I was a tomboyish child. When I was around seven years old all I wanted to do was wear shorts and a tshirt and eschew any form of prettiness. I never looked in the mirror, nor combed my hair and cared not a jot what I looked like. Pink was ghastly and anything girly or feminine was considered rather stupid.
I’m not quite sure what happened but that turned around 180 degrees.
Now I call myself Emily Howard (the overtly feminine transvestite “lady” from Little Britain). If something is pink or shiny I will coo and want to possess it and even better if it has flowers, butterflies or hearts on it. Mr NQN doesn’t particularly like the excessive Emily Howardness of my taste and while shopping one day I tried on a pair of heart shaped glasses and Mr NQN laughed at me so hard that I refused to speak to him for about an hour until he bought me a sweetie. “I thought you were being silly and trying to be funny” he said confused.
My heart shaped measuring cups-a gift from lovely reader Maddie
No doubt he will be non-plussed by these pancakes that I will serve him up but even if your taste does run to the less feminine, I have to tell you that these fluffy pancakes are absolute must trys. You don’t have to make them into hearts-you could certainly just make one large batch of round raspberry and vanilla pancakes if you don’t want to bother with the extra detail. These are my favourite pancakes ever and if you happen to be staying over at our place I would make these for you in the morning.
The secret to them is that they are made even fluffier than normal adding an extra teaspoon of baking powder to the mix so that they rise proudly-almost like a crumpet or a donut. I adore how vanillaey the regular ones are and go rapturous over the light texture and I really liked the true raspberry flavour of the raspberry pancake. Unlike other pancake batters, you don’t really have to rest this and it is good to go as soon as it is all whisked in together. All I would do is serve these with a runny, sweet cherry jam and some whipped cream and if you feel so inclined to have a pre Valentine’s day breakfast this weekend this might be for you. But don’t just believe me, try these for yourself, after all you might not want to believe someone that has heart shaped glasses 
So tell me Dear Reader, were you a tomboy as a child? And what is your favourite colour now?
Raspberry & Vanilla Heart Shaped Pancakes
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
- 1 cup plain flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 1 1/3 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of frozen raspberries, thawed and mashed (will reduce down to less then 1/2 cup once thawed and mashed)
- a few drops of red food colouring (optional)
- Oil for frying and non stick spray
- You will also need a large round metal cutter and a heart shaped cutter
- Icing sugar and cherry or raspberry jam to serve and cream if you’re feeling indulgent!
1. In a bowl mix whisk the flour, baking powder and salt until combined. In a jug, measure the milk, vanilla and add the egg and whisk together. Made a well in the centre of the flour mixture and then slowly pour in the milk mixture whisking to avoid any lumps. This should make 2 cups of batter.
The batter shade without food colouring
2. Separate batter in two halves-I measured 1 cup back in the jug and left the remaining cup in the bowl. Into one of them, whisk in the raspberries and food colouring if using-without the food colouring the colour will be a purple shade.
First pour in the batter
When it is ready, the top will bubble and the batter will pull away slightly from the side of the cutter
Look how crumpetty it looks!
Testing for doneness by pressing down in the centre
3. Heat a frypan on medium to low heat and spray the inside of the cutter generously with non stick oil spray. Add oil in the frypan once hot and place the round cutter in the pan and pour in half of the plain white batter-you should get two fluffy, thick American style pancakes with this batter. Put the lid on and watch that it doesn’t burn. When bubbles appear, pick up the pancake, cutter and all and using an egg flip, turn it over and cook on other side. Test for doneness by pressing down gently in the centre-if it feels squishy like there is still raw batter there, keep cooking it. The centre should spring back to the touch.
4. Turn down the heat a touch lower and repeat the process for the raspberry flavoured pancakes but this time you’ll get three pancakes out of the mixture with the extra amount of raspberry in the batter. Take your pancakes and using the heart cutter, cut out a heart from the centre of each round and slot it in the centre of the other. Dust with icing sugar and serve with jam and cream!
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79 Comments | Add your own
What a lovely story! I was about the same at 7-8 but didn’t transformed to all pink and heart shapes yet…:) I love red, blue, yellow, green but just hate pink. I am ok with someone wearing it or admiring it, not me though. I am going to make those pancakes, sure thing. They are adorable and easy. And raspberry is our all time favorite jam. Great post!
These are adorable!! And I like really fluffy pancakes too
I was a girly girl as a kid and loved pink and playing with barbies… And even though i still love pink… my friends have said they think
I m a little too ‘tough’ and ‘independent’ to be so girly and like pink so much hahaha it’s like a bit of a contradiction hahaha
Such a great idea! There’s no waste either, when swapping the middles. They are really pretty. I suspect some cafes will see this and add it to their menu!
