You will love these fun and festive Birthday Cake Pancakes. Made from scratch with a buttermilk pancake batter and topped with vanilla cream and sprinkles, this is one way to start your birthday celebrations early!
Trying to find great birthday breakfast ideas can sometimes be daunting. My go-to's are usually Birthday Cake Crepes or this birthday pancakes recipe. Nothing says good morning like Happy Birthday pancakes covered in sprinkles!
This fun variation is a spin on my popular and classic (Copycat) Denny's Pancake Recipe. If you love their buttermilk pancakes, then you're in for a real treat with these!
Why This Recipe Works
- It's simple. Made with easy ingredients and whisked together until thick and lumpy the results are fabulous buttermilk pancakes that are fluffy and incredible. The topping is also incredibly easy because we use boxed pudding mix!
- The kids love them! My kids go absolutely nuts for anything with sprinkles. Maybe it's the colors, maybe it's the added sugar but whatever it is, you can bet your kiddos will enjoy this breakfast too.
- You can prep them in advance. Make the batter and pudding the night before and make your morning routine even faster. This means less time measuring flour and more time pouring coffee.
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
For the pancakes, you will need:
All-purpose flour- You will need flour for the structural base of the pancake batter.
Granulated sugar- This will give us a little sweetness to the pancakes but it also helps to make pancakes fluffier and less rubbery.
Leavening agents- You will need baking powder and baking soda to help these pancakes turn out fluffy and delicious.
Salt- This is a natural flavor enhancer.
Large egg- Use an egg to bind the mixture together so the pancakes don't turn out crumbly. The egg will also add richness in taste thanks to the egg yolk.
Canola oil- You can use canola oil or vegetable oil depending on what you have on hand. This will give the pancake batter necessary fats so that they don't turn out dry.
Buttermilk- You can use storebought or homemade buttermilk, but it will give the pancakes some much needed moisture and flavor.
For the Toppings, you will need:
Cook and serve vanilla pudding- While you could make your own vanilla cream from scratch, using cook and serve pudding gives us similar tasting results with far less effort.
Milk- You'll need milk to activate the pudding and get it to the right consistency.
Rainbow sprinkles- Sprinkles are a great way to make these pancakes more fun and festive. Use your favorite sprinkles for decoration. I like rainbow colored jimmies.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make Birthday Cake Pancakes with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Make and prepare the boxed vanilla pudding according to the package directions. Set aside and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the pudding.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until well mixed.
In another bowl whisk together the egg, oil, and buttermilk until blended.
Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and whisk until combined and no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix. The batter will be lumpy and thick.
Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes while you preheat your skillet to medium heat (about 350 degrees F).
Scoop the batter by the ¼ cup measures and round out into circles.
If desired, add a few sprinkles to the pancake as it cooks for a fun confetti look.
Cook for about 1-2 minutes per side or until both sides are golden in color.
Top with a scoop of vanilla pudding and garnish in sprinkles. Serve warm and enjoy!
🧾 Quick DIY Buttermilk
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, don't worry. You can easily make some yourself using ingredients you already have on hand.
Simply take 1 cup of milk (can be almond milk, soy milk, whole milk, or even half and half) and remove 1 tablespoon of liquid from the measurement.
Now add in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, depending on what you have. Stir together and let rest for about 5 minutes before using it.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Make the pudding first
I recommend making the vanilla pudding before you start the pancakes so that it has time to cool before use.
Sticking plastic wrap directly over the pudding as it cools will help prevent thick skin from forming on the pancakes.
Cooked vs. instant pudding
Instant pudding mix can be made and used but keep in mind that your warm pancakes will be quickly chilled as a result of adding the cold pudding to the top of your stack.
Do not overmix the batter
You should only try to get the flour incorporated so that there are no dry streaks left in the batter. Overmixing will result in rubbery pancakes. There should be a few lumps.
Do not squish the pancakes
Squishing will make them rubbery and dense. Let them rise naturally if the outside is cooking faster than the insides, turn down the heat.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Pancakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days and reheated before eating. Keep the leftover pudding separate in its own airtight container for up to 3 days. All leftovers should be kept stored in the fridge.
💭 FAQs
Yes and no. If you stir the sprinkles into the batter in the bowl then you will have colorful streaks throughout the batter. If you simply add the sprinkles to the pancake batter in the pan, the colors will not bleed and will look better when presented.
Your pancakes will be ready to flip when the edges look dried and set and the center of the pancakes are filled with bubbles.
Actually, you should cook your pancakes over medium heat. About 325-350 degrees F should be perfect. Make sure to let your pan warm up before use and to adjust the heat as you go because some pans can get too warm after a few minutes and cause pancakes to burn.
More great Breakfast recipes to check out soon
- Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins
- Easy Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Clone of a Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Recipe
- Eggos Waffles French Toast
- Pancakes in a Mug
- Sourdough French Toast
📖 Recipe
Birthday Cake Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour ($0.14)
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar ($0.01)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder ($0.04)
- ¼ teaspoon salt ($0.02)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda ($0.01)
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten ($0.08)
- 3 tablespoons canola oil (vegetable oil works too) ($0.09)
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk ($1.18)
Toppings
- 1 box (3 ounce) cook and serve vanilla pudding ($0.99)
- 2 cups milk ($0.38)
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles ($0.84)
Instructions
- Make and prepare the boxed vanilla pudding according to the package directions. Set aside and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the pudding.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until well mixed.
- In another bowl whisk together the egg, oil, and buttermilk until blended.
- Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and whisk until combined and no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix. The batter will be lumpy and thick.
- Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes while you preheat your skillet to medium heat (about 350 degrees F).
- Scoop the batter by the ¼ cup measures and round out into circles. Cook for about 1-2 minutes per side or until both sides are golden in color.
- Top with a scoop of vanilla pudding and garnish in sprinkles. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Do not overmix the batter. You should only try to get the flour incorporated so that there are no dry streaks left in the batter. Overmixing will result in rubbery pancakes. There should be a few lumps.
- The pancakes are ready to flip when the edges look set and there are bubbles on top.
- Do not squish the pancakes. Squishing will make them rubbery and dense. Let them rise naturally. If the outside is cooking faster than the insides, turn down the heat.
- Leftovers. Keep your leftovers stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat again before eating.
- Vanilla pudding. I recommend making the vanilla pudding before you start the pancakes so that it has time to cool before use. Sticking plastic wrap directly over the top of the pudding as it cools will help to prevent a thick skin from forming on the pancakes.
- Instant pudding mix can be made and used but keep in mind that your warm pancakes will be quickly chilled as a result of adding the cold pudding to the top of your stack.
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