These fluffy cake batter pancakes literally melt in your mouth. I like to top mine with sweetened whipped cream and plenty of sprinkles. Finally, I can enjoy the flavor of cake for breakfast without strange looks.
I love making pancakes for breakfast. I previously shared Cinnamon Roll pancakes, but these I think these Cake Batter Pancakes take the cake literally!
Admin it. You’ve thought about eating that slice of cake for breakfast. Or if you’re me you actually ate it.
These cake batter pancakes give you that authentic birthday cake flavor in fluffy pancake form.
I topped mine off with lightly sweetened whipped cream. If you were feeling super naughty you could even use a bit of frosting too. Love cake for breakfast? Be sure to try my cake batter french toast too.
Or make it brunch to remember with mimosas easy birthday cake shots.
Do you prefer a sweet or savory breakfast? If sweet you need to check out our ultimate list of waffle recipes.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Authentic Cake Flavor: Using cake mix ensures every bite tastes like the funfetti cake you know and love.
- No Special Equipment Required: I made them in a regular old frying pan and mixed them using a whisk. I also whipped my cream by hand. The secret is using an ice-cold bowl/whisk.
- No fail: These pancakes turn out moist and fluffy every time.
Serving Suggestions
- Special Birthday Breakfast
- Holiday Breakfast: Mix up the sprinkles to match the holidays for holidays like Christmas or Valentine’s Day
- Anniversary Breakfast
- Breakfast for Dinner
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Flour: Measure your flour by spooning flour into your measuring cup. This ensures you don’t use too much which can happen if you dip your measuring cup into a bag or canister of flour.
- Baking Powder: Replace baking powder every 6-12 months. It creates tiny bubbles in the batter leading to a fluffy melt in your mouth pancake.
- Cake Mix: I used Duncan Hines yellow cake mix.
- Milk: For the best results use whole milk or buttermilk.
- Sprinkles: Use rainbow sprinkles not nonpareils which can release too much color into the batter.
How To Make Cake Batter Pancakes
- Combine dry ingredients.
- Add wet ingredients: Stir in vanilla, butter, and egg. Whisk in the milk a little at a time. Then add sprinkles.
- Cook: Preheat the skillet and drop it in the batter. Cook for around 3 minutes on the first side, and 1 minute on the second side.
- Serve: Serve with whipped cream and sprinkles is desired.
Leftovers
- Storage: Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Freeze for up to 2 months. I like to flash freeze for around an hour on a baking sheet, to prevent them from sticking together. Then store in a freezer baggie or air-tight dish.
- Reheating:Reheat in the microwave or a 350 degree oven until warmed through.
Tips
- Don’t overmix: Mix until your flour just disappears. Overmixed pancakes will be tough and rubbery.
- It is okay if your batter looks a little lumpy.
- Let batter rest: Rest the batter for 5-10 minutes. This will help release any gluten that may have developed from mixing, helps give the baking powder time to work. This results in a tender pancake that has more height.
- Uniform Pancakes: Use a cookie scoop to keep your pancakes all about the same size.
- Flip once: Flip pancakes once when bubbles begin to form in the batter. Be careful the second site cooks more quickly than the first!
- Keep pancakes warm in an oven at 250 degrees F while you cook the remaining batter.
More Fun Breakfasts
Blueberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake
You also may like our sweet breakfast recipes page.
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Cake Batter Pancakes
Ingredients
For the Pancakes
- 1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 Tablespoon White Sugar
- ½ Cup Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Egg
- 1 ½ Cup Whole Milk
- 3 Tablespoons Butter Melted
- 4 Tablespoons Rainbow Sprinkles
For the Whipped Cream
- ¾ Cup Heavy Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
Instructions
For the Whipped Cream
- In a medium chilled bowl, whip cream and powdered sugar with an ice cold whisk. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Store in the refrigerator.
For the Pancakes
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking bowder, salt, sugar, and cake mix.
- Add vanilla, butter, and egg. Whisk in milk a little at a time. Whisk until just combined, and only small lumps remain.
- Fold in sprinkles.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop into a heated, greased skillet.
- Spread batter into a circle and cook for 3 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.
- Flip and cook for 1 more minute or until golden brown.
- Top with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles if desired.
Notes
- Flour: Measure your flour by spooning flour into your measuring cup. This ensures you don't use too much which can happen if you dip your measuring cup into a bag or canister of flour.
- Baking Powder: Replace baking powder every 6-12 months. It creates tiny bubbles in the batter leading to a fluffy melt in your mouth pancake.
- Cake Mix: I used Duncan Hines yellow cake mix.
- Milk: For the best results use whole milk or buttermilk.
- Sprinkles: Use rainbow sprinkles not nonpareils which can release too much color into the batter.
- Don't overmix: Mix until your flour just disappears. Overmixed pancakes will be tough and rubbery.
- It is okay if your batter looks a little lumpy.
- Let batter rest: Rest the batter for 5-10 minutes. This will help release any gluten that may have developed from mixing, helps give the baking powder time to work. This results in a tender pancake that has more height.
- Uniform Pancakes: Use a cookie scoop to keep your pancakes all about the same size.
- Flip once: Flip pancakes once when bubbles begin to form in the batter. Be careful the second site cooks more quickly than the first!
- Keep pancakes warm in an oven at 250 degrees F while you cook the remaining batter.
Nutrition
Adapted via Baked By Rachel
These are SO fun!! I can’t wait to make them for my kids!
My kids would LOVE these!! Such a fun recipe!
These are really amazing pancakes!! So good!!
Oh my goodness! My family will go crazy over these pancakes!
Such an amazing flavor!!! Thank you for the easy recipe my kids loved it!
These are my favorite pancakes! They turn out perfect every time and they’re so fun.
Looks good.
What temperature would you cook them at?
Hi Stephen!
I just made these in a skillet over medium heat. I have not tried them in the oven or on a griddle.
Delicious