This rustic-looking upside-down apple pancake called Le Sanciau in French is a popular Berry dessert. It is made with a few ingredients and flavored with rum within 25 minutes from start to finish.
Follow my step-by-step photographed explanations, expert tips, and tricks to help you succeed with this incredibly yummy and delicious recipe.

Here is a new French dessert to your recipe collection! It is easy and quick to make; it is a type of crepe typically stuffed with delicious apples.
You can never go wrong with making easy and quick crepes and pancakes.
Make a batter one day ahead for a Dutch Baby, or whip it up early in the morning for this French apple pancake and delight your family with a fabulous breakfast.
What is Sanciau?
Sanciau (les Sanciaux in plural) is a typical thick pancake made with flour, milk, eggs, and sliced apples cooked in butter. It is traditionally served for Candlemas all over France.
This pancake is called Sanciau du Berry and is a specialty of Berry, a region in central France.
It is also called Chanciau as "flour omelette" or Crêpiau from the word "crepe."
Le Sanciaux resembles another thick apple pancake called Matafaim, a specialty of Saône-et-Loire in France.
Historically, Sanciaux was served to the day laborers in the morning, after the soup, as an economical dish in the Berry farms.
It was also made on the first Sunday of Lent (feast of the Brandons, or fête des Brandons in French) or Mardi Gras.
Over time, this apple upside-down pancake has become “four hours,” meaning a snack in the middle of the afternoon for the French.
The apple pancake's texture is something intermediate between a pancake and a custard Far Breton.
Why you should try this recipe
This apple upside-down pancake recipe is handy once you need to make a dessert with unexpected guests. It will surely impress them with its creative presentation.
It is one of those crepe recipes that you can whip up in a jiffy. It is cooked on the stovetop and then simply inverted onto a crepe pan to get those perfect golden brown edges.
When you want something sweet for breakfast, this is the perfect pancake.
It is also so good if you are craving some fried dough with apples dipped in sugar.
The recipe is a great way to use up apples that are starting to get too ripe; it calls for a few common and inexpensive ingredients.
Ingredients
Get a quick overview of the necessary ingredients. For precise measurements and instructions, refer to the recipe card below. Also, discover the essential baking tools I rely on for daily baking.
Apples: use apples holding their shape while cooking, such as Reine de Reinette, Golden Delicious, Gala. You can easily experiment with other types of apples or even pears.
Flour: the recipe calls for all-purpose flour.
Milk: se whole or low-fat milk.
Egg: you will need one large whole egg at room temperature.
Salt: a pinch of salt enhances the flavor of the pancake batter.
Butter: use unsalted butter to make this recipe.
Rum: replace it with pear liqueur or Calvados or omit this ingredient to make the pancake kid-friendly.
How to make upside-down apple pancake
To make the batter, sift all-purpose flour with a flour sifter and set it aside.
Mix flour, milk, egg, and salt in a medium-sized bowl with a hand whisk until well-combined (photo 1).
Peel apples with a vegetable peeler, core them, and slice apples into thin slices (photo 2).
Melt butter in a crepe pan over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the apple slices to the pan.
Brown apples until golden on both sides for a few minutes. Pour rum and mix (photo 3).
Arrange apples evenly over the bottom of the crepe pan. If desired, place them in a pattern you like.
Pour the pancake batter over apple slices into the pan. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes over low heat.
Place a plate on the pan and, using mittens, turn the pancake onto the plate.
Slide the uncooked side of the pancake onto the crepe pan and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes (photo 4).
Arrange the pancake on a serving dish. Pour honey on top, cut the Sanciaux like a pie and serve immediately.
Recipe variations
The most common apples used to make this apple pancake in France are Reine des Reinettes from Saint-Martin-d'Auxigny, but you are free to experiment.
The green apples are a perfect pairing for this apple pancake, so if you want to eliminate some sweetness, go with the Smith variety.
If you look for something even more unique and flavorful than an ordinary apple pancake breakfast treat - go ahead and use pears.
Interestingly, the French add a dash of local apple-pear liqueur while cooking apples and let them flambé. It is the same technique used to make crepes Suzette.
Use a collection of flavors to flavor the pancake batter. Try adding brandy, cognac, or orange liquor for some extra flavor depth.
The skillet pancake is eaten hot, sliced like a pie, and topped with Sologne honey or sprinkled with caster, vanilla, or icing sugar.
You can also dress it up with crème fraîche, sour cream, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
Storing and freezing
Store this pancake covered with plastic in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. It is not recommended freezing the pancake.
Expert tips
- Replace rum with pear liqueur or Calvados and flambe if you desire. Omit the alcohol to make the dessert kid-friendly.
