Ah Pikelets! What wonderful memories I have of Pikelets. There were many afternoons, when we would come home from school to find that Mum had made pikelets for afternoon tea. These days, I also make them for my kids after school too. Yesterday, my daughter texted my husband telling him that she had a great day because I had made pikelets. I wish all her days could be made great, simply with a batch of pikelets.
Many Americans exclaim “they’re just like pancakes!” when they first taste pikelets. And I have to agree. The only real difference is that they are slightly sweeter than pancakes: I can easily eat a pikelet without any toppings. Pikelets are always small – about the size of a Silver Dollar Pancake.
And we do not put maple syrup on them! If you want to do the Australian thing, you’ve got to resist the urge to pull out the maple syrup! Pancakes are usually served with jam or butter. Some people also put cream on top.
As a child, much to my delight, my mother used to make letters with the last of the batter. There would always be a “W” for Werona, and the first letter of my siblings names. We would wait patiently until Mum had made all the pikelets because we knew our special pikelets were coming! I do this for my own children now – even my preteens still love it when I make their letters. I remember, however, when my eldest was about 4 years old. He was going through a dinosaur stage and he wanted a stegosaurus instead of a letter. I gulped and said “Sure, love!” I managed to make a blob with a few bumps for a head, legs and spikes. It looked nothing like a stegosaurus but he beamed and thought it was the best pikelet ever! Thank goodness he was easy to please.
- 2 cups plain flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- cooking spray or butter, for greasing
- Heat a non-stick frying pan or electric skillet to a medium heat, and grease with butter or cooking spray.
- Sift the flour into a large bowl. Mix in the sugar and eggs then slowly add the milk, whisking until the ingredients form a smooth batter. You may not need all the milk. The batter needs to be thick, like a pancake, but pourable.
- Using a quarter cup measure, pour two circles of batter onto the greased, heated skillet.
- When bubbles begin to appear, flip and cook for another 1 minutes.
- Serve with butter or jam.
