Fluffy Berry Oven-Baked Pancake

Patty Catalano
Patty CatalanoFood Editor at The Kitchn
At The Kitchn, I develop all of your favorite recipes and help you discover your most beloved grocery finds. I have more than 17 years of recipe development experience, including time spent in cookbook test kitchens and on Alton Brown’s culinary team. My two kids have lots of opinions on dinner.
published May 8, 2024
A mixed berry skillet pancake in a cast iron skillet topped with butter with some taken out and a wedge cut, ready to serve.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Brett Regot

This family-sized skillet pancake is crispy, fluffy, and loaded with berries.

Serves4 to 6

Prep15 minutes

Cook30 minutes

Jump to Recipe
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Overhead photo of a mixed berry skillet pancake in a black cast iron skillet topped with butter.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Brett Regot

A great day always starts with breakfast, and I believe that our bodies need something more than a mug of coffee after a night’s rest. On most days that morning meal doesn’t look like a big brunch spread, yet it’s important to me to serve a hot, family-style breakfast once a week. 

The debate between fluffy pancakes and crispy waffles has never been more heated than at my kitchen table. So I decided to take what I love about both breakfast bites and combine them into a single oven-baked skillet pancake bursting with a mix of fresh berries. The best part is that instead of standing at the stove flipping pancakes one at a time or tending to the buzz of the waffle maker, we can all sit down together to enjoy this crispy, fluffy skillet pancake. Every bite is bursting with a bounty of fresh, seasonal berries — blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.

Why You’ll Love It

  • It’s easier than making individual pancakes. This skillet pancake comes together just like your go-to buttermilk stack, but instead of cooking them one by one, you pour all the batter into a hot skillet and bake. 
  • This skillet pancake has a lovely, lofty lift. Folding in the egg whites at the very end ensures that it bakes up tall. 
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Brett Regot

Key Ingredients in Mixed Berry Skillet Pancake

  • All-purpose flour: Lightly scoop flour into measuring cups, then use the straight side of a knife to remove the excess. Packing the flour down adds too much flour to the batter and results in a tough pancake. 
  • Baking powder and baking soda: These leavening agents lift the batter to give the pancake its light texture. Baking powder can do the work on its own, but because buttermilk alters the acidity of the batter, make sure to include baking soda for balance. (Still not sure about the difference between baking powder and baking soda? We have you covered.)
  • Buttermilk: Buttermilk lasts a long time in the fridge and gives pancakes their signature tang. If you don’t have any on hand, you can try a buttermilk substitute
  • Eggs: This recipe uses an unusual technique for incorporating the eggs. Whisk the egg yolks into the melted butter and buttermilk, but wait until the batter is combined before folding in the unbeaten egg whites. Make sure to fold the egg whites in completely so that no streaks remain.
  • Fresh berries: A mix of fresh blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries folded into the batter gives this pancake a seasonal spin.

How to Make Mixed Berry Skillet Pancake

  1. Preheat the oven and skillet. Preheating the skillet is a technique common for cast iron cornbread to get gorgeously crisp, buttery, and browned edges.  
  2. Mix dry and wet ingredients together separately. Whisk all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt together in a mixing bowl until combined. In a separate bowl, mix melted butter, buttermilk, and egg yolks together until combined.
  3. Mix the batter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix until most of the flour is moistened.
  4. Fold in the egg whites. Fold in unbeaten egg whites until no streaks of the egg white remain, but do not overmix.
  5. Pour into the skillet, add berries, and bake. Swirl butter around the bottom and edges of the pan to keep the pancake from sticking, add the batter, and top with a mix of fresh berries. Bake until the skillet pancake is puffed and golden-brown.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Brett Regot

Mixed Berry Skillet Pancake

This family-sized skillet pancake is crispy, fluffy, and loaded with berries.

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 30 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups

    all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons

    granulated sugar

  • 2 teaspoons

    baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • 4 tablespoons

    unsalted butter, divided, plus more for serving

  • 1 1/4 cups

    buttermilk

  • 2

    large eggs

  • 1/2 cup

    fresh strawberries (about 4 medium), plus more for serving

  • 1/2 cup

    fresh blueberries, plus more for serving

  • 1/2 cup

    fresh raspberries, plus more for serving

  • Maple syrup or powdered sugar, for serving

Instructions

Show Images
  1. Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven while it heats.

  2. Place 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt together in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

  3. Place 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15-second bursts until melted, 30 to 40 seconds total. (Alternatively, melt on the stovetop and transfer to a medium bowl.)

  4. Add 1 1/4 cups buttermilk to the melted butter. Separate 2 large eggs, adding the yolks to the butter mixture and the whites to the now-empty buttermilk measuring cup. Whisk the egg yolk mixture until combined.

  5. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a flexible spatula until most of the flour is moistened. Add the egg whites and fold in until incorporated and no streaks remain; do not overmix. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, trim and cut 1/2 cup fresh strawberries into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter into 4 pieces.

  6. Take the preheated skillet out of the oven. Add the butter and swirl the pan until the butter melts and coats the bottom and sides. Transfer the pancake batter to the pan and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the strawberries, 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, and 1/2 cup fresh raspberries evenly over the pancake batter.

  7. Bake the pancake until puffed and golden-brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with more butter, maple syrup or powdered sugar, and more berries.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: Combine the dry ingredients in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 months.

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.