Banana Pancakes with Coconut Caramel
I made the Coconut sauce for these Banana Pancakes with Coconut Caramel from Gula Jawa ( coconut sugar). It is crumbly and resembles brown sugar. I love this stuff it’s different to palm sugar. The intense caramel flavour means it makes a perfect caramel sauce with out the slightest effort. Palm sugar and coconut sugar are not the same but are often all called by the same name. Gula Jawa is made from the blossoms of the coconut tree, where palm sugar is made from the sap.
This one comes from Indonesia, but sugar is made from palms where ever they grow, so there are a lot of variations on the same sugar theme. It can be used as a substitute for refined white sugar or brown but it is very strong in colour and caramel flavour. The new buzz about coconut sugar is that it’s glycemic index rating is lower than other sugars at around 35 where, for example honey is around 55 and cane sugar about 68. Want to know how to make a beautiful caramel sauce? Ok, but you will need some other bits to go with it for this recipe.
First, I like to use this Kara Coconut cream for this Banana Pancake. You can buy it in the supermarket or Asian store here in Australia. This is unsweetened and heavily thickened.
Banana Pancakes with Coconut Caramel
Ingredients
- 2 whole eggs separated
- 20 gram caster sugar 1 tablespoon
- 125 gram flour self raising
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 5 whole bananas (approx 100 gm each) medium
- 40 ml coconut milk 2 tablespoons
- 30 gram melted butter
Caramel Sauce
- 250 gram dark coconut sugar
- 200 ml coconut cream, kara (or thick unsweetened coconut cream or thickened heavy dairy cream)( 3/4 cup)
- 40 ml lemon Juice 2 Tablespoon
- 80 ml water 4 tablespoons
Instructions
- Roughly chop the sugar and put it into a pot with the water simmering gently and breaking up the sugar with a fork. There maybe some lumps left but add the coconut cream ( or cream) and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce bubbles and thickens. it will thicken naturally as it boils. Add 1/2 the lemon juice and taste. Add the rest if you to taste. set aside
- Mash the bananas in a bowl ( or puree in a processor). Mix in the sugar, egg yolks, and coconut milk and butter. Combine well then stir in the (well mixed) flour and baking powder, till just combined.
- Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl till soft peak and fold gently through the pancake mixture.
- Heat a fry pan and cook pancakes in batches, any size you like.
- Chill a container of Kara coconut cream. It thickens up when chilled and can be used like whipped cream.
grace
coconut caramel sauce sounds AMAZING! i always look at pancakes as a vehicle for some kind of yummy sauce, and this is the yummiest yet!
Amanda
Oh, what a gorgeous looking snack! I can’t wait to get my hands on some of that coconut sugar.
lizzie - strayed from the table
I have never seen coconut sugar look like that before. I usually buy it crystalised not cut with palm either. I do want to try the hazelnut paste it sounds so delicious.
Celia
I loved everything but the bananas. But hey, you knew that. 🙂 You’ve been far more creative with your hazelnut paste than I have, and that Kara coconut cream is my favourite too, although I restrict myself to only using it for sweets, or I’d be beached. We usually use gula melaka, but I’ll look out for the gula jawa now to try – thanks for the headsup! xx
Martine @ Chompchomp
Hazelnut paste sounds amazing! I’m going to hunt around over here in WA and see if we have it too!
InTolerant Chef
Oh I’d love a big plate of these please! I use this sugar a lot, it’s much nice than brown sugar isn’t it? My goodness, a whole kilo of that paste! But then again it’s so yummy that it would be easier to do than you think… 🙂
Ahu
This looks incredible!!!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Love those small ears..so adorable.
I wonder if the hazelnut paste could be homemade too…the pancakes look mouthwatering.
thelittleloaf
Coconut caramel sounds like heaven to me!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
LOL at don’t judge. If anyone looked through my pantry I’d be jumping up and down to see what they were looking at. I know I’ve got stuff in there that needs to be at the tip.
I love what’s in your kitchen. I need to do this one day. 🙂
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts
Hazelnut paste sounds wonderful – I’ll have to keep an eye out. These pancakes also look wonderful! Enjoyable tastes coming out of your kitchen this month (well, always) 🙂
Pat Machin
What gorgeous ingredients. I use a lot of coconut milk and coconut cream in cooking but have never thought of chilling it as a substitute for cream on top of a dish. I do try to keep dairy cream to a minimum these days as we both need to be careful of expanding waistlines so that would be good!
I’ll also try the coconut sugar. We have an Asian supermarket not far away.
Thanks for sharing.
Mandy - The Complete Cook Book
What fun things you have in your kitchen. I love cooking with coconut cream – it adds such a wonderful depth to a dish.
🙂 Mandy
Tandy
I have a few things to add to my shopping list for when we are in Italy. Love the coconut sugar which I will have to try and find here 🙂
Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas
I have some coconut sugar squirrelled away. Will have to dig it out because that sauce looks fantastic. Thanks for a peek in your kitchen.
Glenda
Hi Tana, I have never heard of coconut sugar. It sounds interesting, I think I will get some the next time I am at an Asian supermarket.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
I would have loved a plate of these served up to me over the long weekend! 😀
yummychunklet
What tasty looking pancakes! And, I love Orecchietti, too!
Claire @ Claire K Creations
I’ve been experimenting with coconut sugar recently. It’s quite a unique flavour isn’t it? I think it’s almost a little nutty. I would love a kilo of that hazelnut spread in my kitchen. Thanks for the tour Tania!
Nancy/SpicieFoodie
Hi Tania! I need to check out the hazelnut paste, and see if my local Italian shop carries it. The Orecchietti are so cute and I too like them. I’ve been baking with spelt and really love it so farro might also become a favorite. The coconut sugar is new to me –thanks for the intro! Your pancakes sound like such a great treat. Thanks for sharing. We’re still waiting for our warm weather to get here:(