How to make this tropical golf resort’s spectacular pancakes

Welcome to Clubhouse Eats, where we celebrate the game’s most delectable food and drink. Hope you brought your appetite.

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If you’re fortunate enough to visit the private golf and residential community Apes Hill in Barbados, you’ll be blown away initially by the club’s welcome drink — a high-proof rum punch that masterfully conceals its potency. When you dine at the club’s alfresco restaurant, the 20th Hole, the next morning, you’ll be equally impressed, especially if you order the souffle-style pancakes.

“What I love most is how closely they resemble a traditional Bajan bake,” says the club’s executive chef Javon Cummins. “The familiar flavor, combined with the berry compote and vanilla cream, feels like a modern take on something nostalgic — it tastes like home.”

If you were to ask Chef Cummins, he would tell you that the secret to these pancakes partially rests with the berry compote that is served alongside them. He believes it pulls the entire dish together. In my opinion, the pancakes are both memorable and crave-worthy even without the compote. So much of that is due to their lightness, as well as their fluffy and airy texture. Fortunately, those characteristics are easily replicated at home. 

Achieving such a texture begins with the mixing of the wet ingredients (using an electric mixer).

“You are looking for a consistency that is light, foamy, frothy, and full of bubbles,” the chef advises. From there, it’s all about the cooking apparatus and how hot it gets. At Apes Hill, Cummins relies on a flat griddle, but home cooks can achieve similar results with a good non-stick skillet. Just make sure you keep the heat on a low setting. According to the chef, that produces the best results.

“Treat it like baking bread,” he says. “Keeping the heat steady allows the pancakes to remain light and fluffy. The most common mistake is turning the flame too high. This causes uneven cooking and can burn the outside while leaving the inside undercooked.”

Beyond that, Chef Cummins insists the rest of the process is simple. In fact, he encourages home cooks to experiment. “Don’t be afraid to personalize your batter,” he says. “If your favorite bread has cinnamon or berries, try adding those to your pancake mixture.” After all, that’s how the club eventually settled on its current recipe.

“We’ve made a few small tweaks to refine them over time,” he says. “Originally, they were served with Nutella, but we noticed many guests preferred to substitute fruit instead. So, we introduced the berry compote, kept the vanilla cream, and the result has been a hit ever since.”

Apes Hill Pancakes

Courtesy of Executive Chef Javon Cummins

Yields: 3 pancakes

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tbsp. water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

In a medium bowl and using an electric mixer, beat together eggs, water, milk, and vanilla extract until foamy (about 3 minutes).

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

Using a wooden spoon or spatula, lightly fold the mixture of dry ingredients into the liquids quickly until just incorporated. Set aside until slightly thickened (about 15 minutes).

Lightly grease a nonstick pan with butter or oil and heat over medium-low.

When the pan is hot, pour 1/4 cup of batter into the prepared pan.

When the pancake is golden on the bottom and bubbles begin to form on the top, flip it and continue cooking until the other side is golden brown.

Repeat these steps with the remaining batter.

Transfer the pancakes to a plate, top with maple syrup, vanilla mascarpone cream, and berry compote, and serve immediately.