Soufflé Buttermilk Banana Blueberry Pancakes

Steps

1. Prepare first: separate the eggs into two bowls, melt the larger portion of butter (about three-quarters) and let it cool, mash half the banana, slice the other half for topping, and pat the blueberries dry.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom.
3. In a second bowl, whisk the egg yolks, buttermilk, mashed banana, vanilla and melted butter until smooth.
4. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until no dry flour remains; small lumps are fine.
5. Beat the egg whites with a clean whisk or mixer until they hold soft peaks, about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Fold one-third of the whipped whites into the batter to loosen it, then gently fold in the remaining two-thirds, followed by the blueberries, keeping the batter airy.
7. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and brush it with a little of the remaining butter for the skillet, using about a quarter of it per batch.
8. Spoon about 1/3-cup mounds of batter into the skillet, cover, and cook 3 to 4 minutes until the bottoms are golden and the edges look set; flip gently and cook 2 to 3 minutes more until the centers spring back and are cooked through. Repeat with the rest of the batter and skillet butter, keeping cooked pancakes warm in a low oven.
9. While the last batch cooks, warm the almond butter and maple syrup together in a small pan over low heat, stirring until smooth and pourable.
10. Stack the pancakes, top with the sliced banana and drizzle with the almond butter–maple sauce.