry compote.

The Science.
    There are several factors that contribute to the wonderful texture of these pancakes. First, they are made with cake flour which gives a finer, lighter texture. Second, they have a large amount of baking powder, which reacts with the acidity in the buttermilk to create lots of bubbles. And finally, the stiffly beaten egg whites lighten the batter and make the pancakes spongey, rather than dense. Compare this to most pancakes--which are made up of mostly all-purpose flour and baking soda--and it's no mystery why they are worlds apart. This recipe does have one caveat, however: since the cake flour and butter make the pancakes so soft, they are very difficult to flip without breaking. Thus, it is best to make "dollar" pancakes that are smaller, so you can turn them over easily.

The Recipe.

Blueberry Compote:
1 pint fresh blueberries, washed
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch salt

    Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue simmering on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until reduced to 3/4 cup in volume.

Pancakes:
3 egg whites, divided
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons salted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk

    In a small bowl, beat 2 egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form, then set aside. Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat together butter, remaining egg white, sugar, and vanilla. Alternately beat in the flour mixture and the buttermilk until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Fold in the beaten egg whites.
    Heat a griddle or frying pan on medium low heat, and very lightly spray with cooking spray. Pour out 1/4 cup batter to make 4 inch diameter pancakes. When the edges of the batter are covered in bubbles, carefully flip with a spatula and cook 2 minutes longer. Top pancakes with blueberry compote and serve piping hot.