These sweet little Dutch baby Suzette pancakes are a delicious cross of a traditional crepes Suzette and curd filled Dutch baby pancakes. Instead of a Suzette sauce, I translated those flavors into a rich orange curd that’s similar to my lemon recipe. It makes the perfect filling for a few mini Dutch babies!

three small cast iron skillets each holding a puffy Dutch pancake, filled with orange curd and garnished with mint leaves and powdered sugar. this recipe

I originally wanted to make crepes Suzette, and also develop my own Dutch baby pancake recipe. But we’re moving to the new house in a few weeks. (Happy Mother’s day to me!) And I just didn’t have the energy to do both.

The great orange curd caper

I’m still a little disappointed with how I had to go about getting the orange curd to taste as good and “orangey” as it does. But I can promise you, I didn’t take the easy way out! I tested this curd no less than 6 times. Each time, I tried to pack as much natural orange flavor into it as possible. Extra orange juice, extra zest, less egg yolk, more lemon juice, no lemon juice and more sugar, etc. I even reduced the orange juice by more than half to try and concentrate it.

Nothing was giving me that fresh zip I wanted to come alive in the curd. I wanted it to be like biting into an orange slice, but it just wasn’t translating. Finally, I tried orange emulsion for one batch and orange extract for another, which got me several steps closer, but still not quite there.

You know what did it? TANG. That orangey powder from the Kool-Aid aisle. Again, I’m not all that proud of this. But I tried everything to get this flavor naturally. The recipe only uses a tablespoon of it, compared to the 3 tablespoons of Grand Marnier and whole 1/2 cup of fresh orange juice. The Tang just boosts up the orange enough without tasting fake, which was a huge concern for me.

However, in the interest of some of you purists that might be reading this, I included the measurement of orange extract I used in the notes of the recipe card. You don’t change anything else about the recipe, just substitute the extract for the Tang.

three small cast iron skillets each holding a puffy Dutch pancake, filled with orange curd and garnished with mint leaves and powdered sugar.

Pancakes

You can use the mini skillets like I did, or pour all of the batter into one 10 inch skillet. No matter what, the curd will fill them and taste magnificent.

Use a blender to whip up the batter. It saves time and makes a smooth, lump free batter. After blending, make sure to let the batter rest for a good 25-30 minutes so that the flour can properly absorb the liquid. This gives you the most tender, fluffy pancake.

It also gives your oven and skillet(s) time to fully preheat! Win win. If you’re using minis like I did, set them on a baking sheet to make loading and unloading them from the oven easier on you.

These Dutch baby suzette pancakes are perfect for Mother’s day brunch.

three small cast iron skillets each holding a puffy Dutch pancake, filled with orange curd and garnished with mint leaves and powdered sugar.

More Mother’s Day Recipes

Sheet Pan Breakfast Pizza

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Fried Cinnamon French Toast
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three small cast iron skillets each holding a puffy Dutch pancake, filled with orange curd and garnished with mint leaves and powdered sugar.

Dutch Baby Suzette Minis

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  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 3 filled pancakes 1x
  • Category: Brunch, Sweet
  • Method: Oven, Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

These adorable little Dutch baby Suzette pancakes are puffed and deliciously golden and filled with a rich orange curd.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the orange curd:

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 TB orange zest (from 2 oranges)
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 oranges)
  • 1 TB Tang drink powder
  • 3 TB Grand Marnier orange liqueur
  • 1 TB lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 4 TB unsalted butter, cold and cubed

For the pancakes:

  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup 2% or whole milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 TB granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 TB unsalted butter, divided

Instructions

To make the orange curd:

  1. Combine the egg yolks, zest, orange juice, Tang, Grand Marnier and lemon juice in a saucepan or saucier and whisk well to combine. Set the saucepan over medium low heat and continue whisking constantly until the curd has thickened and begins to bubble, 7-8 minutes.
  2. Once the curd bubbles, continue whisking for another 2 minutes, being sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the saucepan as you go. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the cold butter. Pass the curd through a fine mesh sieve to strain out the orange zest and any stray egg white.
  3. Add the strained curd to a small bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming as it cools. Store the curd in the fridge until you need it.

To make the pancakes and serve:

  1. Set the oven temperature to 425 degrees and place your 6 inch mini skillets on a large baking sheet. Load the sheet of skillets into the oven (if you’re using a 10 inch skillet, just set it in the oven on its own) and allow it to preheat with the oven.
  2. While the oven and skillets are heating up, make the batter. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon into a blender canister and attach the lid. Blend the batter for 10 seconds, scrape down the inside of the canister and blend for another 10 seconds.Β 
  3. After blending the second time, allow the batter to stand in the blender for 25 minutes. This gives the flour time to absorb the moisture.Β 
  4. After 25 minutes, the oven and skillets should be preheated. Carefully remove them from the oven and set the baking sheet (or full size skillet) on the stovetop. If using mini skillets, add a 1/2 TB of butter to each of the three skillets and allow it to sizzle and melt completely. If you’re using a large skillet, add the entire 1 1/2 TB of butter and allow to melt.Β 
  5. Divide the batter among the three skillets, each one should get about 2/3 cup plus a few teaspoons. I add 2/3 cup to each skillet, and then top off each one equally with the remaining batter in the blender.Β 
  6. Load the skillets back into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven off and allow the pancakes to rest in the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove the skillets from the oven and let them rest for 20-30 minutes to settle.
  7. Fill the pancakes with orange curd as desired and garnish with powdered sugar and fresh orange slices. These pancakes don’t keep well under refrigeration, so only make what you’ll need for the moment. However, the orange curd can be made up to 3 days in advance and any leftover curd can be stored for a few weeks in the fridge.

Equipment

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 filled pancake
  • Calories: 662
  • Sugar: 24.8 g
  • Sodium: 332.2 mg
  • Fat: 34.2 g
  • Saturated Fat: 17.5 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 55.5 g
  • Fiber: 2.1 g
  • Protein: 18.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 551.1 mg

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