These cinnamon swirl pancakes are a tasty twist on the popular pastry item. Thick, fluffy and swirled with a sweet cinnamon filling, they’re great for serving up at breakfast or brunch on Pancake Day. Serve with a drizzle of cream cheese icing, or with a caramel yogurt for ease.

Whether you’re having them at breakfast, lunch or dinner, any time of the day is acceptable for pancakes on Pancake Day!

Ready in: 40 minutes

Makes: 10

Ingredients

145g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
40g butter, melted
140ml milk
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
Vegetable oil

For the cream cheese icing
100g full fat soft cheese
50 – 100g icing sugar, sieved
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp milk
Chopped pecans, to finish (optional)

Method

1. Sieve the flour into a large measuring jug. Add the baking powder, caster sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt then whisk to combine. Crack in the eggs along with half the melted butter and all the milk. Whisk together to make a smooth batter. This mixture will keep in the fridge overnight.

2. Next, stir the remaining cinnamon, light brown sugar and the maple syrup into the leftover melted butter. Add 3 tbsp into the pancake batter and mix well. Transfer the remaining cinnamon mixture into a squeezy bottle that has a small nozzle or a piping bag.

3. Prepare the cream cheese frosting next. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl, mixing well. Use 50g of icing sugar at first, but more can be added depending on your preference on flavour and thickness.

4. When you are ready to cook the pancakes, heat a little bit of oil in the largest frying pan you have. Wipe out any excess oil with kitchen roll. Keeping the pan over a low to medium heat, spoon 2-3 tbsp mounds of batter into the pan for each pancake, leaving space for them to expand as they cook. You should be able to cook around 3 to 4 pancakes at a time. Use the cinnamon mixture in the bottle / piping bag to pipe swirls on top of each pancake. When each pancake starts to set around the edges and you see bubbles appear on top, carefully slip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden and cooked through. Keep the cooked pancakes warm in a low oven while you cooked the rest of the batter.

5. Drizzle with the cream cheese frosting to serve along with a scattering of chopped pecans.