Caramel banana pancake tart

With Winter weather comes the comfort of great winter food. In our house, it is most certainly time for pancakes.

Whether you like your pancakes with cinnamon sugar, lemon, ice cream or savoury fillings, everyone smiles at the idea of these flat and fluffy, golden, versatile treats. I recently came up with a new idea to enjoy pancakes, especially if you made a huge stack and you have some leftovers. It is a simple way to create something spectacular from something quite humble, and it is also a feast for the eyes.

I call it a pancake tart: a stack of cooled pancakes, each one covered with a layer of caramel/banana/cream mousse, then topped with extra whipped cream and your favourite choice of fresh berries. It can be sliced like a cake, and holds it’s shape beautifully after being refrigerated for a while. Serve cold or return to room temperature just before serving.

Important tip: Don’t try to slice the tart without refrigerating it first – it will slip and slide in all directions! For best results, insert 4 toothpicks at various corners after assembly to hold the stack in place, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove toothpicks, top with whipped cream and berries, slice and serve – no mess, just beautiful slices of layered pancake-bliss!

Ingredients:

• 1 x 500 g packet Sasko Quick Treats Pancake Mix
• 2 eggs
• 940 ml water
• 10 ml vegetable oil, plus extra for frying
• 1 ripe banana, crushed
• 1 can of caramel treat (or boiled condensed milk)
• 250 ml cream, whipped
• 125 g fresh berries of your choice (I used raspberries)

Method:

1. Add eggs, water and vegetable oil to a large mixing bowl, and mix well.
2. In another bowl, add the packet of Sasko Quick Treats Pancake Mix. Now add half of the mixed egg/oil/water mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix well. Add the remaining half of the liquid and mix well.
3. On moderate heat, using a brush with vegetable oil to oil your pan regularly, bake pancakes one by one, and stack them in a heap to cool completely.
4. Mix crushed banana with caramel treat and half of the whipped cream.
5. When the pancakes are completely cooled, spread it with the caramel/banana/cream mixture (I use the back of a desert spoon), one at a time, stacking each spreaded pancake on top of the previous one to create an even stack. Work quickly, as the stack can slide out of place easily. When the stack is complete (don’t try to stack it too high!), use 4 toothpicks to keep the stack in place: press them down vertically untill they touch the bottom of the plate. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
6. Remove from the fridge, top with the other half of the whipped cream (whip it again if necessary), then top with fresh berries of your choice. Slice and serve.

Tip: This tart is not over-the-top sweet. If you like a bit of extra sweetness, drizzle it with maple syrup all over the cream and berries. It looks delicious and tastes great!