Festive Funfetti Birthday Cake Pancakes
How many posts can I churn out about Benjamin’s birthday? Looks like three! I’ve given you the design transfer tutorial, the Kryptonite cake, and now let me share with you these flavorful and festive Funfetti Birthday Cake Pancakes. Now that’s a mouthful!
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Story time…
Growing up, my mom always made special days like holidays and birthdays exciting. On your birthday, you got to choose all of your favorite foods. Waking up on Valentine’s Day meant festive place mats adorned with delicious heart shaped goodies. Christmas, of course, was always a special elaborate breakfast, just don’t ask her to bake you bacon. Side note- she forgot to set a timer and the burnt pan ended up sitting outside the kitchen door for, like, a year.
But back on track! I loved how special those days felt to me as a child, so I have been trying to come up with unique ways to celebrate holidays and birthdays with Ben. Right around his first birthday, I decided birthday cake pancakes were a manageable way to celebrate. I hopped on Pinterest and found this recipe.
Keeping with Tradition
So far, I have made these pancakes for Benjamin’s birthday breakfast every year. This year when I gave him his plate, he shouted, “Thank you, Mom!” after I told him that I made them just for his birthday. Melts my heart!
I have altered the original recipe, but not too drastically. It made such a small batch of pancakes, that I’ve doubled it to make about a dozen pancakes. This is going to sound crazy for someone with a baking blog, but I don’t like my goodies to be super sweet. At a certain point it just tastes sweet and the distinct flavors are lost. Really, the biggest changes I made were less sugar and a smidge more milk.
These birthday cake pancakes use boxed cake mix to give them their “cake” flavor. You could always use a homemade yellow cake mix, but I do like the convenience of the box. The only problem you may be wondering is… What the heck do I do with a partially used box of cake mix?
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Solution…
Have no fear! I solved this problem years ago when I made the first batch. Once upon a time, I found a recipe someone created that involved mixing canned pumpkin with a full box of cake mix to make pumpkin muffins. Although I have since lost that original source of inspiration, I figured I would just replace the missing mix with an equal amount of dry ingredients and go from there. Over the years I have changed the recipe a good bit, but I think I’ve got a tasty one this year. Check out my Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes recipe!
Making Birthday Cake Pancakes
Pancakes are one of those recipes, like boxed mac and cheese or scrambled eggs, that everyone is expected to be able to pull off. Truly, they are super easy, but maybe you need a little advice. Maybe a few pointers could take your breakfast game from “passable” to “insane”. Let’s see if I can do anything for ya.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to be gentle with the batter. Over mixing pancake batter will result in tough, chewy pancakes. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s not exactly awesome. This means that you need to come to terms with a slightly lumpy batter. I know, it’s weird, but it’ll be okay. Too help with mixing, I like adding the dry into the wet. It makes it much less likely that you’ll have a pocket of flour hiding in the bottom of your bowl.
Time to Flip
First of all, the temperature of your pan is crucial! The pan must be thoroughly preheated, but at a low heat. I suggest warming the pan up over a very low heat right before you combine the wet and dry ingredients. When you’re ready, turn the heat up a smidge and get cooking. Low and slow is the secret here. That will cook the pancake all the way through without burning the outside. You’ll need to adjust the heat throughout the cooking process to keep it at a good level.
Full disclosure, I used to be terrible at flipping pancakes. I never knew where they were going to end up or if I’d end up with scrambled pancakes. Pause. Y’all know about scrambled pancakes? My mom called them “buckus” (sp?) and they’re awesome. Okay, back to flipping. Anywho. The pancakes will flip really easily when they’re ready because they’ll be cooked through enough that they can hold their shape. This realization hit me when I was making the blueberry cornmeal pancakes.
Enjoy!
If you are looking for a tasty and exciting way to celebrate a birthday from the moment you wake up, birthday cake pancakes for you! Drizzle melted white chocolate and top with extra sprinkles for a breakfast fit for even the most EXTRA birthday boy or girl. Heck, enjoy these just because it’s a Sunday! No need to limit yourself. And while you’re enjoying some FUN pancakes, pop on over to Facebook and like the Bakes and Blunders page. Maybe you’ll help me choose what to bake next…
Funfetti Birthday Cake Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all- purpose flour
- 2/3 cup boxed yellow cake mix
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sprinkles or more to taste
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, cake mix, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and milk.
- Add your dry ingredients to the wet and gently mix until just combined. If you over mix, your pancakes will be flat and tough.
- If necessary, add more milk and mix until just combined.
- Add your sprinkles and combine.
- Cook batter in a skillet over low heat for 2-3 minutes per side, or until a nice golden brown. I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to dispense the batter, or a tablespoon if I'm making mini pancakes.
Notes
My Favorite Products for this Recipe
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
2 Comments
celeste patisserie
Thank you very useful information
Colleen
Glad I could help!