These Birthday Cake Pancakes are as delicious as they're pretty! They have a light and fluffy texture and a classic vanilla cake flavor. You can make them with gluten-free flour and naturally colored sprinkles. They're really simple, easy to make, and they're freezer-friendly too!
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Why You'll Love These Funfetti Pancakes
Birthday cake for breakfast - If you love that classic vanilla birthday cake flavor, or you know someone who does, and their birthday is coming up, definitely make these! But whether or not it's your birthday, these pancakes are sure to make your breakfast extra special!
Great for a crowd and freezer-friendly - You can easily double or triple the recipe if you're making breakfast or brunch for a large group of people, and you can also freeze them if you made too many! I like meal prepping them because they're so easy to heat up in the morning when you don't have time to make breakfast.
You can make them gluten-free - While you can totally make the pancakes with all-purpose flour, I always use the Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour blend. Actually, all my Pancake Recipes are developed as gluten-free, so you can be sure they'll always come out great! I highly recommend the one I use, but other flours that can be used in a 1:1 ratio should work well.
Ingredients
- Flour - I always use gluten-free flour, but all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour work as well. Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour is my go-to.
- Eggs - Eggs help bind everything together and help raise the pancakes. I haven't tried any vegan substitutes, so I can't guarantee results.
- Buttermilk - I started adding buttermilk to my pancake batter a while ago instead of almond milk, and it makes them so fluffy and light. I can never go back to plain milk now! You can use regular buttermilk or make your own at home with either whole milk or a non-dairy milk (see the paragraph below and notes in the recipe card).
- Maple syrup - The pancakes are lightly sweetened with maple syrup. I like dark maple syrup for a stronger flavor, but light works too. You can also use honey or agave if you prefer.
- Unsalted butter - Butter makes the pancakes crispy on the outside and soft. I also use butter to cook the pancakes. You can use vegan butter if needed.
- Flavorings - Pure vanilla extract is a classic, but I'm also adding a little bit of almond extract. It adds that vanilla cake flavor and it's also similar to marzipan. You only need a small amount because it's pretty strong. You can skip it if you prefer, and just go with vanilla.
- Rainbow sprinkles - I like using naturally colored sprinkles without any artificial colors. You can use any sprinkles you have, but these Rainbow Sprinkles are my go-to. Nonpareils tend to melt too much and won't be as visible, so I don't recommend those.
Variations and Substitutions
- Homemade buttermilk (vegan or regular) - Measure 2 cups of milk, remove 2 tablespoons of the milk, and add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Gently stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. It's ready when it slightly thickens and curdles. You can do this with cow's milk, almond milk, oat milk, or any other milk you prefer. Choose a good-quality creamy milk.
- Chocolate chips - Add a small handful of dark chocolate chips (or add less sprinkles and more chocolate chips) to make these pancakes even more special (and sweeter)!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and fine sea salt. Make sure your melted butter isn't too warm so it doesn't cook the eggs. If your eggs are too cold, they might solidify the butter, so you want to whisk everything together quickly.
- Pour in buttermilk into the egg mixture and whisk again.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two batches and whisk and fold gently until the flour is just mixed in. It’s ok if there are a few lumps, be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Fold in the sprinkles and set the batter aside while you heat up your pan.
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- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a small knob of butter.
- Spoon the batter into the preheated skillet or a griddle to form pancakes. Don’t overcrowd the pan. I make 3 pancakes in a 12-inch pan. If you overcrowd the pan, it makes them much harder to flip.
- Cook the pancakes for 2-4 minutes on each side until golden and fluffy. Flip when bubbles start to form and the sides are set. The pancakes should be easy to flip.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter. Lower the heat if the butter starts to burn, add more as needed, and wipe the pan carefully with a paper towel if necessary.
- Serve the pancakes with whipped cream, more sprinkles, and drizzled with maple syrup, or with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Success Tips!
