Whether you're turning 5 or 50, you're never too old for funfetti! These birthday cake pancakes combine that sweet funfetti flavor with a decadent vanilla frosting and all the sprinkles. You're just 15 minutes away from birthday cake for breakfast deliciousness!
Last week was my birthday and every year, for as long as I can remember, I've requested funfetti cake or cupcakes with vanilla frosting and copious amounts of sprinkles for the occasional.
But as we age, we start asking the tough questions in life.
Questions like "Why am I confining my funfetti festivities to after dinner hours?" and "Why am I not covering my pancakes in frosting?"
You know, the real hard hitters.
So this year I decided to throw all caution and adulty-ness to the wind and celebrate exactly how 5 year old me would want: With a giant stack of funfetti pancakes smothered in frosting and sprinkles.
How to make birthday cake pancakes
First, whisk the melted butter until smooth. Add the egg and continuing whisk until completely incorporated. Repeat with the milk. Add the flour, baking powder and vanilla and almond extracts, whisking until the batter is lump-free.
Second, add the sprinkles, give the batter a gentle stir or two, and pour onto a hot, non-stick, lightly greased griddle or frying pan. Many sprinkles tend to loose their color the longer their emerged in a liquid, so make sure you're not adding them to the batter before you absolutely have to.
Third, cook the pancakes until golden brown on each side. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool until no longer hot to the touch.
Finally, spread a thin layer of vanilla across the top of each pancake and stack to the desired height. Melt a few tablespoons of leftover frosting and gently drizzle it over the top. You can also use maple syrup if you'd prefer.
Top with a spoonful of frosting and sprinkles.
Tips for making birthday cake pancakes
- Dry, uncoated sprinkles like jimmies and quins tend to lose their color the longer their submerged in batter. To keep the colors from running, don't add your sprinkles to the batter until the last possible moment.
- Alternatively, you can add your sprinkles directly to the uncooked side of the pancakes. Once flipped, the colors will bleed up to the top of the cooking pancakes, but may look like a bit of a hot mess on the bottom.
- To get that perfectly round scoop of frosting on the top, I use an ice cream scoop. To keep a soft frosting from losing it's shape as it's pushed out of the scoop, try freezing the ice cream scoop for 5 minutes.
- Storing pancakes: Looking to save time? You can make these pancakes ahead of time and refrigerate them for 1-2 days or freeze them for 1-2 months. Simply place a piece of parchment between each pancake and seal in an airtight plastic bag.
- Reheating refrigerated or frozen pancakes: Simply microwave your pancakes on medium power for 1-2 minutes or bake at 350F for 10 minutes.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!
PrintRecipe
Birthday Cake Pancakes
These birthday cake pancakes combine that sweet funfetti flavor with a decadent vanilla frosting and all the sprinkles. You're just 15 minutes away from birthday cake for breakfast deliciousness!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ½ lb vanilla frosting
- Rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter and eggs.
- Add the milk and whisk until just combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder and vanilla and almond extracts, whisking until the batter is lump-free.
- Quickly stir in the sprinkles and pour the batter onto a hot non-stick pan or griddle, cooking until golden brown on each side.
- Once the pancakes have cooled slightly, frost each with a thin layer of vanilla frosting. Stack to desired height.
- Melt a few tablespoons of leftover frosting in the microwave (about 10-15 seconds) and pour over top of your pancakes. You can also use maple syrup if you would prefer.
- Garnish with sprinkles.
Notes
- Dry, uncoated sprinkles like jimmies and quins tend to lose their color the longer their submerged in batter. To keep the colors from running, don't add your sprinkles to the batter until the last possible moment.
- Alternatively, you can add your sprinkles directly to the uncooked side of the pancakes. Once flipped, the colors will bleed up to the top of the cooking pancakes, but may look like a bit of a hot mess on the bottom.
- To get that perfectly round scoop of frosting on the top, I use an ice cream scoop. To keep a soft frosting from losing it's shape as it's pushed out of the scoop, try freezing the ice cream scoop for 5 minutes.
- Storing pancakes: Looking to save time? You can make these pancakes ahead of time and refrigerate them for 1-2 days or freeze them for 1-2 months. Simply place a piece of parchment between each pancake and seal in an airtight plastic bag.
- Reheating refrigerated or frozen pancakes: Simply microwave your pancakes on medium power for 1-2 minutes or bake at 350F for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pancake + filling
- Calories: 151
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 48mg
- Fat: 4.7g
- Saturated Fat: 2.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 12.4g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 3.6g
- Cholesterol: 111mg
If you liked these pancakes, you might also like...
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
These are sooo pretty! So perfect for birthdays! You are definitely never too old for funfetti 🙂 I will be requesting a big ol' stack of these my next birthday!
Sue says
I love these! What fun 🙂
Elaine Benoit says
Those look beautiful, colorful and delicious!! I love funfetti and would love to have birthday cake pancakes this year.
Pearl Rodrigues says
You know this seems to be like a fun idea instead of having the typical birthday cake cut at midnight. I'd love to make one for someone's birthday and not just breakfast. Looks super delicious and fluffy
Denise says
What a fun and yummy idea! Who doesn't love sprinkles? This is a treat for sure.
Amanda Mason says
Happy birthday!! I love that you made yourself some funfetti pancakes!! This post was a great reminder that it's still fun as an adult to have fun and celebrate the pretty and sparkly things in life!! I will definately be making this!
Kallee says
What a fun way to start of a birthday day. Anyone would feel special being served these.
Jo says
Those are beautiful birthday pancakes! Who wouldn't be happy to have birthday cakes in form of pancakes decorated so beautifully! I would be very happy to have this for my birthday treat! Picture perfect
Sara says
I can't even with these pancakes. My birthday is in a couple of weeks, and I honestly may request these for brunch! lol. The sprinkles make it so fun and inviting; I like your tip of waiting until the last minute to add the sprinkles so they don't lose their color!
Amanda says
These are the cutest pancakes ever! And they're so delicious. I plan on making these even without a birthday to celebrate. Thanks for sharing!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
These pancakes look perfect for a birthday celebration! I have only made Birthday Cake Oatmeal before, but definitely will try this next year! 🙂
Chef and Steward says
This looks like a great fun way to start a birthday. I think my little one will relish this.
Natalie says
This pancake cake is such a great party idea. I'm throwing one next week and I'll be definitely making this delicious cake. I bet my guests will be surprised and delighted. It looks fantastic!
Daniela says
Nice! Such a fun birthday breakfast idea! Really wanna make this for my niece on her next Birthday ~ thanks so much for sharing :).