Sweet Cottage Cheese and Semolina Pancakes Recipe
Sweet cottage cheese and semolina pancakes are delicate, fluffy little cakes that are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. They’re a bit like a cross between cheesecake and crepes. In Polish homes they often appear on weekends, when there’s time for leisurely frying.
These pancakes combine the creaminess of cheesecake with the lightness of classic breakfast pancakes. Semolina makes them pleasantly fluffy, while cottage cheese adds protein and a subtle tang, so they’re both comforting and a bit more filling than regular pancakes.
Why this version works
- Semolina binds the mixture and gives a gently springy texture without needing to add a lot of flour.
- Separately whipped egg whites aerate the batter, so the pancakes rise and stay light after frying.
- Letting the batter rest before frying allows the semolina to absorb the liquid, so the pancakes don’t spread out in the pan.
Chef's tips
Use well-drained, not too wet cottage cheese – if it’s very moist, add an extra spoon of semolina so the batter isn’t runny. Fry over medium heat rather than high, so the pancakes cook through inside without burning on the outside. If the first batch spreads too much, gently thicken the batter with a little more semolina and let it rest again for a few minutes.
How to serve
Serve stacked on a plate with a generous spoonful of thick yogurt or sour cream, fresh berries or sliced fruit, and a drizzle of honey. For a more dessert-like version, add a dusting of powdered sugar and a spoon of your favourite jam.
Watch out for
- Don’t cut short the time for the semolina to swell, otherwise the batter will be too runny and the pancakes will lose their shape.
- Heat that’s too high will quickly burn the outside and leave the inside raw – stick to medium heat.
- Don’t press the pancakes down with a spatula while frying, or you’ll push out the air and they’ll become dense.
- Make sure the bowl for whipping the egg whites is perfectly clean – any fat will prevent the whites from whipping stiff.
Substitutions
- Replace vanillin sugar with 0.5 teaspoon of vanilla extract or the seeds from 1/4 of a vanilla pod.
- Swap the plain yogurt for kefir or buttermilk for a slightly tangy-tasting batter.
- You can replace part of the sugar with honey, reducing the amount because honey is sweeter than sugar.
- You can swap the semi-fat cottage cheese for full-fat if you want more creamy pancakes with a richer taste.
Ingredients
- semi-fat cottage cheese ground or well mashed - 250 g
- semolina heaping - 4 tablespoons
- eggs - 2 pieces
- sugar or more to taste - 2 tablespoons
- vanillin sugar - 1 teaspoon
- baking powder - 0.5 teaspoons
- yogurt - 3 tablespoons
- oil - 3 tablespoons
- pinch of salt
Preparation
- Put the cottage cheese into a bowl and mash it thoroughly with a fork or briefly with a potato masher until the larger lumps disappear. The mixture should be moist and fairly smooth, but not completely creamy.
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add the yolks to the cottage cheese, then add sugar, vanillin sugar, semolina, baking powder, a pinch of salt and the yogurt or milk.
- Mix everything with a spoon until you get a thick, uniform batter with no dry semolina lumps. Set aside for 10–15 minutes so the semolina can swell – the batter should clearly thicken and lightly “cling” to the spoon.
- In a separate, clean and grease-free bowl, beat the egg whites into a fluffy foam. Whisk for 2–3 minutes until it is thick and glossy and doesn’t immediately run when you turn the bowl upside down.
- Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cheese mixture using a spoon or spatula and moving from the bottom to the top. The finished batter should be aerated and slightly springy.
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Check the temperature by dripping in a little batter – it should sizzle gently but not brown immediately.
- Spoon small portions of batter into the pan, forming pancakes about 1 cm thick. Fry for 2–3 minutes on one side, until the edges set and the surface is no longer shiny and looks slightly “dried”.
- Carefully flip the pancakes with a wide spatula and fry for another about 2 minutes, until they are evenly golden on both sides and springy when lightly pressed with a finger or spatula.
- Place the fried pancakes on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve warm with yogurt, sour cream, fruit, jam or honey.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
These are classic weekend pancakes from many Polish childhoods – simple, soft and very forgiving. They’re perfect when you have some cottage cheese to use up and want something quick but a little special.
