| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 6 cups pancake mix, such as Krusteaz
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil, for pan
- 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
- Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 3 candy canes, crushed
- Mini meringue cookies, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla and 4 cups water. Whisk until just combined — a few small lumps left is just fine.
- Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to the pan and swirl to coat evenly. Add about 2 cups of batter to the pan to make the first pancake. Cook for 6 minutes on the first side, adjusting the heat as needed to cook gently without burning. When small bubbles start to burst on the surface, sprinkle over a few chocolate chips and slide the pancake onto a flat plate. Place the pan over the plate and flip the pancake back into the pan. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, then remove the pancake to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Continue with the remaining batter, going down by about 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup for each pancake. When the pancakes get small enough, feel free to simply flip with a spatula. You should end up with about 8 pancakes.
- Place the cream cheese, butter, sugar, peppermint extract, salt and milk in a large bowl. Beat with a handheld mixer on medium speed until fully combined and light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Set aside.
- Place the largest pancake on a flat cake stand. Spread some of the frosting over the top of the pancake, leaving a 1/3-inch border on the outside. Sprinkle with some of the crushed candy canes. Continue stacking the pancakes with the frosting and the candy canes, going down in size as you stack. Insert a long skewer through the center of the cake to hold the layers in place. Trim the skewer so that the top is flush with the top of the cake, and cover with more frosting. Decorate with mini meringue cookies on top if desired.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 728 |
| Total Fat | 33 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Carbohydrates | 100 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 34 g |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 63 mg |
| Sodium | 1365 mg |
Reviews
What a fun way to celebrate the holidays. The flavors came out great, but this is more of a cake dessert than it is a pancake breakfast. If you are able to, I highly suggest making peppermint meringue cookies the night before. This is a great show stopper and is best eaten the day it is made.
DO NOT MAKE THIS DESERT. Save yourself the embarrassment. Zero flavor in pancakes and awful texture. Giada’s usually spot on – but the test kitchen blew this one.