Vanilla Orange Caramel Pancake Sauce – Mardi Gras for your mouth!

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Pancakes and crêpes are nothing on their own. Left to their own devices they would never go out. Savoury or sweet, they depend on fillings and dressings to give them a social life.

Though I’m a fiend for maple syrup, sometimes something as simple as a sprinkle of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice is just the thing to make a pancake interesting. However, for a real taste of Carnival, my current favourite is this zingy vanilla orange caramel sauce.  Pour the hot syrup over pancakes or crêpes and feel your taste buds samba!

The sauce thickens as it cools and if there is any left over, it’s delicious, cold, on ice cream.

For approximately 150mls of sweet, zingy caramel sauce you will need…

150g caster sugar

10g salted butter

zest of one orange, finely grated or cut into shreds

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)

100mls fresh orange juice

You will need to exercise a little caution – melted sugar is extremely hot.

You will also need a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed, light-coloured saucepan (light-coloured so you can see the sugar change colour as it melts and judge easily when to take it off the heat.)

Put the sugar in an even layer in the pan and place the pan over a medium heat, supervising it constantly until the sugar has melted. You will need to swirl the pan occasionally so that the sugar melts evenly. I prefer to swirl rather than stir as over-stirring can cause the sugar to clump, however a little gentle poking at the melting mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula won’t hurt.

Another swirl or two will capture those sugar crystals on the side

Once the sugar has melted, keep it over the heat until it has turned a rich amber colour and starts to smell like caramel. Watch the pan like a hawk as the melted sugar can burn quickly and become bitter (if that happens, start again).

The caramel is ready when it smells like caramel and is a rich amber colour

Now add the butter, stirring until it has melted into the caramel, then add the orange zest, and vanilla and stir to incorporate.

Add the orange juice in a steady stream, stirring until you have a smooth syrup. It will bubble furiously and the cold juice may cause the caramel to solidify in places.  If this happens,  just keep stirring over the heat and any blobs of caramel will eventually melt back in to the sauce.

Bubbling furiously

Once you have a smooth sauce, remove from the heat.

This sauce can be made ahead and served hot or cold. If using hot, remember that it is super hot and warn people accordingly. As it cools it thickens up and is delicious with ice cream.

To serve hot, reheat in a saucepan over a medium heat and then pour over hot pancakes. You could also prepare (or buy) your pancakes ahead and reheat them in the sauce as in the picture below.  Click here to for an easy cider and cinnamon pancake recipe

Pancakes ready to party!

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Pączki Tuesday – an exciting alternative to Shrovetide pancakes

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Since I went to see the highly energetic 'percussive dance' troupe Stomp the other evening, I have been making quite a racket. I have broken one wooden spoon (a tap-a-tap, a tappity tap) and the yard brush has seen better days. I don’t think it was ever constructed to be a percussion instrument (swish, swish, bang, swish). When I found myself eyeing the dustbin with new interest - such potential for noise ‘percussive dance’! - it was time to call a halt.

It's Stomp's fault...

I am left with a craving for doughnuts - also the fault of Stomp. They do this comical routine using the inner tubes of tractor tyres as outsized tutus. Think ‘streetwise doughnuts’ meet bizarre ‘corps de ballet’.

Looking for an excuse to satisfy my doughnut craving, I discovered that Pączki [POHNCH-kee] are traditionally served in the lead up to Lent, on Fat Thursday and more recently, on Shrove Tuesday. These Polish jam doughnuts make an exciting alternative to Shrovetide pancakes, and if I happen to stamp out the doughnut shapes in a Stomp-like fashion, I’m sure it will only make them taste even better.

For 2 dozen doughnuts you will need...

250mls fresh milk

1 packet dried yeast

4 eggs

75g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon zest

700g strong white flour

100g butter, softened

Cooking oil for deep frying – I use sunflower oil

6 tablespoons damson (or your own favourite) jam for filling, sieved

Caster sugar or icing sugar for coating

As this is quite a sticky dough, it is best to use an electric mixer.

