Picarón Pancake Stack with Chancaca Butter Syrup

Method

1. Peel the sweet potato and squash, cut into 2 cm pieces and put in a 16 cm pot with the water. Bring to the boil over high heat, lower to medium heat and cook for 14 min. Drain, mash smoothly with a fork and let it cool a little.

   Add in this stepSweet potato 80 gButternut squash (or pumpkin) 80 gWater for cooking 500 ml

   high heat→medium heat

2. Put the chancaca, water and orange peel in a 14 cm small pan over medium heat, stir until melted and simmer for 8 min, until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter until glossy. Boiling syrup is very hot, so take care.

   Add in this stepChancaca (or panela or dark brown sugar) 80 gWater for the syrup 80 mlOrange peel strips 1Butter (for the syrup) 10 g

   medium heat

3. In a large bowl, whisk the mash, eggs, milk and sugar until smooth. Sift in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and fold with a spatula just until no dry flour shows. A few small lumps are fine; overmixing makes tough pancakes. Leave the batter for 5 min so it gets fluffier.

   Add in this stepEggs 1Milk 110 mlSugar 20 gPlain flour 120 gBaking powder 1½ tspGround cinnamon ½ tspSalt 1 pinch

4. Whip the cold cream with the icing sugar for 3 min, until it holds soft, floppy peaks, then keep it in the fridge.

   Add in this stepDouble cream 80 mlIcing sugar 2 tsp

5. Heat a 24 cm non-stick pan over medium-low heat and brush it with a little butter. Ladle in rounds about 10 cm wide; when bubbles appear on top and the edges look dry, flip them. Cook 2 min per side. Sweet potato batter browns faster than normal pancakes, so don't turn the heat up. You will get about 3 per serving.

   Add in this stepButter (for the pan) 10 g

   medium-low heat

6. Stack the pancakes in threes, top with the whipped cream and pour the warm chancaca syrup over so it runs down the sides. A pinch of cinnamon on top is nice too.