Funfetti Pancakes

From scratch Funfetti Pancakes are the perfect way to start a celebratory day. Also known as Birthday Cake Pancakes, these easy homemade pancakes feature bright sprinkles and a scrumptious vanilla icing. No cake mix required. Makes 26 pancakes.

Love unique homemade pancakes? Learn How to make the Best Homemade Pancakes, and don’t miss Red Velvet Pancakes and Peanut Butter Pancakes with Raspberry Preserves Syrup!

We’re celebrating The Speckled Palate’s TENTH BLOGOVERSARY this week, and by golly, we’re going to celebrate with some Birthday Cake Pancakes.

Why Funfetti? In years past, I’ve made all kinds of goodies featuring sprinkles, including Funfetti Sugar Cookie Bars, Funfettini Birthday Cake Martini and Sour Cream Funfetti Cupcakes!

It feels fitting that for this site’s tenth birthday, that we’d do the same. And since funfetti is synonymous with birthday celebrations, how could I not take the favorite cake and transform it into a pancake since we love pancakes over here?

Why I love this recipe

These homemade Funfetti Pancakes are wonderfully fluffy and light. They’re slightly sweet and pair beautifully with a vanilla glaze icing and extra sprinkles.

I used my Old Fashioned Pancake recipe as the base for this homemade pancake recipe, and quite honestly, we only need a few additional ingredients to transform those classic pancakes into Funfetti!

Also, if you keep baking supplies in your pantry, chances are that you’ve got the ingredients to make these already!

Not only are these Birthday Cake Pancakes delicious, but they’re fun to make as a family. Both our daughters get involved in the measuring, whisking and stirring. And we can’t forget the taste testing, either. 😉

Other homemade pancake recipes you might enjoy: Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes | Strawberry Pancakes with Dark Chocolate Drizzle | Sweet Potato Pancakes | Pumpkin Spice Pancakes | Double Chocolate Pancakes | Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes | Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Need breakfast inspiration, but don’t know where to start? Head on over to my Breakfast and Brunch Recipe Index.

Tools to make Funfetti Pancakes

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• Large mixing bowl
• Small mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula
• 2-tablespoon cookie scoop
• Cast iron griddle—you can also use an electric one if you have one
• Pastry brush—to brush oil or butter onto your griddle
• Metal spatula—if you’re using a nonstick skillet, make sure your spatula is plastic so it doesn’t scratch the surface!

In addition to these tools, you’ll need a few ingredients to make from scratch confetti pancakes from scratch:

• All-purpose flour—we always have unbleached at our house, but the regular kind works perfectly, too!
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Kosher salt
• Rainbow sprinkles—you want to use the cylinder shaped sprinkles, which are sometimes called jimmies. Why? They hold onto their shape and color better than nonpareils (the round ones), which will bleed color into your batter.
• Milk—over the years, we’ve made our pancakes with every type of milk available. Recently, we’ve made them with whole milk because we always have that on hand, but this pancake recipe works with any cow’s milk (from whole to skim), as well as almond, cashew and coconut milk.
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract—this will give the pancake batter some flavors similar to that of a vanilla cake.
• Flavorless oil—avocado, vegetable or canola oil are perfect here! You can also use unsalted butter if that’s your jam, too.
• Powdered sugar—this is going to serve as the base for our vanilla glaze, and there’s really no replacement for it!

Variations on Funfetti Pancakes

I love these Birthday Cake Pancakes because you can change the colors to whatever you’d like.

Since themed sprinkle mixes are sold in stores and online, it’s fun to make twists on these classic birthday pancakes and transform them into holiday-centric pancakes.

• Red, white and blue sprinkles for July 4^th
• Red and green for Christmas
• Pink and red for Valentine’s Day
• Orange and black for Halloween
• Green and gold for St. Patrick’s Day

How do you make Funfetti Pancakes from scratch?