1          Warm the milk to between 27°C - 35°C (this is when a finger dipped in the milk will feel neither hot nor cold – but best to use a thermometer) and add the yeast.  Leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until the surface of the milk is slightly foamy.

2          Meanwhile, place the eggs, caster sugar, vanilla essence, salt and lemon zest in a large bowl and whisk until pale yellow and slightly thickened. Swap the whisk for a dough hook before adding the flour to the egg mixture, a little at a time, mixing well between additions.

3          Add the yeast mixture now, mixing until combined. Finally, add the softened butter in walnut–sized lumps, ensuring each addition is combined before adding the next. Continue kneading with the dough hook for a further 5 minutes. Cover with a lightly oiled sheet of cling film and leave in a warm, draught-free place to rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size. (You could make the dough in advance and leave it in the fridge to rise overnight, before continuing with the recipe).

Somewhat deflated...

4          Punch the risen dough to knock it back. It will deflate alarmingly. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured or lightly oiled work surface and knead lightly until you have a smooth ball of dough. Roll out to a thickness of about 1.5cm and stamp out rounds using a 6cm round scone cutter. Cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm, draught-free spot for a further 30 minutes or until doubled in size.



Hubble, bubble, (no) toil and (no) trouble...



5          Heat the cooking oil to 180˚C (360˚F). Lower the doughnuts into the hot oil, a few at a time, without overcrowding. Fry for approximately 1 minute then turn over to continue frying on the other side for a further minute. When evenly golden brown, remove and drain on a thick wad of kitchen paper.



Inject jam with a Bismarck nozzle



6          Fill with jam while still warm: with the tip of a knife, make a small hole in the waist of each doughnut and using a piping bag fitted with a Bismarck nozzle, inject jam into the centre of each doughnut. Roll in caster sugar or dredge with icing sugar. Apply to face. Grin happily.



Apply to face... grin happily...

Note: If it occurs to you to cut the fat content by baking these instead of deep frying, please don’t! There is no comparison. My advice is: go the whole hog, but not too often!

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Cider and Cinnamon Crêpes - Time to practice your pancake-flipping skills!

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Pancake Day nearly slid by unnoticed in the shadow of the fast-approaching Valentine’s Day chocolate fest. Eeek!

Although I nearly always go for fluffy American pancakes, Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday) calls for more traditional crêpe-style pancakes - the last hurrah before the lean Lenten days ahead...

I like my pancake accompaniments fairly simple - a drizzle of honey, a squeeze of lemon – so I’ve put the flavour in the batter by adding cider, vanilla and cinnamon. The kitchen smells like a Yankee Candle store while these are cooking.

For 8 – 10 pancakes you will need...
... a crêpe pan (a non-stick frying pan will do but a lightweight crêpe pan makes life easier)

125g plain flour
a pinch of fine table salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs
125mls milk
100mls natural cider, unsweetened, non-sparkling (or unsweetened natural apple juice)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

½ teaspoon vanilla extract 

To serve: a juicy lemon, cut into generous wedges, and honey or icing sugar

1                    In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and ground cinnamon. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the eggs. Whisk the eggs, gradually incorporating the flour from the edges. When the eggs are combined with the flour, gradually whisk in the milk, followed by the cider (or apple juice), sunflower oil and vanilla extract continuing to whisk until you have a smooth batter. This can rest in the fridge until you are ready to cook.

2                    When you are ready to make the pancakes, heat a non-stick over a medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, rub it with piece of kitchen paper dipped in oil.

3                    Pour approximately 60-70mls of batter into the pan to form a pancake approximately 8 – 10cm in diameter. As the batter hits the hot surface, tilt the pan slightly in a circular motion so that the batter spreads out evenly.

4                    Cook for about a minute or until the pancake loosens when the pan is shaken back and forth. Slide an egg-slice or spatula under the pancake and carefully turn it to continue cooking for another minute. (Now could be the time to test your pancake-flipping skills...)

5                    Serve immediately with wedges of lemon and sugar or honey.

Happy Pancake Day!

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