Cinnamon French Toast Pancakes
Made with fluffy buttermilk pancakes and a cinnamon French toast batter, these Cinnamon French Toast Pancakes are an easy but decadent breakfast. Perfect for weekend breakfasts, Sunday brunch, or even breakfast for dinner!
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If you love pancakes and you love French toast, you are going to LOVE these Cinnamon French Toast Pancakes! This recipe combines two of my favourite breakfast foods – fluffy homemade buttermilk pancakes and cinnamon French toast.
This recipe takes traditional cinnamon French toast and swaps out the toast for homemade pancakes. The warm pancakes are poked with holes and then quickly dipped in a simple French toast custard flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla, before being quickly cooked to crispy perfection on the stovetop.
Top a big stack of these cinnamon French toast pancakes with maple syrup, whipped cream, fresh fruit, or your other preferred toppings and enjoy!
Ingredient’s You’ll need
For the Pancakes:
- Canola oil – You’ll need extra for greasing the pan as well. Vegetable oil will also work.
- Eggs – Eggs give the pancakes form and help to hold everything together.
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla – Gives the pancakes a hint of flavor.
- All-purpose flour – I haven’t tried this recipe with other types of flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda – Helps the buttermilk pancakes rise.
- Salt
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk gives the pancakes flavor and keeps them super moist and tender.
Cinnamon French Toast Batter:
- Maple syrup – You definitely want REAL maple syrup for this.
- Butter – I recommend unsalted.
- Cinnamon – The key ingredient to cinnamon French toast!
- Eggs
- Whipping cream
- Vanilla
- Pancakes – From the recipe above or your favorite pancakes.
How To Make The Pancakes
Start by whisking together the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.
Place a large sieve over the bowl to sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into the wet ingredients below. This helps to break up any lumps and ensure that the baking soda and powder are more evenly distributed.
Make a well in the centre of the batter and add the buttermilk. Whisk until as smooth as possible and most of the lumps are out. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl while whisking so you get all of the dry ingredients mixed in.
Let the pancake batter sit for 10 to 15 minutes to rise. I am not sure that rise is the right word. It doesn’t rise like bread but letting it sit will allow some time for the baking powder and baking soda to activate and release bubbles into the batter.
During this time the batter will also begin to feel and look thicker as the flour begins to soak up the liquid.
Use a little oil to coat the pan. Add a cup of pancake batter to the pan. Let cook until bubbles form on the surface of the pancake and start to burst, then carefully flip the pancake over. Let the pancake cook for another 30 seconds or so or until both sides are nicely browned.
Remove the pancake from the pan to a serving platter. Cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm while you repeat the process with the remaining batter. Each pancake should be about 6” in diameter.
Or you can make them smaller and have mini cinnamon pancake french toasts.
Making Cinnamon French Toast Pancakes
Melt the butter, maple syrup and cinnamon in a small pot over medium heat. Once mixed, leave it alone and turn the heat up to medium-high bringing the mixutre to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes then remove from heat and set aside.
In a wide, shallow bowl or baking dish, add the eggs, whipping cream, vanilla, remaining cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup mixture. Whisk to combine.
I like to use a wider shallower bowl so that the pancake can fit fully into it and be flipped easily. The pancakes are more fragile than a typical slice of bread more commonly used for french toast. You don’t want to be folding it or messing with it too much while trying to coat it with the batter.
Poke holes all over the pancakes with a fork. This will allow for the french toast batter to sink into the pancake for more flavour.
Place a pancake into the batter and let sit for 5 seconds per side. Flip gently to avoid breaking the pancake. Keep in mind that pancakes are thinner and more fragile than bread so they do not need as much time to sit.
If you let the pancake sit too long in the batter it may begin to disintegrate and be impossible to flip.
Place the coated pancake into a pan over medium-high heat that has been greased with a little butter. Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side or until both sides are golden brown and the inside is cooked through.
Remove the pancake from the pan and place it on a platter covered with a clean tea towel to keep warm until you are finished making the rest.
