Breakfast doesn’t get any easier if you’ve got a cast iron pan than this sweet Mixed Berry Cast Iron Pancake. It’s a giant pancake with a delicious sweetened cake crumb that is easily sliced and served to feed a crowd. It’s an easy recipe that makes a great breakfast or brunch option.

If you grew up in the South, chances are that you grew up around a kitchen full of at least one trusted cast iron skillet. I myself remember Grandma’s well-seasoned one sitting on her stove top, always ready on stand-by.

I’ve since created my own set, some of which I’ve inherited from Grandma herself and others. Some pieces I’ve bought myself and added over the years.

They’ve versatile and used everyday in my kitchen, I literally couldn’t imagine a day without them on hand.

Benefits Of Cooking With Cast Iron

Unlike most modern pans, cast iron has been proven to have been in use for thousands of years, and is safe to use over high heat including a direct flame.

And unlike lead, ceramic, and aluminum there’s no reported stories of people getting sick from them or from anything leeching from the pan into food.

If trace amounts of iron do end up in a dish, it poses no healthy risk since it’s an essential mineral the body needs anyway.

The well seasoned coating it develops acts as a beautiful barrier making it naturally non stick, all while adding flavor to any dish you fix in it. It even adds as a barrier for acidic foods.

In case you couldn’t tell by now I swear by my cast iron and just want to share that love with you, especially if you weren’t already familiar with the benefits.

Which is why I’m so excited to share this Mixed Berry Cast Iron Pancake with all of y’all today. It’s breakfast made easy. No fuss. No mess. No need to even flip this extra large flap jack.

This isn’t a traditional pancake in terms of texture. It does taste pancake-like, but has a more cake like crumb from being cooked in the cast iron skillet.

The batter bakes up into a light, fluffy breakfast cake with notes of sweet vanilla and ground cinnamon that’s studded with sweet berries.

It’s a delicious hybrid of pancake and breakfast cake that is perfect to serve for breakfast or brunch.

Ingredients

Making a cast iron pancake with berries uses basic pantry staples.

You’ll need:

Flour – Nothing fancy here, just plain all purpose flour
Sugar – Granulated sugar for the pancake, and powdered sugar for sprinkling overtop as a garnish.
Baking Powder – This helps the pancake rise during baking and give it a fluffy texture as opposed to a dense cake.
Salt – In most sweet recipes a hint of salt helps enhance the other ingredients natural sweetness.
Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon, optional but highly recommended
Extract – Vanilla extract, you can use the real deal or imitation here.
Milk – I recommend using whole milk, but you can substitute half and half if needed.
Egg – 1 large egg, at room temperature. Being at room temperature helps the eggs incorporate into the batter better. I recommend setting it out on the counter an hour before you’re ready to prepare the dish.
Butter – I recommend using real butter and not trying to substitute margarine.
Berries – Use your favorite frozen mixed berry blend, but make sure they’re thawed completely and any expressed juices are drained before using as instructed.

Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients you’re ready to get started!

How To Make

Making a cast iron skillet pancake is pretty easy.

Start by preheating the oven to 375F and add your cast iron skillet to it. You want it hot when you add the pancake batter.

In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients- flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk them together until evenly combined.

In another mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients- milk, egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and extract. Stir together until evenly incorporated.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry bowl, and whisk together until evenly combined into a nice pancake batter.

Using potholders, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and set it on the stove.

Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the hot skillet, let it melt, then turn the skillet so it spreads out over the bottom.

Pour the pancake batter into the hot skillet and spread out with a spatula, as needed, so it’s in an even layer.

Spread the thawed and drained berries evenly out over the pancake batter followed by the remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and allow it to rest for a full five minutes. Dust with powdered sugar.

Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Storing

Leftover cast iron pancakes can be store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Alternatively they can be frozen for up to three months.

Tips & Tricks

We used frozen, thawed berries here, but you can also use fresh. If using fresh, I’d suggest a bit less since they’ll release their juices when cooked and you don’t want the batter to get too watery.
We opted for a true mixed berry compilation that included blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and even sweet dark cherries. You can stick with our combination, or use any variation of it, including only a single type. Just make sure they’re fully thawed and drained before using.
Don’t want any berries in your pancake? Leave them out completely, bake the batter as instructed, and serve them on top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
This skillet breakfast pancake is delicious as is, but it’s also really good when served with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

Other Flavorful Pancake Recipes

This mixed berry cast iron pancake makes a delicious breakfast on a shoestring budget that’s perfect for either breakfast, brunch, or even breakfast for dinner.

Make it today and fall in love with a new dish!

Looking for other flavorful pancake recipes to enjoy?

Try these:

If you’ve tried this MIXED BERRY CAST IRON PANCAKE, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!