Salted Caramel and Shortbread Pancakes
This is a dessert pancake that does not pretend to be anything else. Vanilla ice cream melts into the warm pancake as you eat; the salted caramel pools around it; and the crushed shortbread adds a sandy, buttery crunch that makes every bite slightly different from the last. Make the salted caramel sauce a day in advance — it keeps in the fridge for two weeks — and the rest takes five minutes.
Ingredients
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- 125g (4½oz)plain flour, sifted
- 300ml (10fl oz)whole milk
- 1large egg
- 25g (1oz)unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for the pan
- a pinchfine salt, for the batter
- 4 large scoopsgood vanilla ice cream, something with real vanilla — not the cheapest option
- 4plain all-butter shortbread biscuits, roughly crushed — Walker's or similar
- 150g (5½oz)caster sugar, for the caramel — do not stir, only swirl
- 100ml (3½fl oz)double cream, warm before adding to the caramel
- 30g (1oz)unsalted butter, for the caramel
- ½ tspsea salt flakes, flaked, not fine — Maldon or similar
Method
- 1
Make the salted caramel sauce first — it keeps for two weeks in the fridge and reheats in seconds. Put the 150g of caster sugar in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Do not stir. Swirl the pan occasionally as the sugar begins to melt at the edges and work towards the centre.
Stirring encourages crystallisation and causes the caramel to seize. Swirl the pan only — never put a spoon in. - 2
When the sugar has melted fully and turned a deep amber colour — the colour of dark honey — remove the pan from the heat. This takes about 5–7 minutes. Immediately pour in the warm double cream. It will bubble violently. Whisk quickly to combine.
Warm the cream before adding it — cold cream hitting hot caramel causes excessive spluttering and can make it seize. - 3
Add the 30g of butter and whisk until melted and smooth. Add the sea salt flakes. Return to low heat for 1 minute, stirring, if any lumps remain. Strain through a fine sieve into a jar. Cool slightly before using — it thickens as it cools.
- 4
Make the pancake batter: sift the flour into a bowl, make a well, crack in the egg, add a pinch of salt, and pour in about a third of the milk. Whisk from the centre outwards, adding the remaining milk in stages until smooth. Stir in the melted butter.
- 5
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a small knob of butter. Pour in a thin layer of batter and tilt to coat. Cook for 1 minute until golden, flip, and cook for a further 30 seconds. Slide onto a warm plate. Keep finished pancakes in a low oven (100°C) while you cook the rest.
The first pancake is always a test. Adjust the heat and batter thickness before continuing. - 6
Crush the shortbread: place the biscuits in a zip-lock bag and bash with a rolling pin into rough crumbs — some larger pieces, some fine. You want texture, not powder.
- 7
To serve: lay one warm pancake flat on a plate. Add a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream in the centre. Drizzle two tablespoons of warm salted caramel sauce over the ice cream and pancake. Scatter a quarter of the crushed shortbread over the top. Serve immediately, before the ice cream melts completely.
The contrast between cold ice cream and warm pancake is the point. Assemble and serve with no delay.
Pro Tips
- →Make the caramel sauce a day ahead. It keeps for two weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge and reheats in 30 seconds in a microwave. The day of, all you are making is pancake batter.
- →Do not stir the sugar while it caramelises. Stirring causes crystallisation and you get a grainy, seized mess. Swirl the pan only.
- →Warm the cream before adding it to the caramel. Cold cream hitting a very hot pan of caramel causes it to splutter violently and can make it seize.
- →Crush the shortbread roughly, not into fine powder. You want pieces of different sizes — some sandy, some chunky — for contrasting texture in every mouthful.
- →Assemble and serve without delay. The contrast between cold ice cream and warm pancake lasts only about two minutes before the ice cream melts flat.
Topping Ideas
Terms in this recipe
Defined in the Pancake Day glossary.
Questions & answers
My caramel seized and turned grainy. What happened?⌄
Can I use shop-bought caramel sauce?⌄
Which shortbread works best?⌄
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