Nutella Pancakes with Mascarpone Cream

These Nutella pancakes with mascarpone cream are a weekend brunch dream! Serve with your favourite fresh fruit and chopped nuts.

At my house, pancakes have always been a special breakfast reserved for weekend brunch.

This is largely because none of us have the time (or patience) to make a cooked breakfast during the week!

But also, weekday breakfast items are usually something healthy that can hold us up until lunchtime.

Whereas weekend brunch, on the other hand, is for fun delicious recipes that we look forward to all week. Like this yummy Nutella pancake recipe with decadent mascarpone cream.

These Nutella pancakes aren't your typical fluffy pancakes. The hazelnut spread makes the batter a bit more dense, so the texture ends up being more like a thick crepe. But oh my goodness, they're so tasty!!!

For me, the mascarpone cream is what makes this recipe extra yummy. The cheese adds just a bit of acidity that cuts through the sweetness of the chocolate hazelnut spread.

If you don't like the idea of the mascarpone cream, you could simply eat the Nutella pancakes with maple syrup and/or butter instead.

I topped my pancakes with toasted hazelnuts (for crunch) and slices of ripe banana, but you can definitely make substitutions for those toppings. For example, toasted almonds and slices of strawberries would probably be a delicious alternative.

Nutella Pancakes Ingredients

• Nutella, of course, works best in this recipe. However, you can also use Kraft's Chocolate Hazelnut spread.
• Mascarpone cheese is not the same as cream cheese. It has a slightly sweet flavour, with less tang than cream cheese.
• I have not tested this recipe with a substitute for mascarpone cheese, but if you can't find it you can try this mascarpone cheese substitution instead.
• The toasted hazelnuts can be substituted for any nut, or omitted completely.
• The bananas are also optional. Substitute your favourite fresh fruit or omit entirely.
• I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour or non-dairy milk.

Making the mascarpone cream is super simple. All you have to do is mix the cheese, hazelnut spread, and a bit of milk together until it's well incorporated.

I usually use a hand mixer for this because it's fast. If you don't have one, you can use a whisk or a wooden spoon. Just know that the cheese will be a bit stiff at first, but the mixture should loosen up a bit as you go.

When your cream is mixed, put it in the fridge until you've cooked your pancakes and are ready to eat.

When spread on warm pancakes, the cream melts down a bit, so there's no need to warm up the cream. Use it straight out of the fridge.

Do not try to microwave the cream, as it will melt and ruin the texture completely.

I usually have some of the cream leftover when I'm done with my breakfast, so I keep it in the fridge to enjoy with the remaining pancakes the next day.

The only tip for making the pancake batter is to make sure to whisk the Nutella in thoroughly. You don't want to have any lumps of chocolate hazelnut spread.

Use a large bowl so you have lots of room to whisk, without having to worry about batter spilling everywhere.

Once the batter is ready, you're ready to start cooking the pancakes.

These pancakes cook best in a non-stick skillet on a non-stick griddle.

The sugar in the Nutella can cause these pancakes to burn quite easily! Be careful not to have your heat too high, and keep an eye on the pancakes while they're cooking.

When the pancake has bubbles on the surface that's how you know it's time to flip it over. The second side usually only takes about a minute more to cook.

Both sides of the pancake should be a light golden brown colour when fully cooked.

I like to stack my cooked pancakes on a plate while I'm making the rest of the batter. If you find your pancakes are sticking together, you can put pieces of parchment paper in between each layer.

I recommend topping these pancakes at the last minute for the best flavour and texture.

I like to take a couple of spoonfuls of the cream and spread it over the warm (not hot) pancakes, then I add my banana slices and crushed toasted almonds.

If you're serving this to guests at brunch, I'd recommend putting the cream and crushed nuts into bowls with spoons and letting your guests build their own pancakes. That way, everyone can have as much or as little toppings as they like.

That's everything you need to know to make this delicious Nutella pancake recipe! If you make these, I'd love to know how they turn out! Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Cooking!

Nutella Pancakes with Mascarpone Cream

These Nutella pancakes with mascarpone cream are a weekend brunch dream! Serve with your favourite fresh fruit and chopped nuts.

5 from 8 votes

Created By: Shareba

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PREPARATION TIME 15 mins

COOK TIME 30 mins

TOTAL TIME 45 mins

COURSE Breakfast

CUISINE American

SERVINGS 14 pancakes

CALORIES 287

Equipment

• Large Bowl
• Medium Bowl
• Whisk
• Large Skillet
• Silicone Spatula

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

For the Mascarpone Cream:

• ½ cup mascarpone cheese
• ¼ cup Nutella, or Kraft chocolate hazelnut spread
• 2 tablespoon 2% milk

For the Crushed Hazelnuts:

• ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted

For the Pancakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup salted butter, melted
• ½ cup Nutella, or other chocolate hazelnut spread

For Serving:

• 2 bananas, sliced into rounds

Instructions 

To Make the Mascarpone Cream:

• Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl and blend with a hand mixer until everything is well combined, and the mixture forms soft peaks.
• Set in the fridge until ready to serve.

To Crush the Hazelnuts:

• Add the toasted nuts to a zip-top bag, and smash (carefully!) with a rolling pin. OR add to a nut/spice grinder and blitz until you reached your desired texture.

To Make the Pancakes:

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
• In another bowl, add the milk, eggs, and melted butter, and whisk until blended.
• Gradually add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk to combine.
• Add the Nutella and whisk until well incorporated. The batter should be uniformly brown now.
• Use a little butter or cooking spray to grease a non-stick skillet or griddle, and place over medium heat.
• Use a ladle to pour a scoop of batter into the pan.
• Cook until you see bubbles breaking on the surface of the pancake and the edges are firm enough to lift.
• Use a spatula to flip the pancake over, and cook for another minute or so. The pancake should be a light golden brown colour on both sides.
• Place the cooked pancake on a plate and repeat the process with the remaining batter. If your skillet starts to look dry, you can add more butter or cooking spray as needed.

To Serve:

• Spread a few spoonfuls of the mascarpone cream on the pancake, then top with the sliced bananas and sprinkle with the ground toasted hazelnuts.

Notes

If you want to prevent the pancakes from sticking to each other as you're cooking, put a piece of parchment paper in between each pancake.

This recipe works best with Nutella or Kraft Chocolate Hazelnut spread. 

Serve with any fresh fruit and/or nuts that you prefer. Toasted almonds and sliced fresh strawberries would be a great alternative to the hazelnuts and bananas. 

Always use a silicone spatula or pancake turner when cooking in a non-stick pan. Metal utensils can damage the non-stick coating. 

How to store leftovers:
These pancakes can stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few days, or in the freezer for a month. 

Please read the blog post for detailed tips and explanations.

Nutella Pancakes with Mascarpone Cream

Nutrition Facts

Amount per Serving

Calories

287

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

16

g

25

%

Saturated Fat

 

10

g

63

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Cholesterol

 

43

mg

14

%

Sodium

 

150

mg

7

%

Potassium

 

292

mg

8

%

Carbohydrates

 

30

g

10

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

13

g

14

%

Protein

 

6

g

12

%

Vitamin A

 

297

IU

6

%

Vitamin C

 

2

mg

2

%

Calcium

 

110

mg

11

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* The % Daily Values are based on general nutrition advice for a 2000 calorie diet.

Please note that these nutritional values are only estimates and have been generated from a database using generic products.

Have you made this recipe?Please leave a review in the comments below!