Impress Mom With Fancy Brunch Pancakes — Just Add 2 Ingredients To Your Batter

What better way to show the mothers in your life how much you love them than with a delicious, show-stopping breakfast of pancakes? Whether you make homemade pancakes or prefer store-bought pancake mixes, you only need two extra ingredients for an impressive Mother's Day breakfast: ricotta cheese and lemon zest. These ingredients give any pancake a rich, bright-tasting upgrade which surely makes any Mother's Day brunch all the more special.

Ricotta and lemon zest easily enhance classic pancakes because of their texture and flavor. Ricotta is a lush, perfectly spoonable cheese with a consistency similar to Greek yogurt and a mild, slightly sweet taste. Ricotta-infused pancakes are generally more substantial and creamier than traditional pancakes made with only regular milk. Meanwhile, lemon zest is bright, refreshing, and balances the rich addition of ricotta.

Fortunately, you can incorporate both ingredients without having to dismantle your favorite pancake recipe. All you need to do is whisk a few generous spoonfuls of ricotta and your preferred amount of lemon zest into your pancake batter before cooking. Before you know it, your mom will be sitting down to a stack of these tart, creamy, custard-like pancakes for an extra-special breakfast.

To further enhance the soft texture of these luscious pancakes, separate the yolks and whites of your eggs during preparation. Add the yolks to your batter as is, but whip the egg whites in a separate bowl until fluffy and peaked, then fold them into your batter. By including both ricotta and whipped egg whites, you're left with lighter, soufflé-like hot cakes. Better yet, use whole milk ricotta instead of part-skim for ultra-tender results. The extra fat in whole milk ricotta gives these special pancakes a soft texture more similar to Dutch babies than conventional pancakes.

You can also upgrade both homemade and boxed pancakes with vanilla extract and a small amount of lemon juice for a boost of extra flavor. You can even add one or two bonus ingredients, such as fresh blueberries or white chocolate chips. Just keep in mind that the right way to add mix-ins to pancakes is by folding the inclusions directly into your batter before cooking. Lastly, when you're ready to serve these delightful pancakes on Mother's Day, make sure to add one or two worthwhile toppings, such as lemon curd or macerated berries.