Serve the Cinnamon French Toast Pancakes with the remaining maple syrup and any other toppings you would like.
Pancakes are fluffy on their own and make an excellent fluffy french toast!
Great French Toast Topping Ideas
Get creative with topping your Pancake French toast! Here are a few topping ideas:
- Maple syrup
- Whipped cream (homemade is especially great!)
- Powdered sugar
- Nutella
- Fresh fruit, like berries or banana
- Peanut butter
- Cinnamon or nutmeg
How to Keep French Toast Warm
The easiest way to keep French toast warm is to cover the platter with a clean tea towel, immediately after removing them from heat. You can also pop the platter in an oven heated to 200°F while you cook the remaining toast.
How Long Should You Soak French Toast?
Pancake French Toast really needs to soak for just 5 seconds per side. It’s more delicate than bread so the custard is absorbed quicker. If you’re using bread to make French toast, soak it for 10 to 15 seconds per side.
Can You Reheat French Toast?
Yes, you can reheat any leftover French toast (or toast that got cool before you had the chance to eat it). You can microwave it, but note that it will lose the crispy texture. You can also pop it back into the pan with a little oil to crisp it back up. The air fryer also works great for reheating fluffy French toast and keeping it crispy. Just pop it in for a few minutes until heated through.
Can I Make This Recipe With Bread Instead?
Yes, if you prefer more traditional cinnamon French toast, you can absolutely make this recipe with bread. You’ll want to use a bread that’s thick and sturdy, though it should be no more than 1” thick as it may not cook through. Brioche is a great option, as are French bread, sourdough, and plain white bread. It’s best to use bread that’s slightly stale and avoid packaged sliced loaves of bread.
Can You Store Leftover French Toast Batter?
Yes! If you end up with leftover French toast batter, you can keep it in the fridge for 5 days. This is perfect for making another batch of pancake French toast the next day. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Can I Use Any Pancake Recipe?
Sure. You can use any pancake recipe you’d like for the pancake portion of these French toast pancakes. Personally, I like buttermilk pancakes because they make fluffy French toast and soak up the custard well.
More Breakfast Recipes:
- Banana Pancake Bites with Honey Butter
- Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Rolls
- Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Pancakes
- Breakfast Stuffed Peppers
- Sausage & Pepper Breakfast Strata
Cinnamon French Toast Pancakes
Ingredients
Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
- ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
Cinnamon French Toast Batter & Syrup
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter; divided
- 2 tsp cinnamon; divided
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Pancakes
- In a large bowl whisk the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
- Add a large sieve over the bowl and add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Sift the dry ingredients through into the wet ingredients below.
- Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk. Whisk until combined and all the lumps are removed.
- Let the pancake batter sit for 10-15 minutes to rise or become thicker.
- Add a little oil to the pan coat. Add 1 cup of pancake batter to the pan. Let the batter cook until bubbles form and start to burst. Then carefully flip the pancake and let cook for another 30 seconds. Removed from the pan to a serving platter and cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm. Continue until all of the batter has been used. Pancakes should be roughly 6" in diameter.
French Toast Pancakes and Cinnamon Syrup
- Add the maple syrup, 1 tbsp butter and 1 tsp cinnamon to a small pot and mix until combined over medium heat.
- Stop stirring and turn heat up to medium-high and bring the syrup to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a wide shallow bowl or baking dish add the eggs, whipping cream vanilla, remaining cinnamon and 2 tbsp of the maple syrup mixture and whisk to combine.
- Use a fork to poke holes all over the pancakes.
- Place one pancake into the pancake batter and let sit for 5 seconds per side. Flipping gently so as not to break the pancake. Pancakes are thinner and more fragile than bread so they do not need much time to sit.
- Add some butter to the pan over medium-high heat and place the coated pancake into the pan. Let cook 1-2 minutes per side or until browned on each side. Remove from heat and place on a platter covered with a clean tea towel to keep warm until you are finished making the rest.
- Serve with the remaining cinnamon maple syrup and any other topping you would like.
Nutrition
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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