If you like to make something quick and easy for your weekend family breakfast, this cranberry orange Dutch baby pancake recipe is for you! It requires a handful of ingredients and even less equipment: just your skillet and blender! This pancake is nothing like the all-American pancake due to its higher liquid to flour ratio which gives a light texture. The addition of cranberries and orange will not only give a festive look, but also a delicious zing at every bite! Despite being called a “Dutch” baby pancake, it does not originate from Netherlands, but from Germany where “Deutsch” (meaning German in German) was transformed into “Dutch” and was created in a German town in the United-States.
Ingredients you need to make this recipe:
HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY ORANGE DUTCH BABY
Preheat oven to 425°F. Transfer the cast iron or oven safe 9- or 10-inch skillet in the oven while it is preheating. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine all ingredients except cranberries and butter. Pulse until all combined and mixed. PRO TIP: To help the pancake rise, your ingredients, such as the eggs and milk need to be at room temperature. Additionally, once the batter is combined, let it rest for 10 minutes. (It can rest while the oven is preheating).
Once the oven is done preheating, remove skillet. Add butter and twirl the skillet around to ensure it is all coated with butter, including the sides. PRO TIP: By doing so, you will avoid the pancake from sticking to the skillet, especially when it rises along the sides.
Add cranberries and batter in the skillet. Transfer back into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. PRO TIP: If your cranberries got pushed to the side while adding the batter, you can rearrange them before transferring the skillet back to the oven.
Serve warm. Dust with powdered sugar and drizzle some maple syrup.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why did my Dutch baby not rise properly?
There are two main reasons why your Dutch baby did not rise along the edge of the skillet:
- Your skillet was not hot enough: The Dutch baby needs to bake at a temperature of 425°F. The traditional way of baking a Dutch baby is with a cast iron skillet. However, you can use an oven safe metal skillet as it conducts heat faster and therefore, will help your pancake rise better. If you are using a cast iron skillet, I do recommend to preheat it for 15-20 minutes before proceeding with the remaining steps.
- Your flour/liquid ratio: Another important step in making this pancake batter is your flour and liquid ratio. Unlike the regular American pancakes, this batter needs to be more liquid in order for the pancake to rise properly. Indeed, your flour to liquid ratio needs to be 1:2 in weight, as in this recipe, which is 60 g of all-purpose flour to 120 ml of liquid (milk + orange juice). If you are using measuring cups, then it would be a 1:1 ratio (½ cup of flour to ½ cup of liquid).
That being said, bear in mind that it is expected for your Dutch baby to not rise sky high because of the weight of the cranberries. When adding fresh fruits in the batter, the weight prevents the batter from lifting all the way up. However, you should expect some rising along the sides. Furthermore, once your Dutch baby has cooled down, it will deflate a little.
Can I make the batter ahead of time?
Just like a pancake batter, the Dutch baby batter can be made the night before. All you need is to do is to cover your batter and refrigerate. Once you are ready to bake, you can bring it to room temperature and whisk briefly to ensure all the ingredients are combined before transferring into the skillet.
If you enjoyed this recipe, try out my other breakfast and brunch recipes!
Puff Pastry Lobster Eggs Benedict
If you’ve tried this Cranberry Orange Dutch Baby recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can let me know how it went by commenting in the comments section below and don’t forget to leave a rating!
Equipment
- Blender
- 9- or 10-inch metal or cast iron skillet
- Zester
Ingredients
- ¾ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- ¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice
- ½ cup (60g) All-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
- Zest of an orange
- Pinch of salt
- To garnish: Powdered Sugar and/or maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Transfer the 9- or 10-inch cast iron or oven safe skillet in the oven while it is preheating.
- Meanwhile, in a blender, combine all ingredients except cranberries and butter. Pulse until all combined and mixed.
- Once the oven is done preheating, remove skillet, add butter and twirl it around to ensure it is all coated with butter.
- Add cranberries in the skillet and batter. Transfer back into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Serve warm. Dust with powdered sugar and/or drizzle some maple syrup.
