Flapjacks with toffee sauce

There is nothing more winter-lunchy than a beautiful pile of crispy tender, hot, buttery flapjacks. Smothered in rich toffee sauce and a nob of melting butter, piled with bacon and drizzled with maple syrup, or even unconventionally topped with cream cheese — flapjacks make a wonderfully warming meal.

In America, these would be called pancakes. Here is SA, we call thick pancakes “flapjacks,” and thinner crêpes are just called pancakes. I like to add an extra quarter cup of milk to thin the flapjacks just a little, but it’s all about your preference. The sauce is rich and sweet, and tastes like English toffee sweets.  This recipe makes enough for 3 people.

For the flapjacks:

2 C self-raising flour

1 1/2 C Milk

2 T sugar

Large pinch of salt

2 eggs

2 T butter

In a large bowl, combine flour, milk, salt, sugar, and eggs. Stir briskly until smooth. Melt the butter and stir quickly into the batter. Fry over moderately high heat. If you like the cakes light and puffy, keep the pan as unoiled as possible. I prefer them crisp around the edges, and quite buttery, so I melt 1/2 t butter before frying each one.

For the sauce:

1 C Caster sugar

1/4  C Water

1/3 C Butter

1/2 C cream

Heat the sugar and water over moderate heat until the sugar is all dissolved. There should be no granules left. Turn the heat up high, and watch carefully. When the syrup comes to the boil, drop in the butter, and swirl the pan around to incorporate. It is important not to stri the syrup while it boils. Watch the syrup until it turns a rich golden colour. It should be the colour of toffee sweets. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cream quickly. dissolve any thickened bits which may form. Return the pan to the heat, and cook for another minute or two, until the sauce thickens just a bit.