If you're a mom, what's the agenda on Mother's Day? Are you handling the cooking and entertaining or will little gremlins be bringing you breakfast in bed and taking over all of the usual mom chores? Will you be celebrating with your mom and giving her an extra kiss for putting up with you for all these years?!! No matter what the day involves, starting off with these delectable pancakes for breakfast (hint, hint, guys) would be fabulous for any mom...and her kids too, if she's up for sharing! They're light, fluffy, full of lemon flavor and topped with an irresistible fresh blackberry sauce that definitely says I love you!

The pancakes are amazing in and of themselves, but what truly puts them over the top is the fresh blackberry sauce and it's so easy to make! All you do is cook the blackberries with a little sugar, cornstarch and water till some of them break down and form a lovely syrupy juice, while some of them remain whole, so you have that wonderful liquid/solid texture thing going on--not to mention the amazing taste!!

After you whip up the blackberry sauce, you whip up the pancakes, literally. Not only do these babies have fresh ricotta cheese in them which helps to lighten them but also cake flour and whipped egg whites, so that the interiors are a fluffy lemony experience, with both lemon juice and lemon zest, highlighting the batter!

Now what could be better than waking up to these wonderful hotcakes on Mother's Day and maybe a present or two...hint, hint, guys!!

Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes with Fresh Blackberry Sauce

Makes about 12 large pancakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: About 20- 30 minutes to cook all the pancakes

Ingredients

For the blackberry sauce

• 12 ounces fresh blackberries, washed and drained (you could probably use frozen ones in a pinch)

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon cold water

For the hotcakes

• 1 cup ricotta cheese

• 1 cup milk

• 3 large eggs, separated

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup sugar

The Recipe

1.  To make the blackberry sauce:  Place the berries and sugar in a medium pot, stir to combine and heat over medium-high heat. Cook until the berries begin to break down a bit, stirring every now and then and the mixture begins to simmer. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth.  Add it to the berry mixture and mix well to combine. Reduce the heat a bit and let the mixture cook until it reaches a low boil and has begun to thicken a little. Remove from the heat until ready to serve or keep warm over a very low flame. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.

2.  To make the hotcakes:  In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest. Whisk in cake flour, baking powder and salt, only until just combined.

3.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and gradually add the sugar, beating until the whites hold a soft shape, but not until they are stiff or dry. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter until completely invisible. Then, gently fold in the rest of the whites until whites are barely visible. Don't over mix.

4.  Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat, using a bit of butter or oil or cooking spray. Ladle a scant 1/2 cup of batter into the pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until bubbles begin to form on the surface of the hotcake and the bottom is golden brown. (I used two small pans at the same time). Flip carefully and cook the other side until golden brown too. Transfer to a plate and keep hotcakes warm in a 200ºF oven while you make the other ones. Serve the pancakes topped with the warm blackberry sauce.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/01/12/lemon-ricotta-pancakes-with-blackberry-sauce/