08 Jun Dutch Baby Pancakes with Bananas and Rum Butterscotch Sauce

As the mornings get colder and darker, I’ve got long, lazy brunches on my mind. Since we can’t go to our fave restaurant for this luxury, I suggest spoiling yourself at home! These crispy, puffed pancakes topped with fresh banana and boozy rum butterscotch sauce make for a decadent brunch if ever there was one. Even better if you can convince someone to serve you brekkie in bed!

Dutch baby pancakes are similar to Yorkshire puddings in that they contain no raising agent, yet puff up beautifully in the oven. Steam is what causes them to rise, so it’s important to incorporate a lot of air into the batter (best done with a food processor/blender) and to add the batter to a piping hot and buttered pan. It also helps to rest your batter for a while before cooking so that the gluten develops and better holds air. Don’t be alarmed if the pancakes start to deflate once removed from the oven – this is normal and creates the perfect space for your filling.

In keeping with a lazy brunch theme, you can easily make the rum butterscotch sauce as well as batter the night before. If you don’t have individual skillets, this recipe works just as well in one large skillet/frying pan. Simply slice into generous wedges and serve.

For more delicious brunch ideas, click here.

Ingredients:

(Makes 4 small pancakes or 1 large pancake)

For the pancakes:
125ml milk (½ cup)
2 large eggs
70g flour (½ cup)
15ml sugar (1 tbsp)
5ml vanilla essence (1 tsp)
2,5ml salt (½ tsp)
2 tbsp butter
2-3 bananas

For the rum butterscotch sauce: 
100g brown sugar (½ cup)
100g salted butter (8 tbsp)
100ml cream 
45ml rum (3 tbsp) 

Directions:

• To make the pancakes, place the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour and salt into a blender and blitz until smooth (alternatively use an electric mixer). Leave to rest for at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile to make the sauce, place the brown sugar, butter and cream into a saucepan. Heat on low until the sugar has dissolved then increase heat and boil for 3-5 minutes until thick and dark golden in colour. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. 
• Preheat the oven to 200°C and place 4 small skillets (13cm diameter) in the oven to preheat. You can also use 1 large non-stick pan or skillet (around 27cm diameter). 
• Once the skillets are hot, add about ½ tbsp butter to each and leave in the oven for a few minutes until sizzling. This is important as the pancakes will not rise properly if not added to sizzling hot butter!
• Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Serve immediately with sliced bananas and rum butterscotch sauce.