I’ve never had a fantastic ability for creating visually pretty things when cooking. I mean, I do OK and all, but you’d never look at one of my cakes and say, “Wow! You should be on one of those cake-contest shows on Food Network!” It’s not for lack of trying. I’ve always done my best and created passable birthday cakes shaped like lions, cats, rabbits and even one of the Teletubbies (remember those guys?). The cakes tasted really good — I am a pretty good baker.
I like fun things, though, and am willing to give most anything that looks silly or entertaining a try. I was online last week and saw some images of cat-shaped pancakes. They were cute, but one in particular caught my eye, and I decided I must create it in my very own kitchen, for my very own son! Here it is:
Ambitious? Nah, I had this one. First I gathered my ingredients. Although I do cut corners on some recipes, I almost always create homemade baked goods. Listen, I don’t judge anybody for grabbing a box of Bisquick or Hungry Jack — those handy pre-made mixes were a lifesaver when my kids were little and I had to wrangle busy toddlers and flip pancakes at the same time.
Also, I’ve never tasted Nutella until I tried this recipe. I just don’t get the hype — it was kinda boring. Apologies to any and all Nutella enthusiasts.
Back to the pancake recipe: I wanted to try something new, and found this “IHOP Copycat” pancake recipe. It was meant to be.
I studied the image of the pancake very closely, trying to figure out the sizes and shapes I’d need for the cat head. You know how you can use one piece of something to create several smaller pieces of things? Well, you have to think geometrically to do that, so it took me a little longer than it would probably take most people. They should have told me in high school that I’d need to learn geometry so I could one day make cat pancakes. Maybe I would have paid better attention.
So off I went, cutting, shaping and piecing together the cat-head pancake and fruit that would make up the eyes, nose and ears. This was serious business — nobody wants a cat-head pancake with one wonky ear.
Next, I spooned some Nutella into a Ziplock bag (you can use a pastry bag as well — I just didn’t want to dig it out of the cabinet … and just for Nutella). Following the example of the original image, I squeezed the Nutella-filled bag to create little whisker mounds and pupils for the browning banana pieces that were the eyes. I think I cut the bananas too soon. That’s OK — my cat-head pancake would have funky eyes. A vet would probably prescribe some eye drops for my poor kitty’s banana eyeballs.
At last, the cat-head pancake was finished and I presented it to my 16-year-old son, who has the appetite of a grizzly bear. I won’t lie — he was impressed. I think.
So, what do you think? Did I nail or fail the cat-head pancake? I think I fail-nailed it. Fanailed it? At least it’s not bad enough to wind up in the gallery of Pinterest “Nailed It” fails. I didn’t find the recipe on Pinterest anyway. Ha! I win!
Have you ever tried to make cat-shaped pancakes? Cat-shaped anything? Tell us about it in the comments!
Read More by Angie Bailey:
- 5 Tips for Helping Your Kids Start a Pet-Sitting Business
- I’m Raising My Son to Love Cats, No Matter What Society Thinks
- 6 Tips for Planning the Perfect Cat-themed Party for Kids
- 5 Ways Cats Are Great Therapy for Anxiety and Depression in Kids
- 5 DIY Projects You and Your Kids Can Make for Your Cats
Learn more about your cat with Catster:
- Why Your Cat Is Obsessed with You on the Toilet
- Weird Cat Facts: 8 Reasons Your Cat Likes to Lick You
- 10 Sounds That Cats Make — and What They Mean
- 8 Things to Try When Your Cat Won’t Eat
About the Author: Angie Bailey is an eternal optimist with an adoration of all things silly. Loves pre-adolescent boy humor, puns, making up parody songs, thinking about cats doing people things and The Smiths. Writes Catladyland, a cat humor blog, Texts from Mittens (originated right here on Catster) and authored whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds, a silly book about cats wheeling and dealing online. Partner in a production company and writes and acts in a comedy web series that features sketches and mockumentaries. Mother to two humans and three cats, all of which want her to make them food.