- Sprinkle the pancake with icing (powdered) sugar or vanilla sugar instead of serving with honey.
- For wine lovers, serve Le Sanciau with a glass of Sancerre white wine.
Frequently asked question
Le Sanciau is best served and eaten hot right after making it. It is not recommended to prepare it in advance.
Use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour and add ¼ teaspoon of baking powder.
To make the pancake dairy-free, use coconut oil instead of butter, and almond milk or coconut milk in place of the whole milk.
Love crepes and pancakes? Try these next!
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Recipe card
Upside-Down Apple Pancake (Le Sanciau)
In French, this rustic-looking upside-down apple pancake called Le Sanciau is a popular Berry dessert. It is made with a few ingredients and flavored with rum within 25 minutes from start to finish.
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Crepes and Pancakes
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup + 7 teaspoons (60 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup + 1 teaspoon (125 ml) milk
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 ½ tablespoon (25 g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon rum
- 1 ½ medium-sized apples
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
- To make the batter, sift all-purpose flour with a flour sifter and set it aside. Mix flour, milk, egg, and salt in a medium-sized bowl with a hand whisk until well-combined.
- Peel apples with a vegetable peeler, core them, and slice apples into thin slices.
- Melt butter in a crepe pan over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the apple slices to the pan. Brown apples until golden on both sides for a few minutes. Pour rum and mix. Arrange apples evenly over the bottom of the crepe pan. If desired, place them in a pattern you like.
- Pour the pancake batter over apple slices into the pan. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes over low heat.
- Place a plate on the pan and, using mittens, turn the pancake onto the plate. Slide the uncooked side of the pancake onto the crepe pan and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Arrange the pancake on a serving dish. Pour honey on top, cut the Sanciaux like a pie and serve immediately.
Notes
- Replace rum with pear liqueur or Calvados and flambe if you desire. Omit the alcohol to make the dessert kid-friendly.
- Sprinkle the pancake with icing (powdered) sugar or vanilla sugar instead of serving with honey.
- Serve the Sanciau with a glass of Sancerre white wine for wine lovers.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 177
- Sugar: 10.3 g
- Sodium: 73 mg
- Fat: 7.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.7 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 4.4 g
- Cholesterol: 63 mg
Keywords: Sanciau, Sanciaux, apple upside-down pancake, upside-down apple pancake
Follow my step-by-step photographed explanations, expert tips, and tricks to help you succeed with this incredibly yummy and delicious recipe.
The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.
Beth says
Yummy! This is so delicious! I was nervous about making this at first, but your post was so helpful! The family loved this so much, and I’ll definitely be making this recipe again soon!
★★★★★
Irina says
This recipe is actually easy to make! I am glad you loved it, Beth!
Biana says
Looks so delicious! What a great idea for a weekend brunch.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks, Biana! Please, enjoy the recipe!
Dannii says
I love any kind of apple dessert, so this looks perfect to me.
★★★★★
Irina says
So, you will love it, Dannii! Please, let me know if and when you make it. 🙂
Anjali says
We loved this apple pancake recipe!! I made it for brunch this morning, and it was a hit!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks for letting me know that the recipe worked for you, Anjali! 🙂
Kylie says
Thanks for all the tips and tricks, it made making the recipe so much easier! Absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks, Kylie! I am glad you liked it!
Shashi says
YUM! This has my mouth watering! I haven't had sanciau before, but I so love the sound and look of this - perfect for a weekend breakfast!
Irina says
Breakfast with this apple pancake is unbeatable. You'll love it, Shashi!
Allyssa says
Apples' are our favorite! Thank you so much for sharing this upside-down apple pancake recipe! It's really easy to make and very tasty!
Irina says
Allyssa, I am glad you like the recipe. Yes, it is effortless to make. 🙂
Veena Azmanov says
A unique recipe. The touch of rum sounds so perfect and delicious.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you, Veena!
Sadia Malik says
A new pancake recipe to try! It was delicious!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks, Sadia, for coming back and your comment!
Farah Maizar says
These look so moist and delicious! Nothing like apples with pancakes. I can't wait to try!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks, Farah! Please, enjoy the recipe. 🙂
Sarah says
I can't get over how good this is! It's such a simple recipe but feels so elevated with the rum and apple additions!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you so much, Sarah!!! I am glad you loved the recipe.
Claudia Lamascolo says
It was fabulous, and I can't wait for the weekend to make it again. It is just delicious!
★★★★★
Irina says
I am happy to hear that you are going to repeat this delicious experiment, Claudia!!!