A stack of these colorful birthday cake pancakes are the sweetest way to celebrate in the morning. Just 1 bowl, brimming with rainbow sprinkles, thick and fluffy, and topped with vanilla glaze. These funfetti pancakes will make any morning extra special!
Introducing the ultimate breakfast recipe that is guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of anyone that sees it– even if it is bright and early. It's time to break out the sprinkles and make a batch of birthday cake pancakes!
I started with my tried and true homemade pancake recipe as the base for these funfetti pancakes. It's a favorite recipe because it truly makes the fluffiest pancakes ever.
Reasons Why You'll Love These Birthday Cake Pancakes
- Thick, fluffy, and buttery
- Quick and easy, coming together in 1 bowl
- Packed with colorful rainbow sprinkles
- Comes together in 1 bowl
- Perfect for any special occasion– birthday, holiday, or just because!
- Basically funfetti cake for breakfast
3 Tips & Tricks
- Avoid Over-Mixing: When you over-mix most batters, it will produce a dense and texture so mix together until just combined.
- Keep Sprinkles From Bleeding Their Color: It's important to use regular sprinkles, not the nonpareils. They will bleed into the batter– not what you want. Wait to gently fold in the sprinkles until you're ready to cook the pancakes.
- Don't Bother the Pancakes: The best thing to do while the pancakes are cooking is to leave them alone to cook. Once you see the bubbles form around the edges and some in the center, they're ready to flip. Once flipped, leave them alone to finish cooking.
Overview: How To Make Birthday Cake Pancakes
This is an easy recipe that comes together in 1 bowl. You can find the full printable recipe below.
- Make the Batter: Whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and milk. Then, add in the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
- Preheat the Skillet/Griddle: Heat the skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes and generously coat with butter or nonstick spray.
- Fold in the Sprinkles: Once the skillet is ready, gently fold in the sprinkles.
- Cook the Pancakes: Scoop ⅓ cup of pancake batter onto the hot skillet, cooking until the edges are set and bubbles form along the sides and top. Flip, and cook until done.
Ingredients You Need
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and melt the butter first so it has a chance to cool slightly.
- All-Purpose Flour: The base of the pancakes. You could use white whole wheat flour if you'd like.
- Granulated Sugar: It doesn't seem like much but it's just enough to sweeten the batter without becoming too sweet when adding the vanilla glaze or syrup.
- Eggs: Help bind the ingredients together.
- Milk: Using whole milk helps produce the fluffiest pancakes. You can use a lower fat milk, if needed.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: The combination of baking powder and baking soda help the pancakes rise.
- Vanilla Extract: A touch of vanilla adds wonderful flavor.
- Rainbow Sprinkles: Make sure you use regular sprinkles, not the nonpareils. You could also use confetti sprinkles (the flat pastel discs in the photos.) Other types of sprinkles will bleed into the batter which is not what we want.
- Salt: To help balance the sweet.
More Breakfast Recipes
- Blueberry Crumb Cake
- Homemade French Toast
- Festive Donuts
- 30-Minute Cinnamon Rolls
- Homemade Fluffy Pancakes
Birthday Cake Pancakes
Description
Ingredients
Pancakes
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup rainbow sprinkles, not nonpareils
Vanilla Glaze
Instructions
- Melt the butter first. Microwave or stovetop– either is fine. Set aside to slightly cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until combined, and then whisk in the milk. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and gently whisk to combine until no flour pockets remain. The batter will be thick– a few lumps are OK.
- Let the batter sit while you heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with butter or nonstick spray. Once it's hot, about 1-2 minutes, gently fold the sprinkles into the batter. Drop about ⅓ cup of batter on the skillet (I usually can fit 3-4 pancakes in a 12-inch skillet.) Cook until the edges are set and bubbles form along the sides and top, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until cooked through, 1-2 more minutes. The total cooking time is 4-5 minutes. Coat the griddle or skillet with butter or nonstick spray for each batch of pancakes. Keep pancakes warm in a preheated 200ºF oven or the warmer setting until all pancakes are cooked.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth and pour over pancakes just before serving.
- Serve pancakes immediately with vanilla glaze and sprinkles on top. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Pancakes freeze well for up to 3 months– cool completely before freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or reheat frozen pancakes in the microwave.
- Milk: For richer pancakes I reccomend using whole milk, though a lower-fat milk will work too.
- Sprinkles: Make sure you use regular sprinkles, not the nonpareils. You could also use confetti sprinkles (the flat pastel discs in the photos.) Other types of sprinkles will bleed into the batter which is not what we want.
Stefanie says
Made these for my toddlers birthday tonight because she loves pancakes. She loved them! I will be making these again.