Cracker Barrel Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes Recipe is an American breakfast dish made with buttermilk pancakes swirled with sweetened cream cheese filling and served with fresh strawberry syrup made from strawberry jam and halved berries.
The first time I made these, I didn’t soften the cream cheese properly and it came out lumpy and impossible to pipe. Now I leave it at room temperature for at least an hour and it pipes smoothly without any effort.
Don’t overmix the pancake batter. A few lumps are fine. Keep stirring and you’ll end up with tough, rubbery pancakes instead of light, fluffy ones.
Jump to RecipeCracker Barrel Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes Recipe Ingredients
The Homemade Syrup
- 180g (6oz) strawberry jam
- 225g (8oz) fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
The Cream Cheese Swirl
- 115g (4oz) full-fat cream cheese, completely softened
- 40g (1½oz) caster sugar
- 2 tsp full-fat milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
The Pancake Batter
- 190g (6¾oz) plain flour
- 300ml (10fl oz) buttermilk
- 45g (1½oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 large egg
- 3½ tsp baking powder
- 50g (1¾oz) caster sugar
- ½ tsp fine salt
How To Make Cracker Barrel Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes Recipe
- Simmer the syrup: Put the strawberry jam and the fresh halved strawberries into a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and let the fresh fruit soften slightly into the jam. Take it off the heat and set it aside to keep warm.
- Mix the cheesecake filling: Whisk together the softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a medium bowl until completely smooth with no lumps. Transfer this mixture into a piping bag or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off. Set aside.
- Prepare the dry ingredients: Stir together the plain flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the wet ingredients: Whisk the room-temperature buttermilk, egg, and melted butter together in a separate medium bowl. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Lumps are fine. Do not overmix.
- Pipe and cook: Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour about 80ml (⅓ cup) of batter into the pan, spreading it to a 10cm (4 inch) circle. Reduce the heat to medium-low. When bubbles form around the edges, pipe the cream cheese filling in a spiral pattern on top of the wet batter, starting from the centre.
- The flip: Cook for 2-3 minutes until bubbles pop on the surface. Gently but quickly flip the pancake and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side until golden brown.
- Serve: Wipe the pan clean between batches to stop the cream cheese burning. Serve the warm pancakes topped with the homemade strawberry syrup and a dusting of icing sugar.
Recipe Tips
Soften the cream cheese completely. Leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before mixing. Cold cream cheese stays lumpy and won’t pipe smoothly.
Don’t overmix the pancake batter. Stop as soon as the flour disappears. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing develops the gluten and makes the pancakes tough.
Pipe the cream cheese whilst the batter is still wet. If you wait too long, the top sets and the cream cheese sits on top instead of sinking in slightly.
Reduce the heat after pouring the batter. Medium-low heat gives the pancake time to cook through without burning the bottom before the top is ready to flip.
Wipe the pan between batches. The cream cheese that drips onto the pan burns and makes the next pancake taste bitter. A quick wipe with kitchen roll keeps the pan clean.
Make the syrup ahead. It can sit in the pan on the hob whilst you cook the pancakes and stays warm without needing extra attention.
What To Serve With Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes
These work well on their own as a complete breakfast. The cream cheese filling, strawberry syrup, and fluffy pancakes cover all the flavours and textures without needing anything else on the plate.
They also fit alongside crispy bacon or sausages for a full breakfast spread. The savoury meat balances the sweet pancakes without competing with them.
How To Store Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes
Fridge
Let the pancakes cool completely, then stack them with greaseproof paper between each one and keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Store the syrup separately in a covered container for up to 5 days.
Reheat
Reheat pancakes in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or in a toaster on a low setting. Warm the syrup gently in a small saucepan over low heat before serving.
Freeze
Stack cooled pancakes with greaseproof paper between each one, wrap tightly in clingfilm, and freeze for up to 2 months. Toast straight from frozen or microwave for 45 seconds to defrost. Do not freeze the syrup as the strawberries turn mushy when defrosted.
Cracker Barrel Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes Recipe Nutrition Facts
Per serving (2 pancakes with syrup, 1 of 6):
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Protein: 8g
- Fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 62g
- Sugar: 34g
- Sodium: 520mg
Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.
FAQs
Yes. Mix 300ml of full-fat milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes before using. This makes a quick buttermilk substitute.
The pancakes turn out tough and rubbery instead of light and fluffy. Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears.
Yes. Mix it, transfer to the piping bag, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bring it to room temperature for 30 minutes before using or it will be too thick to pipe.
Cracker Barrel Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes Recipe
Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings20
minutes30
minutes420
kcalFluffy buttermilk pancakes swirled with sweetened cream cheese filling and topped with fresh strawberry syrup made from jam and halved berries.
Ingredients
180g strawberry jam
225g fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
115g full-fat cream cheese, completely softened
40g caster sugar (for filling)
2 tsp full-fat milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
190g plain flour
300ml buttermilk
45g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
3½ tsp baking powder
50g caster sugar (for batter)
½ tsp fine salt
Directions
- Combine strawberry jam and halved fresh strawberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer until fruit softens slightly. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- Whisk softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and milk in a medium bowl until completely smooth. Transfer to a piping bag or sandwich bag with corner snipped off. Set aside.
- Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
- Whisk buttermilk, egg, and melted butter in a separate bowl. Pour into dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Lumps are fine. Do not overmix.
- Heat non-stick pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour 80ml batter into pan, spreading to 10cm circle. Reduce heat to medium-low. When bubbles form around edges, pipe cream cheese filling in spiral pattern on wet batter, starting from centre.
- Cook 2-3 minutes until bubbles pop. Flip gently and cook 2-3 minutes on other side until golden brown.
- Wipe pan clean between batches. Serve warm pancakes topped with strawberry syrup and dusting of icing sugar.
