Pancakes with cream and chocolate sauce

Ingredients:

Pancakes

• 2 cups store-bought pancake mix
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 0.5 cup crushed red and white peppermint candy canes
• Cooking spray

Vanilla cream filling

• 110 g of cream cheese at room temperature
• 0.5 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled

Chocolate sauce

• 3/4 cup finely chopped dark chocolate
• 0.5 cups heavy cream

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 95°C.
2. In a large bowl, combine pancake mix and baking powder. Add milk, oil, and eggs and mix until smooth. Stir in 1/3 cup crushed candy canes.
3. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and drop the batter, 1/4 cup at a time, onto the hot skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the batter and the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet. Keep the pancakes warm in the oven while you cook the next batch.
4. Vanilla cream filling:
   
   Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
5. Chocolate sauce:
   
   Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan or microwave until just barely simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minute to melt the chocolate, then stir until smooth.
6. Place 1 pancake on a serving platter. Spread with vanilla frosting. Place another pancake on top and spread with frosting. Drizzle generously with warm chocolate sauce and sprinkle with the remaining crushed candy canes.