Mothers Day Brunch Pancake Casserole (Printable)

A comforting dish with layered fluffy pancakes, fresh berries, and custard baked until golden.

# What You Need:

→ Pancakes

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
05 - ½ teaspoon salt
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 2 cups whole milk
08 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
09 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Custard

10 - 4 large eggs
11 - 1 cup whole milk
12 - ½ cup heavy cream
13 - ⅓ cup granulated sugar
14 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 - Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

→ Berries

16 - 2 cups mixed fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
17 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
18 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice

→ Topping

19 - Powdered sugar for dusting
20 - Maple syrup for serving

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
02 - In a medium bowl, gently toss mixed berries with 2 tablespoons sugar and lemon juice. Set aside to allow juices to release.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
05 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring gently until just combined. Do not overmix; lumps are acceptable.
06 - Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly grease. Pour batter to form 4-inch pancakes. Cook until bubbles form on surface, flip, and cook until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter, yielding approximately 12 pancakes. Cool slightly.
07 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest if using until smooth and well combined.
08 - Cut cooled pancakes in half and arrange slightly overlapping in prepared baking dish. Scatter half the macerated berries over pancake layer. Pour custard evenly over top, gently pressing pancakes to partially submerge.
09 - Top with remaining berries. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes until custard is set and top is lightly browned.
10 - Allow casserole to rest for 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm with maple syrup on the side.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It looks like you spent hours in the kitchen when really you're done in an hour start to finish.
  • One dish feeds your whole crew, meaning more time celebrating and less time doing dishes.
  • The custard keeps everything impossibly moist and tender, so even pancakes made the night before taste freshly cooked.
02 -
  • Don't overmix the pancake batter or you'll end up with tough, rubbery pancakes that won't absorb the custard properly.
  • The pancakes need to be slightly underdone when they come off the skillet because they'll continue cooking in the oven as the custard bakes, which is what keeps them tender.
  • If your custard bubbles or starts to curdle while baking, your oven's probably too hot—invest in an oven thermometer because this dish is sensitive to temperature swings.
03 -
  • Invest in an instant-read thermometer—the custard should hit 160°F in the center for food safety, and guessing by jiggle is imprecise and risky.
  • Use room-temperature eggs when whisking the custard because cold eggs take longer to emulsify and can create a grainy texture if they're not fully incorporated.
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