I’ve been a little obsessed with Dutch Baby Pancakes lately. They’re just so easy and fun that they make the perfect weekend breakfast splurge. And I’m all about doing up breakfast big on the weekend. I’ve made one per week for the past few weeks and have experimented with add-ins and toppings each time, finally deciding that this Almond Dutch Baby with Ricotta and Jam is my favorite mix of simplicity and YUM.

Why are Dutch Babies so fun? Because anything that grows that big and that quickly in the oven is fun to watch, plus it makes a different goofy shape every time. Okay, maybe I’m just a geek, but I love it. 😝

Almond Dutch Baby with Ricotta and Jam

What is a Dutch Baby Pancake?

Think of a Dutch Baby like a cross between a popover and a crepe. It’s essentially a giant skillet pancake made with a thin, eggy batter that puffs up with steam as it bakes. Once it’s removed from the oven it does deflate, but its unique shape, which is different every single time, remains. The baked pancake is light, more eggy, and less cake-like than traditional American pancakes. You can top your Dutch Baby with fruit, jam, syrup, honey, powdered sugar, nuts, or whatever you like!

Do I Have to Use a Cast Iron Skillet?

I’ll be honest, I haven’t tried making a Dutch Baby without a cast iron skillet simply because I know that nothing else gets quite as hot or transmits heat quite as well as cast iron, so I don’t want to chance it. The key to a big fluffy Dutch Baby is that sudden burst of heat when the batter hits the hot skillet and that is definitely best achieved with cast iron. So it might work with a different material, but it probably won’t work quite as well. If you do decide to stray from cast iron, make sure to preheat it with your oven to get it as hot as possible, and use something round, about 9 to 10-inches in diameter.

Step by Step Photos

Make the batter for the Dutch baby first, so it has time to come up to room temperature. You’ll get better puffing that way. In a blender combine 3 large eggs, 2/3 cup milk, 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp almond extract, and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. Blend until completely smooth, then set it aside.

Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in your oven and begin preheating to 425ºF. Once the oven reaches 425, let the skillet continue to heat for about 10 minutes. You want the skillet to be SCREAMING hot. Once preheated, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and add 2 Tbsp butter. Swirl the butter in the skillet, then return it to the oven for 1 minute. After one minute the butter should be beginning to brown, so carefully remove the skillet from the oven again.

Make sure the browned butter is spread over the entire surface of the skillet, and up the sides (I used a silicone brush). Pour the prepared batter into the hot skillet, then sprinkle 2 Tbsp sliced almonds over top. Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

While the Almond Dutch Baby is baking, combine 1/2 cup ricotta with 1/2 Tbsp sugar.

After 20 minutes the almond Dutch baby should be puffed up really high all around the edges, golden brown, and puffed in the center as well. Remove the Dutch baby from the oven. The pancake will immediately begin to deflate, but don’t worry, that’s normal.

You can add the sweetened ricotta directly to the whole Dutch baby for presentation, or slice it into four and add the ricotta and jam to each piece. Half of the fun of a Dutch baby is the presentation, so I prefer to add the ricotta and jam, then slice. :)

So much fun! And I promise, once you make one, you won’t be able to stop experimenting with flavors. You can even go savory! 

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