Cute! I really love this creation.
Cheers,
Rosa
Oh so sweet to look at and how sweet to eat too! They would certainly be the yummiest Valentines breakfast indeed.
I was a real tomboy when I was younger as well, loved climbing trees and hated wearing dresses- things have improved a bit since then
I think my favourite colours are the blue shades of purples and lovely soft gray.
how pretty are these!!
These are adorable–am sure Mr. NQN loved them. I am was a combo–a tree-climbing, fishing, animal-loving kid who also had a penchant for lace. Still do. But mostly ethnic and vintage capture my style and mental make-up.
I love these pancakes!
Aren’t they pretty!
I like the idea of adding an extra teaspoon of baking powder because I ADORE big fat fluffy pancakes. No namby pamby crepes for me! ( no offence to any crepes or crepe lovers out there!)
Haha I love this post! I’m quite a girly girl but this year I’ve decided to push pink aside and try to avoid it in my Valentine’s baking. Having said that, now I’ve seen these I might have to break that resolution…
Love those fluffy pancakes, brilliant. I was a tom boy as a kid and never liked dresses or pink. Now I’m not girly girl and still don’t like pink except in food and flowers. I do dress up for special occasions and of course like wearing a nice dress but generally, I’m a jeans and t-shirt or summery skirt and sandals kinda of lass. I love purple.
These are just too cute Lorraine! I would love to wake up to these on valentines day! Mr, are you reading this?! Love your use of the extra baking powder
How adorable are these! I will have to try them out, the raspberry ones look devine.
As a child I always wore pink and had pink everything. Needless to say I got over it quick and in my teens wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the colour. I have now found a happy medium where I am quite girly, but not over the top (well, I don’t think so anyway)
Oh so darling – thanks for sharing:)
Oh how cute!! I love the heart shaped measuring cups… Did you get them from sweet little birdy? So cute!!
I fought against my love of pink for a long time but finally gave up and embraced it. I am now demanding a pink cover for my iPad.
HI Val-They were a gift from Maddie, a reader and I’m not sure where she got them from but I love them!
They look amazing! Am definitely going to have to try them!
I was a tom boy, liked climbing trees and hated wearing dresses…while not much of a tom boy anymore, I am also not very girly-girly – blue is my favourite colour
Lol at you being nice when he bought you a sweetie
I was the same. I was that girl in high school wearing mens clothing so that it was all baggy and not girly. I adore girly things now! Love these pancakes – perfectly girly 
Thats so funny, I make pancakes with my daughters all the time and yesterday saw a receipe with baking powder tried it for the first time and they were fantastic I could believe how much they rose up.
Gorgeous Lorraine. So pretty. And so appropriate for the season. I was never into pink until I had a baby girl and I couldn’t get enough of it. Sadly, she hates pink and returns all the pink items I buy her like doona covers and cushions and pillows and lamps etc.
Too, too cute, I lurve pancakes especially the fluffy kind but have a problem with the baking powder after-taste, so I always avoid it when baking anything.
How does one combat this Lorraine? I also love your enthusiasm , nothing is ever too much trouble, you put in maximum effort and you encourage your readers as well.
I don’t have sisters so consequently never did any of those girly things or was influenced by certain trends. My best friend was and still is a very shy person ( contrary to moi, lol) and so I always acted kinda tough. My favourite colour was green but I’m not into any one colour in particular, if I like something I’ll buy it. Purple always gives me a thrill and confidence when wearing it.
My husband doesn’t cook so I could never expect these from him and he’s in such a rush in the mornings ( he only knows one speed and that’s fast lol ) that I would probably make these on a lazy Sunday morning.
OMG LORRAINE you have won my heart with these <3
I honestly think we were some sort of twin, separated?!!!
i was such a tomboy when i was a teen, i wanted black/punk hair and hated anything girly, esp GHASTLY PINK!!! But something happened on my way to becoming an adult, I started to love all things pink, and red oh and hearts, butterflies, unicorns….
I still love Goth stuff though, I mean, whats not to love about True Blood, right???
OH AND, My fascination with pink has now hit the roof, since I had a baby girl! Now it’s all Hello Kitty, and MORE!! heheheheh
Yes im the mum with the Hello Kitty Buggy liner
So adorable! And those measuring cups are so cute. I was a bit of a tomboy too when I was a child but time took care of that. Red is my favourite colour these days so fitting for v day.
Pretty in Pink! I have always been a pink and lilac girl.
Another easy recipe Lorraine! You always take the mystery out of making things that look complicated.
Raspberry and vanilla is a great combination! They look very fluffy and delicious!
