By Liam Sean Donovan turned one on Friday, March 29th, 2019. He is the same age now that I was when I learned to walk, which is an obvious statement but one that has been occupying me: we came from the same place, he and I. The same furniture in the same rooms, the same hands. The parallel is not lost on me.
The party was at my parents' house on Saturday. Both families, Meghan and Cormac—Meghan two weeks from her due date and still there, because of course she was—our neighbors from the building, Sean's friend Paul who has a daughter six months younger than Liam and who they now regard each other with the wary assessment of contemporaries. We put Liam in front of his birthday cake—the chocolate one, properly frosted this time with vanilla buttercream—and he looked at it for ten seconds and then put both hands directly into the frosting and then looked at us like we might object. We did not object. We sang. He tore the frosting in handfuls.
Sean's father gave a toast. Not long—Sean Sr. is not a long-toast man—but it landed. He said "Liam, you come from good people" and stopped there. That was it. Both grandmothers cried. Sean looked at his shoes. I did not cry at the time and then cried in the kitchen five minutes later while getting more napkins.
One year. He walked and talked and knew his name and could identify twelve animals and had eaten butternut squash and hated peas and loved his father's pancakes and stolen a wooden spoon and laughed at the ceiling fan and looked at Christmas lights with his whole face open. One year. It was enough for a whole life. And also just the beginning.
The birthday cake was his — every smeared handful of it — but the morning after, when the grandparents had gone home and the living room still smelled faintly of frosting, Sean made pancakes. Liam stood at his knees and watched the pan like it owed him something. That image stayed with me, and when I wanted to make something that felt like that weekend — like chocolate and celebration and the particular joy of a one-year-old who has no idea what a fuss is being made over him — this was the recipe I came back to. A German pancake, oven-puffed and dramatic, with chocolate and cherry and browned butter, which felt exactly right for a boy who put both hands into his birthday cake and looked at us like we might object.
Chocolate-Cherry Browned Butter German Pancake
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh or frozen pitted dark cherries (thawed and drained if frozen)
- 2 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped or shaved
- Powdered sugar, for serving
- Whipped cream, optional for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Place a 10-inch oven-safe skillet (cast iron works best) in the oven and preheat to 425°F. Let the skillet heat for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the batter.
- Brown the butter. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add the butter and swirl or use a brush to coat the sides. Return the skillet to the oven for 2–3 minutes, watching closely, until the butter is melted, foamy, and golden brown with a nutty aroma. Do not let it burn.
- Make the batter. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Blend on high for 30 seconds until completely smooth and slightly frothy.
- Pour and bake. Remove the skillet from the oven again. Carefully pour the batter directly into the hot browned butter — it will sizzle. Scatter the cherries evenly over the top. Return immediately to the oven and bake for 18–20 minutes, until the pancake is dramatically puffed at the edges and set in the center.
- Finish and serve. Remove from oven — it will begin to deflate within a minute or two, which is normal. Scatter the chopped dark chocolate over the top so it begins to melt slightly from the residual heat. Dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve straight from the skillet with whipped cream if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 195mg