- Don't overmix your batter - It's okay when there are a few flour lumps in the batter, they will disappear as the pancakes cook. If you overmix the batter, the pancakes will be denser, and they might not rise as much.
- Keep your pancakes warm - Preheat your oven to 200°F and keep your pancakes on a baking sheet in a single layer in the oven while you finish cooking the rest of the batter. Don't stack the pancakes to keep them crispy on the outside. If you stack them, they will steam and lose their crispiness.
Storing
Refrigerator: Store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Freezer: You can also freeze the pancakes in a freezer-safe container or a freezer bag for up to 3-5 months when stored properly. I also like to wrap them in foil to avoid any freezer burn. If you have vacuum-sealed freezer bags, you may be able to store them for longer.
Reheating
My go-to way to reheat these is in the oven. While you can reheat them on the stove, in a microwave, or in a toaster, I find the oven warms them up the most evenly, and you can reheat them in the oven from frozen as well.
Preheat your oven to 300°F and place the pancakes on a small baking sheet in a single layer. They take 5-10 minutes to warm up from the fridge and 15-20 minutes from the freezer. This will also vary based on their size.
FAQs
If your pancakes came out dense and flatter than expected, it could be caused by either overmixing the batter or by using old baking powder or baking soda. You want those two to be fresh. Once opened, baking powder loses its strength as it sits in your pantry, so you want to make sure it's not expired. Sometimes, even when it's not expired yet, just opened for a while, it could lose its strength.
You can make your own buttermilk using non-dairy milk and use vegan butter, but I haven't tried any vegan alternatives for the eggs, so I can't guarantee results. If you give it a try, I'd love to hear how it went in the comments below!
Other Pancakes with Buttermilk
If you have a lot of buttermilk you need to use up, try any of the five pancake recipes listed below! The strawberry ones are my favorite! To see all the latest ones, head over to Pancakes and Waffles.
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Have you tried these Birthday Cake Pancakes? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
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Print📖 Recipe
Birthday Cake Pancakes
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 (14-16 pancakes)
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Birthday Cake Pancakes are as delicious as they're pretty! They have a light and fluffy texture and a classic vanilla cake flavor. They're really simple, easy to make, and freezer-friendly!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoon melted butter (plus more butter for cooking)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups buttermilk (see notes for vegan buttermilk)
- 3-4 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and fine sea salt.
- Add buttermilk and whisk again.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two batches and whisk and fold gently until the flour is just mixed in. It’s ok if there are a few lumps.
- Fold in the sprinkles and set aside.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add a small knob of butter.
- Spoon the batter into the preheated pan to form pancakes. Don’t overcrowd the pan to make them easy to flip. I make 3 pancakes in a 12-inch pan.
- Cook the pancakes for 2-4 minutes on each side until golden and fluffy.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter. Lower the heat if the butter starts to burn, add more as needed, and wipe the pan carefully with a paper towel if necessary.
- Serve the pancakes with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Melted butter: Make sure the butter isn’t too warm when you mix it with the eggs to avoid it cooking them. You can also whisk it in along with the buttermilk.
Vegan buttermilk: Measure 2 cups of milk, remove 2 tablespoons of the milk, and add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Gently stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. It's ready when it slightly thickens and curdles. You can do this with cow's milk, almond milk, oat milk, or any other milk you prefer. Choose a good-quality creamy milk.
Keep your pancakes warm: Preheat your oven to 200°F and keep your pancakes in the oven on a baking sheet in a single layer to keep them warm while you finish cooking the rest of the batter.
Storing: You can store the pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3-4 months.
Reheating: Reheat the pancakes in the oven at 300°F, in a pan, the microwave, or in a toaster until warmed through. My favorite way to warm them up and get them crispy without burning them is in the oven, especially when warming up from frozen.
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Veronika Sykorova says
These funfetti pancakes are extra fluffy, pretty, and so good! They also freeze and reheat really well.