First, we’re going to make our homemade pancake batter. In a large bowl, measure out the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and rainbow sprinkles. Whisk them together.

In a small bowl or a liquid measuring cup, combine the wet ingredients. (That means the milk, eggs, vanilla extract and oil.) Whisk them or stir them with a fork until everything is combined. Why? Because if you don’t give them a good mix, there will be random ribbons of egg in your pancakes, and that’s gross.

Once the wet ingredients are well combined, pour them directly into the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir them together until just combined. If you overmix the pancakes, they will become tougher, so just stir until the flour is incorporated. It’s OK if this homemade batter has lumps.

Set the homemade pancake batter aside, and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. While it rests, heat your griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat and when it’s hot, grease lightly with butter, oil or cooking spray.

Use a cookie scoop or a measuring cup to dollop the pancakes onto the preheated skillet. I like to make 2-tablespoon silver dollar pancakes, but you can make larger ones, too.

When several bubbles have formed on the surface, flip the pancakes, and cook through. (Do NOT press down on them after you flip them! This will deflate them!) Repeat until all batter has been made into pancakes.

Make a stack of pancakes, and serve with vanilla icing, homemade whipped cream and extra sprinkles.

How to make Vanilla Icing

We’re making our job easy with this Funfetti Pancake Icing and making it in the food processor.

Throw together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla, and blend until smooth.

You can make this in advance or put it together while the pancakes cook. Just make sure it’s ready to drizzle on top of stacks of made pancakes!

How to Choose the Right Sprinkles

There are so many sprinkles on the market out there. We’ve had the best luck with cylindrical-shaped sprinkles, which are also known as jimmies. They hold their shape, and their colors typically don’t run.

Stay away from nonpareils, colored sugar and quins, which are all colorful and fun, but will bleed color into your batter.

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

Birthday Cake Pancakes for an at-home birthday brunch? Oh my word, YES.

While pancakes are something that I previously thought might be a fussier item to prepare for a brunch at home situation, you can absolutely make them for brunch! It just requires a little patience, planning and working ahead to get ‘em made before guests arrive.

Here are a few tips and tricks to transforming these pancakes into a brunch centerpiece:

• Depending on the amount of people you’re serving, you can double this recipe. You can also half it if you’re not feeding a crowd.
• Make the pancakes before guests arrive, and keep them warm in the oven. We put ours on baking sheets* (affiliate link) and keep them warm in a 200°F oven.
• Transform your table into a pancake bar! Offer various toppings, like the vanilla glaze, as well as maple syrup, sweetened whipped cream and extra sprinkles. (You can even make them into a Pancake Board if you’re feeling creative!)

What can I make these Birthday Cake Pancakes for?

If you don’t think just because is an answer, here are a few other celebrations you could make these pancakes for…

• A birthday
• Mother’s Day or Father’s Day if the person being celebrated loves sprinkles
• The first day of a vacation (or staycation)
• Any holiday that has fun colors… think of adding red and green jimmies to these Funfetti Pancakes to make Christmas Pancakes; red and pink for Valentine’s Day, black and orange for Halloween, red, white and blue for July 4^th, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Tips and Tricks for the Best Pancakes

• Don’t overmix your batter! Just mix the batter until it has just come together. Lumps are OK. If you mix until it’s smooth, the pancakes won’t be as fluffy.
• When do you know how to flip? When big ‘ol bubbles start to form in the batter. Lift up the edge a little bit with a spatula to confirm the color on the other side before committing… because when you flip them, you won’t flip them again. (Yep. We only need to flip our pancakes once.)
• Once you’ve flipped your pancakes, don’t press down on them! This will deflate them. Obviously, we want them to puff up and be as light and airy as possible.
• Leftover pancakes? Freeze ’em! Line a baking sheet with wax paper, and pop them in the freezer for 4-6 hours. When the pancakes are fully frozen, transfer them to a freezer baggie. Reheat in the toaster oven, toaster or the oven until warm.