One of the most hyped desserts around right now is the cocoa Dutch baby, but what is this exactly? Well, it’s a chocolate German pancake recipe which tastes amazing! This gluten free Dutch baby is a great option if you are looking for a gluten free pancake recipe or a chocolate pancake recipe.
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This chocolate pancake recipe is good for breakfast or dessert, or even as a snack. It’s rich in chocolate and cinnamon flavours, and really special.
More about Cocoa Dutch Baby
A Dutch baby pancake, which is sometimes known as a Dutch puff, Hootenanny, Bismarck, or Dutch baby, is a type of popover. It’s baked in the oven, unlike with traditional pancakes. Cocoa Dutch baby recipes are usually thicker than pancakes or crepes.
The recipe might have come from ‘pfannkuchen’, a German pancake, but these yummy treats can also be traced back about a hundred years to the United States. Flour, eggs, milk and sugar are the main ingredients, while cinnamon and vanilla are commonly added. Sometimes other flavours are used, such as fruit.
This chocolate pancake recipe is cooked in a cast iron pan which is safe to use in the oven. The pancake will deflate as soon as you take it out of the heat.
Chocolate German Pancake Recipe History
These first cropped up, according to Sunset Magazine, in the early 1900s on the menu at Manca’s Café in Seattle.
The name ‘Dutch baby’ is believed to have come from one of the owner’s daughters, maybe confusing ‘Deutsch’ (the German word for German) for Dutch (meaning from the Netherlands). They do have pancakes in Holland but they’re thick and dinner plate sized, and nothing like these texture-wise.
Wait! Hold the Gluten!
Do you want to make a gluten free version of this tasty recipe? You can make a gluten free pancake easily by subbing gluten free flour for the all-purpose flour. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour, but you will probably find success with other brands. The gluten free Dutch baby will taste the same as one made with conventional flour.
How to Make a Cocoa Dutch Baby
You can make these large or small. Either way they come out smaller than typical popovers. You will need cast iron pans though, since they need to be ovenproof.
The batter is flavoured with cinnamon and cocoa powder, then oven baked in the greased cast iron pans. This gluten free pancake (if you are making it gluten free) will puff up and be ready in about twenty minutes.
It rises up because it’s cooked in such a hot oven and puffs up like a popover. Be really careful with the cast iron pans, using oven mitts or oven gloves. Cast iron can get super-hot!
This Dutch baby pancake will start to deflate as soon as it comes out of the oven. Unlike with a soufflé, that is normal with this recipe. It will puff up and then flatten down again. This is best served as soon as it’s cooked, so make sure you have the fruit, yogurt or other toppings to hand when it’s done.
What to Serve with this Gluten Free Dutch Baby Pancake
You can pair this chocolate pancake recipe with anything you want. I made mine with caramelized bananas, cooking the bananas in a pan and adding some brown sugar to them. Then I added a spoonful of yogurt and it went so well.
You can use whipped cream instead of yogurt if you want, or even vanilla ice cream. Instead of the bananas, consider seasonal berries. Strawberries or raspberries would be nice with this gluten free Dutch baby. Drizzle some honey or maple syrup over the yogurt, ice cream or whipped cream, as a final touch. Yummy!
You can have the cocoa Dutch baby with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee, or any other drink you like. If you’re making it for breakfast or brunch, you could even mix things up by having some crispy bacon on the side! I really love this gluten free pancake and love experimenting with different fruits on there.
Because of the shape of the pan, the chocolate German pancake recipe curls up at the edges. That is what gives it such a distinctive look. It also makes it better to hold the filling.
You might also like Chocolate Sugar Cookies, Healthy Gluten Free Double Chocolate Blueberry Banana Muffins, Gluten Free Vegan Kaiserschmarrn with Bananas or Vegan Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins.
What’s With All the Ghee?
Ghee is basically clarified butter, which means the milk solids are removed from the butter. This makes it lactose free and also gives it a higher smoke point. You might be wondering why you need four tablespoons of it to make a cocoa Dutch baby recipe.
The reason is that most pancake recipes use butter in the batter, and this one doesn’t. However you still need to stop it sticking from the pan, so don’t skimp on the ghee. You can also use melted butter if you don’t have ghee or a lactose intolerance.
Gluten Free Cocoa Dutch Baby German Pancake Recipe
Gluten Free Cocoa Dutch Baby
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 Cup milk
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup gluten free flour I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1
- 1 Tsp. cream of tartar
- 1/2 Tsp. cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp. ghee
- 2 bananas
- 2 Tbsp. yogurt vanilla
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
Instructions
- First preheat the oven to 425 F and place two big or four smaller cast iron pans in it.
- In a big bowl beat two eggs, add milk and brown sugar and whisk until smooth.
- In another bowl gently stir gluten free flour with cocoa powder, cream of tartar, cinnamon and salt and then mix it into the egg mixture.
- Very carefully pull hot pans out of the oven and put one teaspoon of ghee to each. Then pour a half or a quarter of the batter (depends on how many pans and what size you use) to each and place them back to the oven as quickly as possible.
- Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until the edges of the pancake are very puffy.
- Meanwhile put the rest of ghee in preheated pan and place two bananas sliced lengthwise in it. Fry on each side until golden brown. You can add tablespoon of brown sugar to make them even more caramelized.
- Place baked dutch babies on the plate, put one tablespoon of white yogurt in the middle and caramelized banana on each and pour maple syrup over it.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Enjoy this gluten free Dutch baby for breakfast, brunch or for dessert. One thing is for sure about this chocolate German pancake recipe – it’s a dish you’ll want to make more than once!
Let me know if you make this chocolate German pancake recipe. It is a great option if you are looking for a gluten free pancake recipe or a chocolate pancake recipe.
If you are looking for another breakfast recipe, try out this Tiramisu French Toast Casserole Bake with Sweet Cream.
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for food, dogs, fitness, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
My love for pancakes is out of this world and this cocoa pancake looks great.
My family really enjoyed these for a weekend breakfast!
That looks soo yummy, this’ll surely make breakfast more exciting for the kids! And it’s healthy.
I’m addicted to pancakes. I will surely love this.
This recipe looks absolutely mouth-watering! I’m definitely going to try making it at some point soon.
It’s cute how it curls up. I think these sound good.
I’ve been meaning to try making a dutch baby! They look so pretty!
The recipe seems to be missing the amount of cocoa powder to add. Did I miss it somewhere?
all fixed 🙂 thanks for letting me know