My name is Sonia and I am an IHOP junkie – OK I admit it, it’s not the poshest of places, but IHOP the ‘International House of Pancakes’ is my food mecca!

I’ll always remember my reaction when my husband took me for my first brunch at what is now our local IHOP on Capitol Hill. “You’re going to love this!” he told me excitedly, immediately launching my imagination into overdrive, conjuring up images of Michelin star food, pressed linen tablecloths and pretty bud vases emitting the sweet scent of summer blooms across the table. So when we pulled up outside what looked like a McDonald’s, but in the wrong colours and with no sign of any golden arches, I was deeply disappointed. OMG, where has he brought me?!!!

As soon as we walked through the front door, we were greeted with typical warm American hospitality, seated quickly and promptly served with mugs of hot fresh coffee. “At least the service is good” I consoled myself, as I scrutinised the basic decor – I was not won over just yet. Our friendly waiter proceeded to hand me the largest menu I have ever seen and it was laminated – shock, horror, gasp!!!! This instantly made me wonder how many grubby fingerprints and food spills had lived on the menu before I had held it. It was going to take a lot more than easy clean lamination to wipe the romantic brunch image I longed for from my mind.

But…NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER!

The menu, in spite of first appearances, had me at the first line. Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Strawberry Banana Pancakes, New York Cheesecake Pancakes, Cinnamon Swirl Brioche French Toast, Berries & Cream Waffles, the list was endless, and in true American style you could have any of the above with bacon, sausage and eggs.

The pancakes were mouthwateringly delicious and the portion sizes EXTREMELY generous. I left IHOP with a full stomach, a stretched waistline and a new found love.

As you can imagine, IHOP is not an experience you can repeat too often without becoming another statistic in the diabetes and obesity ratings. So when I spotted a simple two-ingredient pancake recipe doing the rounds on the internet, I knew I had to give it a go. It certainly wasn’t going to be any substitute for IHOP, but at least it might fill the gap between IHOP “hits”.

These pancakes are completely gluten-free and dairy-free and are made quite simply with bananas and eggs. To make the pancakes peel a medium sized ripe banana – the riper the better – cut it into pieces and mash it with a fork until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.

Add the whisked eggs and a little baking powder (optional) to the banana mixture and whisk until completely combined – adding baking powder will result in lighter, fluffier pancakes. You could also add salt, vanilla essence, cocoa powder, or maple syrup for added flavour.

Add a little oil or butter to a griddle/frying pan and place on a medium heat. Drop the batter onto the griddle – I used 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake. It should sizzle immediately, if it doesn’t you need to increase the heat slightly. Cook for 1 minute, or until the bottom of the pancake looks browned, then flip to cook the other side.

Serve your pancakes with maple syrup, nutella, honey – whatever takes your fancy. I topped mine with sliced strawberries, maple syrup and a dollop of Double-Whipped Maple Shmear from Enstein Bros Bagels (another one of my fave brunch spots!) – shmear-tastic!

To make these Banana Pancakes I used the following equipment:

• Tovolo® Egg Whisk
• Tovolo® Beat Whisk

UK followers can now purchase some of the products featured in this article from the newly launched Arugula & Rocket Cookshop!