Birthday Breakfast for the Birthday Girl - Happy Birthday Zanita!

I’m not sure if you are all aware, but today is in fact Zanita’s birthday! I wanted to celebrate this special day with her through a very special recipe that’s full of happiness and festive energy. At first, I thought a cake would be the best solution seeing that it is her birthday, but then I thought that is just too normal for someone so special. So I turned to my trusty pancake recipe and topped them with homemade sweet and tangy syrup. Absolute perfection and the perfect birthday breakfast!

Before I go on to the actual recipe, I’d just like to say that this post wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the talented and generous Zanita. I have applied everything that she has taught me over the past few months into one post. One of the first things she taught me was to have confidence in yourself and to say what you feel. Then, she taught me how to edit photos correctly, which I apply to my everyday life because I’m constantly editing photos. She also taught me how easy it is to make GIFs along with the skills one needs to be a successful blogger.

My ability to be a part of the Zanita Studio team has been so unbelievable and changed my life so much. I’ve been able to live two blog experiences at once. The Zanita Studio blog is so big and successful in comparison to my own so it is great to be able to see the potential that lies ahead and the hard work I need to put in to get there. I can also see and learn how a blog is managed from the other side. I’ve been able to explore the world of healthy cooking and eating too. I now put much thought into the ingredients I use that go into my body. Also, she’s allowed me to travel the world without me ever having to step foot outside the borders of my country. I’ve been encouraged to take fashion more seriously and have become familiar with quite a lot of top fashion brands, supermodels, and trends.

Thank you, thank you, and thanks again Zanita. Hope you have a great day and hope to meet you in real life soon.

The Birthday Breakfast: Plum Pancakes

Ingredients:

Plum Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• 5 plums, cut up
• ½ cup castor sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Pancakes:

• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• pinch of salt

Extras:

• 2 plums
• fresh mint to garnish

Method:

Plum Syrup:

Place all of your sauce ingredients into a saucepan over a medium to high heat. Mix together and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes. By that time the plums will have softened and the syrup will have thickened.

Remove from the heat and strain into a bowl through a sieve. Once completely strained, place back into the saucepan over the heat for 5 minutes. By that time, the sauce will have thickened. Remove from the heat and place into a jar or saucer.

Pancakes:

Combine all of your pancake ingredients in a bowl. Mix well until a thin smooth batter forms.

Place a frying pan over a medium heat with a little butter and oil. Leave until the pan is hot.

Pour about ¼ cup of the batter into the pan. Move the pan around so that the batter spreads thinly across the surface of the pan. Pour any excess batter back into the other batter. Leave to cook for a minute and then flip over. Cook for another 30 seconds. Carry on until all of the batter is used up.

Assembly:

Stack your pancakes on a plate. Top it with some chopped plums, pour the sauce over the stack, and garnish with mint leaves. Serve.

Happy cooking!
–Ben
Instagram @benorkin + Blog + Pinterest
Snapchat: @benorks

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