More Protein than a Pancake, More Substantial than a Crêpe—It's a Crêpecake!

Granted, I love crêpes—light, airy, eggy wisps filled with yummies and topped with yummies, but tricky to make well. And I love pancakes, too—who doesn't?—although pancakes do not love me (uggghhh—all that starch!). So what's a hungry foodie to do? Take the best of both worlds and you get, voila, a crêpecake. A freshly made light-fluffy-tender-moist cake—lighter and richer than a pancake, chock full of eggs like a crêpe. Crêpecakes. You'll never go back to plain pancakes again. And your family will get more protein and a better breakfast or brunch meal out of the deal. No need to serve eggs on the side, because crêpecake already have the egg base covered.

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup unbleached white flour
Dash salt
2 tablespoons raw sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons butter, melted,
Extra butter and non-stick spray (like Pam) for the frying pan

Optional: 1 cup whole, fresh blueberries or chopped strawberries to add at the last minute to the batter

Serve with little bowls of:

• Warmed maple syrup
• Melted butter

How to Make Crêpecakes

1. Here's the secret: use your mixer to whip up the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Set aside while you make the rest of the crêpecake batter.
2. Mix the egg yolks into the milk until well-blended.
3. Stir the dry ingredients together, and then stir in the egg yolk-milk mixture a little at a time. Stopping as soon as blended (it will be lumpy—don't fret!).
4. Stir in the melted butter s-l-o-w-l-y, so as not to over-work the batter.
5. Fold in the fluffy egg whites a little at a time.
6. If you are adding fruit, add it now.
7. Heat a nonstick frying pan on medium heat, testing to see if a drop of water dances on the surface. Add a small amount of butter, and spray the pan with nonstick spray.
8. Pour about a heaping tablespoon of batter for each crêpecake. Cook on one side until bubbly on top and toasted a bit on the sides (one to two minutes). Flip and finish cooking for 30 seconds to a minute. Crêpecakes should be light brown on each side.
9. Continue in this way, adding a small amount of butter and/or nonstick spray for each batch. Remove each batch to a covered Dutch oven kept in the oven on the lowest heat, until all are ready to serve.

· Drizzle with melted butter and maple syrup and enjoy the accolades.

· Crêpecakes freeze beautifully—just store in a plastic freezer bag and reheat in a microwave or toaster over for a quickie breakfast treat.