These Signature Pancakes Have Stood the Test of Time

The pancakes taste great served with pure maple syrup and/or a dollop of chunky homemade applesauce. JeanMarie Brownson/TCA

The Grand Canyon offers unparalleled views as far as you can see. We’ll never forget the sights of this National Park treasure. But it’s the Park’s pancakes and cinnamon rolls that motivated our morning hikes.

During a recent visit to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, we ate crispy-edged, light, fluffy, and deliciously buttermilk-y pancakes three days in a row. So delicious! The Harvey House Café in the Bright Angel Lodge pays homage to the diners founded by Fred Harvey along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway’s main line in the 1880s. Their signature pancakes have stood the test of time.

Likewise, the tender, delicate cinnamon rolls served at the restaurant in Grand Canyon’s El Tovar Hotel delight. Menus, memorabilia and photos of the original Harvey House restaurants and their employees, known as the Harvey Girls, are on display in the Lodge and the Hotel. We will pay homage to these memories this holiday season, with a mash-up version of those incredible pancakes and cinnamon rolls for our guests.

Fresh buttermilk, along with melted butter, makes the tenderest pancakes. Swapping in a portion of whole wheat flour for white flour adds texture and a subtle nutty flavor. Flavor the batter with cinnamon, then stack the cooked cakes sandwiched with a fluffy cream cheese filling. A drizzle of homemade cinnamon syrup finishes the dish.

Cinnamon syrup proves easy to make: Simply simmer sugar and water with a few cinnamon sticks. The cooled syrup and cinnamon sticks can be stored in a jar or squeeze bottle in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Use the syrup for pancakes, waffles and as a sweetener in cocktails. The syrup also makes a nice gift for guests when packaged in a pretty bottle.

To make the morning cooking easier, mix the dry ingredients for the pancakes a day or two in advance. Likewise, make the cream cheese topping and the cinnamon syrup in advance. Just before you start heating the griddle, add the wet ingredients to the dry pancake mixture. Hold cooked pancakes in a low oven while you cook more and as the guests gather.

Temper the heat under the griddle or skillet when cooking pancakes. Remember, pancakes are cakes and a steady, even, moderate heat allows them to rise properly and cook evenly. A test pancake on a heated, oiled pan proves a good idea—the batter should spread evenly and then stop. If the batter is too thick, thin it with a little milk. Then, adjust the heat to promote gentle browning. Serve with a fresh fruit salad and breakfast sausages or crisp slices of bacon.

Stacked Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes With Cream Cheese Filling

Makes 16 four-inch cakes

For the pancakes:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or more all-purpose flour)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon each: baking soda, salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg or allspice
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup half-and-half or milk
• 1/4 cup expeller-pressed canola oil or sunflower oil or alternative
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

For cooking:

• Expeller-pressed canola oil or sunflower oil or alternative
• Butter, optional

To serve:

• Cream cheese and mascarpone filling, see recipe
• Cinnamon syrup, see recipe
• Powdered sugar, for sprinkling
• Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

Stir the flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together in a small bowl until blended. (Mixture will keep a week or more in a covered container.)

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until blended. Add buttermilk, half-and-half, 1/4 cup oil, and vanilla. Whisk until blended. Stir flour mixture and melted butter into the buttermilk mixture just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. (It’s preferable to leave some lumps rather than overmixing which can make tough pancakes.)

Heat 1 or 2 large nonstick skillet(s) or a nonstick griddle over medium heat until a drop of water bubbles furiously. Lightly oil the cooking surface and add little bits of butter for flavor if desired. Then spoon out about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Spread the batter with the back of the spoon so it is thinned out to a 4-inch round.

Add more scoops of the batter to make as many pancakes as the pan size allows leaving about 1 inch between pancakes. Cook each cake until a few bubbles break on top and the bottom is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip pancake over and cook until second side is golden, 1 to 2 minutes more. Oil the cooking surface and adjust the heat as you go along so pancakes are golden and not overly browned.

Transfer cooked pancakes to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Keep warm in oven until enough are cooked to serve.

Spread 1 or 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling on one pancake. Place on a serving plate. Top with two or three more frosted pancakes. Drizzle with the cinnamon syrup. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Cream Cheese and Mascarpone Filling

Makes about 2 cups

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup mascarpone or crème fraiche or plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, and butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light. Beat in sugar until soft peaks form. (Mixture can be refrigerated for several days.) Use at room temperature.

Cinnamon Syrup

• Makes about 1 cup
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 cup water

Put sugar, cinnamon sticks, and water into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Cook and stir until sugar has melted, about 2 minutes. Cover pan and boil 1 minute. Uncover and simmer over low heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool. Refrigerate covered for up to a week. Use warm.

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