Absolutely Topping Ideas for Pancakes!

To accompany my post of pancake recipes (including the gluten-free crèpes above which I actually prefer to the gluteny ones) here are some good things to serve on them, although they will also work on waffles, French toast, normal toast, brioche, fingers and so on.

Sauces for Pancakes

Sticky Toffee Sauce

125g butter
225g soft dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
175ml double cream

~   Melt together the butter and dark brown sugar, stirring all the time.
~   Add the vanilla and cream and stir till merged.
~   Bring to a fast simmer but do not boil.
~   Use immediately or cool and re-heat gently to use (if the butter separates out when reheating add a little cold cream and stir it in. The sauce will immediately re-emulsify.

Banoffee Sauce

Just slice a banana or two and sauté in a little butter till turning golden.  Stir in some of the above Sticky Toffee Sauce.

Apple Cider Sauce

175g sugar
300ml cider

5 Bramley apples

~   Bring the cider and the sugar to a boil, stirring till the sugar has dissolved.
~   Turn down a little simmer and cook to a light golden brown – about 10 minutes.

~   Peel and slice the apples, add to the pan and return to a boil.
~   Turn down the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes stirring from time to time. The apples will naturally break down into a kind of chunky sauce which is why I recommend using Bramleys.
~   When all cooked and mushy beat with a wooden spoon to achieve your ideal apple sauce texture.

Caramelised Pineapple & Rum Sauce

450g granulated sugar
Small can (227g) pineapple in fruit juice
50ml rum or Malibu

~   Drain the pineapple setting aside the juices.
~   Coarsely chop the pineapple.
~   Put the fruit juice right beside the stove.
~   In a small heavy pan over medium heat stir together the sugar and half a cup of water till the sugar is dissolved completely.
~   Turn up the heat and boil the sugar, watching it all the while but not stirring at all, but you can carefully swirl the pan a bit as it takes on colour.
~   Watch carefully.
~   As soon as it reaches a lovely rich golden brown caramel colour carefully pour in the fruit juice.  This will splatter a bit so stand back. Stir over the flame till the caramel, which will have hardened, melts again.
~   Stir in the chopped pineapple, turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes till the pineapple is a little darker.
~   Away from the heat stir in the rum or Malibu.
~   Cool the sauce and then chill till needed.

Dark, Milk or White Chocolate Caramel Sauce - all delicious

100g granulated sugar
50ml wate
150ml double cream
90g coarsely chopped dark, milk or white chocolate
pinch of salt
 tsp vanilla extract

~   Set the cream beside the stove.
~   In a deep saucepan over low heat stir together the sugar and the water till the sugar is dissolved and then bring to a boil.  Don’t stir any more but when it begins turning golden you can swirl it about a bit to even out the colour.
~   Cook to a deep golden brown watching carefully and swirling occasionally.
~   When you are happy with the colour add the cream and stir over low heat till the caramel which will have hardened has melted back into the cream.
~   Add the chocolate and stir till completely melted and mixed into the sauce.
~   Add the salt and vanilla extract and mix in.

Fruit Coulis - a slight recipe!

soft fruits such as berries or ripe peaches
sugar (approximately half the weight of the fruit)

~   Put the prepared fruit in a small saucepan.

~   Add the sugar to the fruit.
~   Simmer the fruit, helpfully giving it a squash now and then – you could add a dribble of water to encourage the sugar to melt if the fruit isn’t very juicy.
~   Strain through a fine nylon sieve pushing on the fruit debris to extract as much coulis as poss.
~   Cool, cover and chill till needed.

Syrups for Pancakes

Honey and maple syrup are two syrups commonly used with pancakes, and no wonder, but other ones work well too for instance Coffee Caramel Syrup here.

 Butter

Just a knob of creamy, probably salted, butter melting onto hot pancakes is a lovely thing or dry flavouring the butter first with whatever you fancy! Cinnamon, toasted nuts, crushed caramel, vanilla sugar, all spring to mind. See here for how to make all sorts of flavoured butters.

Incidentally the butter in my picture is melting on a pancake which has been sprinkled with panko crumbs for gorgeous crunchy butter and sauce catching surface. See here more for panko ideas.

Top Pancakes with Preserves

Here’s an easy one – just top your pancakes with a spoonful of lemon curd, jam, marmalade or similar. 

Creamy Toppings for Pancakes

These can be with or instead of my other suggestions and include ...

~   Whipped Cream (maybe with a little alcohol whipped in, maybe not)
~   Clotted Cream
~   Sour Cream

~   Ice cream (speaking of which have a look here at my book on a wonderful no-churn ice cream method with over 100 recipes)

 ~  Greek yogurt – plain, fruit, honeyed etc.
~   Cream cheese.
~   Custard!

Sprinkles for Pancakes

Finish off your dish with a scattering of ...

~   Chopped, possibly toasted, nuts or even salted nuts if serving, for instance, a caramel sauce.
~   Toasted Coconut (see here for how to toast it and also how to vastly improve desiccated coconut)
~   Chopped or grated chocolate.
~   Crunched up granola!
~   Crunchy caramelised bacon – brush smoked streaky bacon rashers with maple syrup and cook on a baking tray under a hot grill to crisp. Cool and then sprinkle.

~   Crunchy sea salt, perhaps, with caramel or dark chocolate sauces.

Or, of course ...

Fresh Fruit on Pancakes!

Lots of ideas for Pancakes on my Pinterest Board

Pancake Day ~ and the rest of the year! 

Happy Pancake Day!