I was trying to think of a nice Easter breakfast alternative to chocolate and these Lemon Drizzle Waffles came into my mind.
I don’t know about you, but my Easter Sunday morning usually consists of whacking a Cadbury’s Easter egg off a hard surface, then tucking into the broken (delicious) shards. But no! I’m going to try and make something a tad more grown up for a change.
A breakfast treat I have not very often are waffles. I’ve loved waffles ever since I was in America in the late 1970’s, visiting Aunty Mary and Uncle Bill. I saw round toaster ones advertised on the box and had to have them (probably demanding them like any petulant 4 year old would).
You couldn’t get the round ones near where my Aunt and Uncle stayed, but Uncle Bill actually took scissors to square ones and cut them into circles I am reliably informed. How spoilt was I?!
Anyway, I thought that lemon drizzle ones sounded uber-extravagant and delicious and for some reason quite Eastery (ignore this is bit if you are reading this post nowhere near Easter!).
To make them (you need a waffle iron) I added lemon zest to the waffle batter and made a zingy lemon syrup to drizzle over them (instead of the classic maple). Lastly I poured some fresh cream over the top and wham! These Lemon Drizzle Waffles were born. Here’s how I whipped them up…
Yield: Stacks of Waffles!
Lemon Syrup Ingredients:125ml fresh lemon juice (About 4 lemons)125 grams granulated sugar
Waffle Ingredients:175 grams plain flour2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon bicarbonate of sodaPinch of saltZest of 1 lemon400 ml milk (any type)56 grams unsalted butter, melted3 eggs, separated2 tablespoons granulated sugarPlus:Butter and fresh cream to drizzle
Syrup Method:Place the lemon juice and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heat proof jar. The syrup will thicken as it cools.
Waffle Method:Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt together in a large bowl. Grate in the lemon zest.
In a saucepan melt the butter then let it cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and milk together. Slowly whisk in the cooled butter. Add this wet mix to the dry ingredients and blend just until combined. Don’t over mix. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside for 15 minutes.
Preheat your waffle iron, coating with a non-stick spray.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy then continue to beat slowly adding the two tablespoons of sugar until stiff peaks are formed.
After the 15 minutes, fold the egg whites into the batter fully so no white streaks of egg are seen. Then spoon a couple of heaped dessert-spoonfuls of the batter into the waffle iron. Cook according to your waffle iron’s instructions.
Place the cooked waffles on a warmed plate, with a small knob of butter on top. Add each freshly cooked waffle on top so the butter melts.
When all your waffles have been cooked, serve them up on a plate, drizzled with the syrup and then the cream on top.
These really are decadent, but oh so worth it! In fact, if you don’t have a waffle iron, they are worth buying one for. Either that or substitute pancakes with lemon zest in the batter.
But these are sweet, tangy and refreshing all at the same time. And perfect for starting off your day…Enjoy!
