Gordon Ramsay’s secret to 'light and fluffy' American-style pancakes

With less than two weeks till Shrove Tuesday, there’s no better time to perfect your pancake-baking skills ahead of the big day.

The annual event, which takes place on February 13, is celebrated before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent is the period leading up to Easter, where Christians give up luxuries as they remember when Jesus went into the desert for 40-days to fast and pray, explains National Geographic.

Pancake Day dates back as far as the 15th century, but many opt for the thick American-style variety instead. Fortunately, TV chef Gordon Ramsay has shared his "light, fluffy and absolutely delicious" recipe, so you can make the dessert at home.

Speaking on The F Word, the hot-headed cook said: "Pancakes, why do we only eat them in February, once a year on Shrove Tuesday?" He then walked through his mouth-watering recipe, which can be found below.

Ingredients

• 150g four
• One tsp baking powder
• Three eggs
• 75ml water
• 120ml buttermilk
• Two bananas (sliced diagonally)
• Sunflower oil
• 50g sugar
• Butter
• Rum (optional)
• Salt

Method

• To start making this luscious treat, simply sift the flour into a bowl and add the baking powder, which keeps the pancake "light and fluffy". Then add a sprinkle of salt.
• Crack three eggs into a separate bowl and stir using a fork. Then pour into the flour and whisk until fully combined. Gordon explained: "The secret behind this pancake mix is to make sure that we have got no lumps anywhere."
• Then pour the water and buttermilk into a jug. Add half of this into the bowl and give it a "really good" whisk until the batter is smooth. Then pour in the rest of the buttermilk and continue whisking.
• In a non-stick pan, drizzle the sunflower oil and pour in half a ladle of the batter. Cook for one minute and 30-seconds on each side. Once ready, serve on a plate.
• It’s now time to prepare the toppings, by making the caramel sauce. In the saucepan, add the sugar until it starts to brown. Take off the heat, add a slab of butter, and return to the heat.
• Once the butter has melted, caramelise the sliced bananas in the sauce. Then glaze the pan in rum, which pairs "brilliantly" with the yellow fruit. Add a small glass of water to reduce the caramel and ensure it is not too sticky.
• Serve on top of the pancakes, and match with a scoop of ice cream.

The Youtube video has racked up more than 60,000 views, and subscribers flocked to the comments to share their thoughts on the sweet treat. One user gushed: "Soo just made this and turned out sooo damn good!!!! Great recipe!!!"

Another penned: "I love Gordon so much! That ending was great!!! While a third added: “Nice recipe chef."