Black Forest Dutch Baby

Ugh… we’re having a snow day here in Virginia so I was looking online for some recipe inspiration and I stumbled upon a yummy looking Chocolate Dutch Baby (or German pancake), which got me thinking… what if I took that chocolate idea and elevated it a bit by adding sweetened whipped cream and a delicious cherry topping? That was it - I decided making a Black Forest Dutch Baby would be part of my snow day activities! So glad I did because it’s definitely a treat worth trying, snow day or not.

We’ll start by making the cherry topping. In a skillet over medium-high heat, combine tart cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and a salt. I used tart cherries I stashed away in the freezer this past spring, but if you have fresh tart cherries, you can certainly use ‘em.

Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to boil; continue cooking for a full minute, then turn off the heat.

mmmm… set the yummy cherry topping aside until needed.

The Dutch Baby (German Pancake) is really easy to make… just preheat an oven-proof skillet in your hot oven, melt the butter in the skillet and swirl it all around, then pour the excess melted butter into the a blender with all the other dutch baby ingredients, give it a whirl, and pour the batter into the prepared skillet. For some reason I didn’t get any photos while I was making the chocolate dutch baby, but you can see exactly how it’s done here in my Vanilla Dutch Baby post from a few years ago. The only difference, besides this one being chocolate instead of vanilla, is that this recipe is made in a smaller skillet.

The Dutch Baby will puff up in the oven and collapse almost immediately upon removal. To serve, cut the dutch baby into 4 wedges and top with sweetened whipped cream and the cherry topping. Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 9-inch cast iron skillet https://amzn.to/2ROOgn4

• pure almond extract https://amzn.to/2VRjqJB

• really good dutch processed cocoa powder https://amzn.to/3oHW09H

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Black Forest Dutch Baby

makes one 9-inch skillet, 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cherry Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups (140g) tart cherries, fresh or frozen, pitted

• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (6g) cornstarch

• pinch of fine salt

• 1/16 (6 drops) pure almond extract

Chocolate Dutch Baby:

• 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter

• 2 large eggs (100g), room temperature

• 1 tablespoon (12.5g) granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 3 tablespoons (25g) all purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (7.5g) dutch processed cocoa powder, sifted

• 1/4 cup (61g) whole milk

Directions

To make the cherry topping:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and salt; bring to a boil, stirring constantly; continue cooking for a full minute.

2. Remove from heat and stir in pure almond extract; set aside until needed.

To make the chocolate dutch baby:

1. Preheat oven and 9-inch cast iron skillet in the center of a 425F oven.

2. In a blender, combine the eggs, sugar, salt, flour, cocoa, and milk; set aside until the next step.

3. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and add the butter.

4. Swirl pan until butter is completely melted and coats the entire pan; pour excess butter into batter and mix to combine.

5. Slowly pour the batter into the hot, buttered skillet and return to the oven; bake for 12-15 minutes or until the dutch baby puffs up (it will deflate almost immediately when removed from the oven so don’t be alarmed when this happens).

6. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before topping with cherry topping and lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Note

• Try not to pour all the batter into the skillet in one spot - the force of the pour will remove the butter coating in the pour spot and the pancake will inevitably end up sticking. To avoid this, I like to hold an upside down serving spoon a few inches over the skillet and pour the batter slowly over the back of the spoon while moving the spoon around the skillet. This helps diffuse the force of the pour.

cherry topping adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum from Real Baking with Rose; chocolate dutch baby adapted from Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen.

The Best Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

I’m so excited to finally be sharing this amazing Instant Pot Baby Back Rib recipe with you. Prepare them with a flavorful dry rub, steam them to tender perfection in a large 8qt Instant Pot, then finish them off with a glaze of charred barbecue sauce on the grill or in the oven for perfect ribs any time of year!

Start by making the dry rub, which is very simple, but adds a lot of flavor. Kosher salt, smoked paprika, dry mustard powder, granulated onion, granulated garlic, and chili powder.

Mix well.

Mmmm.

Sprinkle the dry rub over all 4 half-racks of ribs.

Rubba-dub-dub the ribba-rub-rub.

Get both sides.

Put the stainless rack in the inner pot of your Instant Pot and pour in 1 1/2 cups water. Add the half racks, standing them up the best you can. You should be able to fit 4 or 5 half racks depending on the size of your Instant Pot. Some people keep the racks whole, but I find they tend to fall apart after cooking so I think they’re easier to handle if you cut them in half. But that’s just me.

Cook for 45 minutes on “manual” or “high pressure”.

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• Instant Pot https://amzn.to/3rDFh9l

• silicone brush https://amzn.to/34scqfw

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3JkoiyI

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The Best Instant Pot Ribs

makes 2 racks of ribs (5-6 pounds total)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 racks baby back ribs, cut in half, membranes removed from underside (5-6 pounds total)

• 1 1/2 cups water

Dry Rub:

• 4 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

• 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic (or powder)

• 2 teaspoons granulated onion (or powder)

Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 1/4 cup ketchup

• 1 cup brown sugar (light or dark), packed

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/4 cup molasses

• 1/4 cup pineapple juice

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 tablespoon hickory flavored liquid smoke

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 2 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

• 2 teaspoons paprika

• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Make the dry rub by combining the dry rub ingredients together and sprinkle evenly over both racks of ribs, front and back; rub the seasoning in well.

2. Place water and rack inside Instant Pot; stand ribs up on rack.

3. Seal Instant Pot and cook on “manual” or “pressure cook” for 40 minutes; allow pressure to release naturally.

4. While ribs are cooking, make the sauce by whisking all the barbecue sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil, then reduce to a heat and simmer at a gentle bubble until the mixture thickens, about 20 minutes.

5. Remove ribs from Instant Pot and place on a foil lined half sheet pan; brush with bbq sauce and place ribs under broiler for 5 to 10 minutes (watch carefully to prevent burning). Alternatively, this step can be completed on a charcoal or gas grill.

Notes

• Store leftover barbecue sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

• St. Louis-style ribs can be substituted, but increase cooking time to 60 minutes.

• For more than one rack of ribs, use an 8-quart or larger Instant Pot.

More Instant Pot Recipes: