Easy Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Okay, I bet you’re wondering what a cinnamon roll pancake is. Do you smash up a Cinnabon and flatten it out? Or do you serve one on top of a pancake? 

Well, as yummy as that sounds (and I might try that someday), a cinnamon roll pancake is simply a pancake laced with cinnamon sugar. Imagine the toasted, buttery, milky scent of pancake cooking on a pan, emitting a whiff of sweet cinnamon sugar. 

All I do is cook pancakes the traditional way and pipe a swirl of cinnamon sugar onto them! It’s easier than it sounds, so bear with me. And since cream cheese and cinnamon are one of the best flavor combinations in the dessert world, I thought, “Why not make a cream cheese glaze to go on top?” 

This cinnamon roll pancake recipe is part of my Mother’s Day recipe collection. Most mothers detest the idea of eating anything in bed, but if you promise someone will clean up the mess, I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to have this as soon as they wake up!

Recipe Ingredients

This recipe has three parts: the pancake batter, the cinnamon drizzle, and the cream cheese glaze.

For the pancake batter, prepare:

• All-purpose flour – The cakey texture in pancakes is all thanks to all-purpose flour! 
• Milk, unsalted butter, and egg – Basic ingredients to good pancake batter. 
• Sugar – If mom is on a low-sugar diet, feel free to remove this entirely or reduce the quantity. You’re sweet enough, dear. 
• Baking powder – May your pancakes be light and fluffy! 
• Salt – Salt in pancakes? Yup, just a pinch. A little goes a long way in making these pancakes oh-so-tasty!   
• Cooking spray – To grease the frying pan. You can replace this with butter or oil. 

To make the cinnamon drizzle, you will need:

• Cinnamon – Use high-quality cinnamon powder for the tastiest results. 
• Light brown sugar and unsalted butter – Melted butter and sugar combine to create a pasty mixture for the cinnamon drizzle. 

And for the cream cheese glaze:

• Cream cheese – Bring a block of cream cheese to room temperature. You can thaw it for a couple of hours or heat it up in the microwave in 15-second increments if short on time. 
• Confectioner’s sugar – Also called icing sugar or powdered sugar, their super fine texture creates a glossy glaze while adding sweetness. 
• Milk – We will use milk to give the glaze a thinner consistency.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

1. Make the cinnamon drizzle: In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Place in a piping bag fitted with a small, round piping tip.

2. Mix the pancake batter: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a larger bowl, whisk the milk, butter, and egg until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients and whisk together, but you don’t need to overmix – some lumps are fine!

3. Cook the pancakes: Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Dollop 2-3 tablespoons of batter onto the frying pan and smooth the surface with the spoon. Cook until the surface of the pancakes develops some bubbles, about 1-2 minutes.

4. Pipe a swirl in the middle of each pancake with the cinnamon drizzle. Flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the surface has browned. Repeat with the remaining batter, wiping down the pan between each batch – the cinnamon sugar can make the pan quite messy!

5. Make the cream cheese glaze: Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the confectioner’s sugar and milk. Mix until combined. Drizzle over the pancakes and enjoy!

What to Serve with Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

My brain is about to pop thinking about all the possibilities of what to serve with these delicious cinnamon roll pancakes. But, here are some very easy ideas! 

• Berries – Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or sliced bananas (Fun fact: bananas are scientifically berries, but strawberries are not. Weird!)  
• Nuts – Crush pecans, almonds, or pistachio nuts and sprinkle it over the pancakes. It’s always a good idea to have different textures on a plate 😋
• Hot matcha or hot chocolate – Make a cup of milky hot matcha or hot chocolate.
• Hot tea – If your mom wants a drink that’s not as rich, brew an English Breakfast or Earl Grey. This will really complete the whole breakfast-in-bed experience!

Expert Tips

1. If you are new to cooking pancakes, then the best way to go about it is to have an “experimental pancake”. It’s the first spoonful of batter that you’re ready to sacrifice for a taste test or flipping practice and then toss into the bin. I did this a few times before I really got a hang of cooking pancakes!
   
2. Between each batch of cinnamon roll pancakes, wipe the pan down. Since the cinnamon sugar mixture can make the pan quite messy and burn (if left on for too long) you want to make sure each batch of pancake goes onto a clean pan. Remember to grease the pan, too.
   
3. Milk is your best friend when it comes to the cream cheese glaze! We want a smooth yet thin consistency, and not too thick that it resembles frosting. If your glaze is still too thick, add more milk and mix. 

How to Store and Reheat Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Leave any extra cooked pancakes on the counter to cool to room temperature. Then, individually wrap in parchment paper. This prevents them from sticking to each other. I’d then keep these in the fridge wrapped in a ziplock bag.

There are a few options to reheat cinnamon roll pancakes: You either pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds, use a toaster, or fry it again in the frying pan. 

Store any excess cream cheese glaze in the fridge for up to 3 days. They’re also great on bread, cereals, or cake!

FAQ

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Need a breakfast-in-bed idea? I’ve got you covered with these cinnamon roll pancakes drizzled in a decadent cream cheese glaze.

Course breakfast

Cuisine american

Servings 8 pancakes

Ingredients

Pancake Batter:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted
• 1 large egg
• cooking spray for frying pan

Cinnamon Drizzle:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• ½ tbsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Glaze:

• 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
• ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tbsp milk

Instructions

• Make the pancake batter: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the milk, butter and egg and whisk until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients and whisk together, but make sure not to overmix. Some lumps are fine!
• Make the cinnamon drizzle: In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Place in a piping bag fitted with a small, round piping tip.
• Heat a frying pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Dollop 2-3 tbsp of batter onto the frying pan and smooth the surface with the spoon. Cook until the surface of the pancakes develop some bubbles, about 1-2 minutes. Pipe a swirl in the middle of each pancake with the cinnamon drizzle. Flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the surface has browned. Continue with the rest of the batter, wiping down the pan between each batch – the cinnamon sugar can make the pan quite messy!
• Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the confectioner’s sugar and milk and mix until combined.
• Drizzle over the pancakes and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Want to see more video tutorials? Check out all of my recipes here!

http://www.youtube.com/pankobunny

Keyword cinnamon roll pancakes, cinnamon roll pancakes recipe

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