Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes

Do we ever need a reason to eat pancakes? Nope. Everyday is a National Pancake Day! Eat a short stack for breakfast, enjoy them for lunch, or make a dinner out a manhole-sized pancake… guilt free… because you’re merely celebrating their existence. How do you like your pancakes? Buttermilk? Sweet Potato? Whole Grain? Fruit topped? Whipped Cream? I don’t usually care for any of that fancy stuff, but I can tell with absolute certainty that over-cooked, crusty pancakes have no place in my world. I like my pancakes fluffy. And sometimes I like slices of banana or berries cooked inside. A good dose of real maple syrup is what I prefer to drizzle on top. Now I am a big fan of ooey gooey cinnamon rolls also for the breakfast. So recently I started thinking about mixing cinnamon rolls and pancakes together… and this is what I came up with- my new favorite pancake: Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes.


You might find three of pancakes stacked in a fancy breakfast restaurant, but I’m going to tell you that for this particular pancake, one pancake is all you need. It’s like eating a cinnamon roll, and no one needs more than one cinnamon roll for breakfast. Or certainly no more than two!

I created a typical cinnamon roll filling and placed it in a pastry bag to be swirled over the pancakes as they cooked. I also added cream cheese to the icing and placed the icing in a pastry bag as well. It makes it very easy to fill the bags if you stand them up in tall glasses.

After pouring 1/4 cup pancake batter in a hot skillet, let is sit for a minute or so, then I swirled the cinnamon filling mixture over top. Once the pancakes bubbled evenly, I flipped them over to cook about 30 seconds more. I plated the pancakes and squeezed icing over top. And they cooked up just like a pancake- fluffy, but with craters of crusty, sugary cinnamon swirled within.
With a side of eggs and some fruit, this dish is a beautiful breakfast fit for royalty which we all are!

Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes

For the Cinnamon Filling...
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, mix until smooth:
1/2 stick softened butter, almost melty
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

How to:
Using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides, pour this mixture into a large pastry bag that had been opened and stood up in a tall glass. A large zip top bag with the edges folded over the glass would work too. The consistency should be like soft white toothpaste. Anything softer than this and you won't be able to swirl the filling on the pancakes.
For the Cream Cheese Icing...

In the same bowl that you used for the cinnamon filling, mix together, using the hand mixer again:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tbsp. milk

How to:
Mix until smooth and pour into a second pastry bag just like you did with the cinnamon mixture above.

For the Pancakes...

In the same bowl that you used for the filling and the icing- no need to be using or washing too many bowls now- mix together:

2 cups pancake mix- I used Bisquick's
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups milk

How to:

Using the hand mixer, blend until smooth. In a non-stick skillet, over medium to medium-low heat, and using a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup, ladle 1 pancake. Snip the tip off the pastry bag containing the cinnamon filling so that the opening is a scant 1/2 inch wide, swirl over cooking pancakes in a circular motion. Continue to cook the pancakes until bubbles form evenly through each cake. Gently flip each pancake over and cook another 30-45 seconds, remove to a serving platter and serve immediately or keep warm covered in a warm oven. Continue with the rest of the batter. Place 1-2 pancakes side by side (too pretty to stack!) on each plate and drizzle each one with icing. Makes 10 pancakes.

Note- Using a damp paper towel, wipe your skillet after each pancake is made. This will keep the next pancake from sticking to any of the cinnamon filling that has leaked onto your skillet or griddle.

After I swirled each pancake with the cinnamon filling, I returned the pastry bag, tip down in the tumbler. This kept it from leaking all over.

Store any leftover icing in the refrigerator for future use.