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This sweet Dutch baby is a single-serve baked pancake cooked in one small skillet and finished with juicy blueberries and bright lemon. Made from a simple batter of egg, milk, flour and sugar, it puffs dramatically in the oven before collapsing into a soft, custardy centre with crisp edges. Designed as a one-portion, one-pan recipe, it’s ideal for solo breakfasts, brunches or an easy dessert-for-one. The flavour is lightly sweet, gently tangy and fresh, with blueberries adding bursts of fruitiness and lemon lifting the whole dish. It’s practical for cooking for one because it feels indulgent without being complicated or wasteful.
Why You’ll Want to Make This Recipe
Single Serve
This Dutch baby is perfectly portioned for one, making it ideal when you want something sweet and special without leftovers or scaling maths.
Quick & Easy
The batter comes together in minutes, and the oven does the rest. It’s low effort but delivers maximum reward.
One Pot / One Pan Cooking
Everything bakes and serves from the same small skillet, meaning minimal washing up and an effortlessly elegant result.
Comfort Factor
Warm, puffed pancake, jammy blueberries and a hit of citrus make this cosy, comforting and quietly luxurious.
Eleanor’s Top Tips for the Perfect Sweet Dutch Baby
- Use a small ovenproof skillet (18–20cm) for the best rise and soft centre.
- Make sure the butter is fully melted and hot before adding the batter — this is key for puff.
- Don’t overbake the first stage; the pancake should be pale with just lightly crisp edges.
- Add the blueberries halfway through baking so they soften without sinking.
- Finish with lemon juice while the pancake is hot so it absorbs into the batter.
- Adjust the sugar at the end to taste — this is a gently sweet dish, not a dessert bomb.
- Serve immediately for maximum puff and contrast between crisp edges and soft middle.
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Essential Ingredients
- Egg: Provides structure and lift.
- Milk: Creates a light, pourable batter.
- Flour: Forms the base of the pancake.
- Caster Sugar: Adds gentle sweetness.
- Butter: Helps crisp the edges and adds richness.
- Blueberries: Provide bursts of sweetness and acidity.
- Lemon Juice: Brightens and balances the dish.
To Serve (Optional)
- Extra caster sugar
- Icing sugar, for dusting
Essential Tools
- Small ovenproof skillet (18–20cm)
- Mixing bowl or jug
- Whisk
- Spoon or spatula
Dietary Variations
Gluten-Free
Use a gluten-free plain flour blend; fine-milled works best for a smooth batter.
Dairy-Free
Swap the milk for plant milk and use dairy-free butter.
Vegan
This recipe relies heavily on egg and isn’t easily veganised, but a chickpea-flour pancake could be explored as an alternative.
Different Fruits
Raspberries, sliced strawberries, or cherries work beautifully in place of blueberries.
Extra Flavour
Add vanilla extract to the batter or finish with lemon zest for extra fragrance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did my sweet Dutch baby deflate quickly?
A: That’s completely normal — Dutch babies puff in the oven and settle once removed.
Q: Can I add the blueberries at the start?
A: It’s better to add them partway through so the batter can rise fully first.
Q: What pan size works best for one portion?
A: An 18–20cm ovenproof skillet gives the best rise and texture.
Q: Can I make this less sweet?
A: Yes — reduce the sugar in the batter and rely on fruit and lemon for balance.
Q: Is this breakfast or dessert?
A: Both. It’s light enough for breakfast and indulgent enough for dessert-for-one.
Ingredients
For the Dutch Baby:
1 Egg
60ml/4 Tbsp Milk
30g/2 Tbsp Flour
5g/1 Tsp Caster Sugar
5g/1 Tsp Butter
To Serve:
Handful of Blueberries
The Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
Caster Sugar
Icing Sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to180ºC/160ºC fan.
- Crack the egg into a jug or bowl then add in the milk and whisk together. Add in the flour and sugar and whisk again until you have a smooth batter.
- Add the butter to a small skillet then place in the oven/air fryer to preheat for 4-5 minutes.
- Once hot, pour the batter into the pan then place in the oven for 20-25 minutes to bake until risen and slightly crisp but still pale. Scatter over the blueberries and bake again for 7-10 minutes.
- Once the dutch baby is golden and the blueberries have softened slightly remove from the oven. Squeeze over the lemon juice and sprinkle over as much caster sugar as you would like. Dust over a flourish of icing sugar at the end if you fancy it.
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"One Pot One Portion is, to borrow from The Parent Trap “a brilliant beyond brilliant idea”…I know many feel that it’s too much bother to cook ‘just’ for themselves — a sad admission, I feel — and to those people, and many others besides, I say: get this book and prove yourself liberatingly wrong!…Thank goodness for books! And thank goodness for Eleanor Wilkinson, a young talent to lift the spirits…There are so many people who could benefit from this book…this book is a boon and a blessing"
"A genius approach to bringing joy to every meal, Eleanor gets that good food is the best form of self-love."
I buy a lot of cook books and this is genuinely one of the best l've ever bought. I've tried 6 or 7 recipes so far and they're all winners. I'm well used to scaling recipes down to one portion, but not having to calculate measurements as l go along feels like a little luxury. One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up! Highly recommended.
I have been following Eleanor on IG for a while and have made several of her dishes before the cookbook came out. I was thrilled to see so many new things to try and have already made about 6 of them. Her recipes are approachable, the dishes are delicious, and they make me feel like I can cook! Highly recommend.
If you love eating good home cooked food but can't be bothered to cook just for yourself, then this is the book for you. Using ingredients that are easy to find, then mixing, cooking and eating from the same pan or dish means a minimum of washing up. Every recipe I have tried so far has been delicious and have all turned out well which isn't always the case with many cookery books. Definitely recommend!
Following Eleanor on Instagram and seeing her recipes come to life is one thing but then having them in my own kitchen is quite another. Not only are the recipes easy to follow and delicious she also help you not to waste food. This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?
Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This is perfect, as far as influencer chefs go, I find this book refreshing in what has become a cohort of lauded influencers who really aren't doing much more than the bog standard meals most people make anyway, or making googled recipes and adding their own "flair". This book is different as it's your normal fare you'd likely make yourself, given a little bit of a twist to speed up the process / use less utensils / ingredients / food waste, in really creative and tasty ways, all perfectly portioned for one.
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This recipe book is stunning and fulfils its role brilliantly in catering for individuals who want to eat delicious meals, but don't want to prepare family sized portions or devote their entire evening to cooking. Who'd believe you could make an entire roast for one person and only use one pan in the process! She is a genius and I couldn't recommend this book any more highly.
One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up!
This is the book I've been waiting for! I (very happily!) live alone, love to cook and read cookery books, but every recipe is for two people or more. This gorgeous book contains recipes perfectly proportioned for one person (and I'm always a very hungry one person!) which ensures more variety, less food waste, and pure, gluttonous joy.
It's so nice to finally have a recipe book that I can go to if I want a quick easy meal with minimal cleaning up required! Everything l've tried so far is delicious. And I salivate at the thought of everything in there!
Totally reignited my cooking mojo which had been MIA for a while. I'm going to buy my daughter a copy to take back to Uni too as everything is simple and delicious - perfect for a student!
Best cookbook for somebody single!
The fact I know I won't have loads to wash up really feels motivating and l've earmarked so many of the recipes already.
This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?