“His and hers” flapjack stacks with caramel sauce

Flapjack stacks, big and small, with berries or bacon, covered in thick caramel sauce (picture by Tasha Seccombe)

Do you ever make a special breakfast for your loved one on a Saturday morning? I must confess: I rarely do. I usually just relish the idea of not getting up too early over the weekend, planning a day of leisurely Winelands drives with my family or maybe a visit to a market involving minimal effort. Or maybe just a day away from the stove (although the stove is my other longterm lover…).

But wouldn’t it be nice to wake up to the smell of a really special breakfast, made by your loved one? Or better yet: waking up your loved one with a really special breakfast that you made yourself? We don’t need to have special days like Valentines Day to spoil our better halves. I promise you: taking the initiative to treat your guy/girl to a special wake-up treat just might score you the kind of serious brownie points you need. It’s on the same level as surprising him with tickets to the game, or pitching up at her office with a bunch of fresh flowers.

So, whether you are a really hungry bacon-kind-of-guy, or a more dainty blueberry-kind-of-girl (or vice versa), everybody loves flapjacks and no-one can resist thick old-fashioned caramel sauce. This light flapjack batter can make the smallest of Russian blinis, or the largest American pancakes – it is really versatile and easy enough for even an inexperienced cook. All you need is a non-stick pan and a stove-plate on medium heat. The rest is elementary, my dear.

Man-size flapjacks with crispy bacon and thick caramel sauce (picture by Tasha Seccombe)

PS: The caramel sauce is great on EVERYTHING (even on it’s own, eaten with a spoon from the jar). So store it in the fridge and it will keep for at least 2 weeks. Actually, I will be surprised if you have the willpower to keep it that long.

Flapjack batter: (recipe from The A-Z of Food & Cookery in South Africa by Sannie Smit & Margaret Fulton)

  • 500 ml (2 cups) self-raising flour
  • 2,5 ml (1/2 t) salt
  • 10 ml (2 t) sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 450 ml milk
  • 60 g butter, melted

Method:

  1. Sift flour and salt together in a bowl, then sprinkle sugar over.
  2. Lightly whisk eggs with milk, then pour over flour. Stir until all the flour is moistened, but still lumpy.
  3. Lightly stir in the melted butter.
  4. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and spray once with non-stick spray (or lightly wipe with oil). Pour in batter to make pancakes: 15 ml at a time for small flapjacks or roughly 50 ml for large flapjacks. Tip: for large flapjacks I gently spread the batter into a circle just atter pouring it into the pan.
  5. Cook until bubbles start to form on the top, then flip over and cook on the other side until golden brown.
  6. Serve stacks of flapjacks with caramel sauce (or maple syrup) and bacon, or blueberries and whipped cream.

My favourite caramel sauce:

  • 125 g butter
  • 250 ml (1 cup) firmly packed treacle sugar (or soft brown sugar)
  • 250 ml (1 cup) cream

Method:

  1. Melt butter on medium heat on the stove top, then add sugar and stir until dissolved.
  2. Bring to the boil, then boil for 3 minutes (it will look “foamy”) while stirring well.
  3. Remove from heat, then stir in cream. Stir very well until fully incorporated and glossy. Serve hot or at room temperature (sauce will thicken on standing). Store in the fridge.
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16 Comments

  1. YUM YUM YUM!!! We love bacon with our flapjacks! Usually we go for maple syrup. Shall have to give that caramel sauce a go now 🙂 Just beautiful. xx

    1. Thanks Colleen! Ja, if you’re not in the mood for effort, just go with the trusty maple syrup! It’s always a winner. 🙂

  2. Love those cute little stacks! Beautiful pics!

    1. Thanks Ambika! Tasha is a magician with her camera, so great to have her shoot some of my food!

  3. These look amazing. And this is going to sound a bit weird, for the “his” version, have you ever tried Marmite (might be the best tasting hangover cure ever)?

    1. I LOVE savoury toppings for pancakes, I regularly eat mine with Bovril and cheddar! So Marmite doesn’t sound weird at all! 🙂

  4. Thank you for writing “vice versa” on that bacon/blueberry sentence. I’m glad you acknowledged that there are men out there who can be dainty and may prefer blueberry over bacon and the existence of non-dainty women who may opt for the bacon variety (like me!). Don’t forger that there is such a thing as “his and his” and “hers and hers”, too. 😀 I know I love making breakfast (lunch and dinner) for my girlfriend.

    Anyway, these pancakes look amazing. I will have to try out both varieties or find a way to combine the two ;).

    1. Thanks so much for your comment! This post was written very much tongue-in-cheek, as I also don’t fit into the stereotype mold of a “dainty” woman (I’m 1.9m tall and not a girlie-girl at all). Some days I prefer the bacon version, and some days I prefer the blueberries – and there is nothing wrong with combining all of the above! Your girlfriend is very lucky to have someone cook for her – hope she spoils you too! x

  5. Love the idea of his & hers though I would LOVE some of both!

    1. Hi Marla, I’m the same – some days I prefer the bacon and some days I prefer the blueberries. It’s more a symbolic “his and hers”, if you know what I’m saying! 🙂

  6. I want to favourite this one 🙂

  7. I want to star favourite this one 🙂

  8. Hiya,
    I’m from the UK and was wondering what sort of cream do you use, as we have all sorts of creams here ! Double, single, whipped, cheese etc etc

    Cannot wait to make this as I’m quite a lazy sort a like minimal ingredients in a recipe.
    😀

    1. Hi Michaela, I just single cream, but I’m sure you can use double cream as well. I made this recipe again this past week – such a favourite in our family!

  9. THESE ARE NOT FLAPJACK
    FLAPACK MADE OF OATS

    YOUR RECIPE IS PANCAKES

    1. Hi there, in South Africa we call these flapjacks (although I’m aware that they’re called pancakes in USA). In South Africa, pancakes are equivalent to French crepes. Interesting info!

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