Enhance the orange zest by adding it to a small bowl with the sugar and mixing it up until it's fragrant and starting to turn orange.
1 teaspoon orange zest, ¼ cup granulated sugar
Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, salt, and mixed orange zest and sugar to a bowl, and mix them until evenly incorporated. Then melt the butter in a cup in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
⅔ cup all purpose flour, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
Add the ingredients to a blender. First pour in the dry ingredients, then crack in the three eggs, pour in the melted butter, and add the milk and vanilla.
3 large eggs, ⅔ cup whole milk, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Blend for about 30 seconds, or until fairly evenly mixed. If you don't want to use a blender, you can also do this step in a large bowl with a whisk! Keep mixing until it's fairly smooth.
Rest the batter. This is the step I'm the worst at; I always want to pour it into a pan right away! It's best to let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425°F, and place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to heat.
Remove the pan from the oven and add the butter. The butter might bubble and sizzle when it hits the hot skillet, so keep your face far from it. Once melted, swirl it around the pan so it coats the sides as well as the bottom.
Pour the batter into the pan, then bake it for 20 minutes. Once the pan is back in the oven, don't open the oven door again!
Prepare your toppings. Use the baking time to whip up heavy whipping cream in a bowl with an electric hand mixer (or a whisk and a lot of elbow grease!). Add a little sugar and vanilla for better flavor.
½ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 splash pure vanilla extract
Remove from the oven and top! The pancake will deflate a bit when removed; this is normal! Use it like a bowl to fill with whipped cream and fresh berries. Then slice, plate, and serve with maple syrup!
Fresh strawberries and blueberries or a mix of your choice, Powder sugar, Maple syrup