Almost an overdose of pink and heart shapes in this post, almost, on the border:) I wasn’t a tomboy as a child, I was a boy, now I’ve become a man:)
I was a tomboy and used to scour the beach looking for dead bodies. My favourite colour is green and I have heart shaped su glasses in 8 colours, including 2 shades of pink and 3 shades of green. They are 5 euros at the markets in Italy.
I want your measure cups…!!!
I just came home from work, and I found my daughter at the kitchen making pacakes…!!!
So I called her to show your pictures, oh…I’m sad you couldn’t see her face, she was fascinated.
Those are so cute! And they sound amazing. I always whip the eggs whites then fold them into the batter to lighten them. Up until I was 6 or 7 I refused to wear pants or shorts. I would only wear skirts or dresses. Then I realized that skirts and dresses weren’t so good on the playground. Now my standard uniform is jeans and a tshirt, but I LOVE anything with bows or sparkles.
Lorraine in her Valentine Day’s mood
! These DO look gorgeous I have to admit! Have never seen any quite like them and must show them to heaps of friends/cooks who do make pancakes 
! I was definitely not allowed to be a tomboy as a child, but neither was I into ‘pretty-pretty’ and [sorry, Lorraine] pink simply never has been me. At the same time have always been very, very lively, sometimes too much so 
! As far as colours go: oh dear, oh dear – have to admit to black, white and beige t’out my life!!
Lorraine, you never cease to amaze me! These look really cute and adorable. Love the heart shaped measuring cups too!
yes i was a tomboy. my favorite colour is red, blue and purple. okay, i don’t have any favorite colours
I too was very much the tom boy growing up. I think I only did a 160, not a complete 180
The pancakes are such a gorgeous idea for Valentine’s Day breakfast and in one way I think that is a lot sweeter and caring than just going out for dinner. Starts the day with a smile
Heehee you were tomboy before but now girlie? I’m still tomboy! But I do love girlie stuff but I just don’t know how to make it girlie. I don’t dress girlie and I admire and dream of girlie thing but never becoming a girlie. This pancake looks yummy. Love crumpet so it’s my fav kind of texture. I should own at least one heart shape thing at home!
These are adorable! I just got back from overseas and went straight to the markets. First thing I bought was a punnet of raspberries. Maybe raspberry pancakes will be on tomorrow’s breakfast menu. Yum!
I was never a “pink” person as a kid. I wouldn’t call me a tomboy but I didn’t play with dolls. I climbed trees but I always needed help getting to the top.
These pancakes are really cute. I’ll have to try them and watch Mr. Orgasmic roll his eyes. That alone is worth the effort.
I love the reversal of red and white, it helps everything pop out! Definitely an inspiration for V-day! Thanks for the recipe!
These are cute, and while I agree with Mr NQN on the sunglasses I adore your heart-shaped measuring cups. Happy V day you two!
These are so cute Lorraine! I love that you have the heart shaped measuring cups too. Definitely fits in with the valentines day theme
These are gorgeous. I must admit I love when you share morsels of you and Mr NQN’s relationship, because you seem so close and loving … and so much of it revolves around food. And we all know how food is the language of love, and it all seems so fitting, really!
Yep, was definitely tomboyish as a kid, and am making up for it now with by being completely drawn to all things sequinned and sparkly!
Nice they look so yummy! I can’t wait to try these =)
I was a tom boy. I used to play with my brother in his room all the time with his matchbox cars etc. My favourite colour now is green.
Beyond adorable. Love these. Perfect for breakfast on Valentines Day. And for any day that you want to start with a smile.
gorgeous gorgeous post and sooooo romantic.
Does that mean you are inviting me to stay and offering breakfast? ;o)
I am a pink girl as well. Always have been always will be!
Ooh Lorraine, these are so adorable (if I don’t have pancakes on at least one day of my weekend, I feel deprived); definitely going to try this raspberry version in addition to my usual vanilla pancakes this weekend.
And I’m just like you; although I was uber girly as a small child (I used to have tea parties in the garden with my imaginary fairy friends), I went through a hideous tomboy phase in my charming (*ahem*) puberty years. Not sure when it happened to me either, but I think if I were any girlier now (I’m currently wearing a pink silk top, pink bow around my waist and pink Mulberry boots tied with a bow!) I’d give people diabetes if they got too close to me!
Briony xx
Always a girlie girl…but I did graduate from pink to red!
So it’s no surprise that I’m looking at these pancakes and thinking that yes, they’d be perfect for breakfast on Sunday morning! Yum.
How cute are these?! Again, your creativity amazes me, Lorraine!
Magda
Never was a girly girl and still haven’t changed.
Favorite colour is green.
Not really a pancake person but I would have eaten those. Even a tomboy cannot resist hearts!
I look ghastly in pink so have never liked it around me save in food… then skies the limit… pink is wonderful there. What a great idea to do a shape in a shape… the best of a child at play and tastes good too… perfect treat for your sweet heart on VD!
That’s such a good idea Lorraine! They look so cute
Too bad I won’t be in Melbourne for Valentines so I can’t make anything of my own…I will however, enjoy Valentines out somewhere in Beijing. 
How incredibly cute!!!
I was totally a girly girl when I was a child. For Halloween I would often dress up as a “pretty lady” because my mom would allow make up and nail polish! These pancakes look wonderful. I may have to indulge on the weekend.
Adorable. I was all about purple as a kid. Not pink, not blue, just somewhere safe in the middle.
I was always a girly girl adoring anything pink and sparkly from birth. I think these adorable pancakes would melt the heart of any tomboy.
Such a lovely idea! Thanks Lorraine for sharing. Pink is good. I used to have pink weeks, where every day I would wear something different… in pink! Such a cheerful colour.
making these for breakfast
i was just like you! i hated wearing dresses/skirts and thought pink was ugly o_O then it all changed in highschool, now i love pink and tend to opt for things in the shade of pink!
i was and am a total tomboy, and there was a time when i wore nothing but black. now, my favorite color is purple, but a nice fuchsia is high on the list as well.
love love love! I was a bit of a mix – I loved my beads as a child, but growing up with 2 brothers I was certainly a bit of a tomboy too. Yellow is my favourite colour. Sunshine
Heidi xo
These looks so gorgeous!!! You have the most amazing knack of making the cutest most unique foods that are both delicious and simple!! It is a gift!
I so much want to make these for Valentines day.
Yes, I two was a complete tomboy until probably high school. I don’t think I ever really made a complete change although for my daughter I tend to be a lot more girly now.
She is the pinkest little girl, all her doing
They look fantastic!
I was a definite tomboy as a kid & only really started liking more feminine clothing when I hit 30!
I was a tomboy too; I could beat all the boys at tetherball in elementary school:)
Such sweet, tasty pancakes! I would love to wake up to them:)
Oh, these are so deliciously CUTE! And raspberry and vanilla is such a yummy combo.
I was quite a girly-girl as a kid, though not many people believe it now because I’m such a grouch. But I’ve kept my love for pinks and reds.
So cute pancakes:) Have to try this one day:)
I would never have worn pink as a child or teenager for that matter. I worked very hard to avoid anything girlie until I finally gave in and accepted that the colour that suited me most wasn’t chic black but pink!! Cute and pastel or strong and candy. These are perfect for a valentine breakfast, in fact they may well be tomorrows breakfast. GG
Love these! I wasn’t expecting such loveliness from the title. I really like the way the hearts sit inside the pancakes. It’s so much more special that way!
I was a bit of a tomboyish too, growing up. No lovey-dovey pinks and sparkles. Detested it too much
LOve this pancakes — making em for V-day for sure
the raspberry pancakes look great and I can think of all sorts of cut outs that these might work with that might amuse sylvia – unfortunately I am still going through some pancake pre packaged mix that I bought for holidays
btw – did you buy the glasses? I got sylvia to try on some heart shaped glasses the other day and was disappointed she wasn’t interested – I am not into girlie but I do have a soft spot for cutesy at times
I can’t think of a better V-day breakfast than these lovely pancakes, my dear! I’d happily serve them to Mike if I get to eat some too, but I think I’ll print out the recipe and leave it in plain sight…and maybe he’ll get the hint, lol!
What a lovely story, Lorraine! i also was a Tomboyish girl just until I was 12.
What great & apart well-flacoured heart shaped pancakes: adorable too!
How beautiful! And I bet they taste great all so fluffy!
Very pretty. I was always a girly girl. Have never climbed a tree in my life!
Lorraine I had no idea we had so much in common! I only stopped being a tomboy quite recently and LOVE anything pink – after turning 30 all of a sudden I wanted shoes, dresses and jewelry, have no idea where it came from?! Pink pancakes look great, on tomorrow’s menu : )
Raspberry pancakes! Pretty.
I love the plain/pink contrast, will try this soon.. maybe for Pancake Day.
These look so cute. Great idea. I love pancakes, this is a fun way to jazz them up!
Hi Lorraine,
I found you through Maureen, wish it had been sooner. I wasn’t a tomboy, but I adore pink and heart shapes are my weakness. My daughter loves pancakes, I think she would go crazy for these. Hope you and the Mr. NQN had a Happy Valentine’s Day.
-Gina-
Such cute creations!!!
really love this Idea.
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