Katy's Cookin

Rainbow Sprinkle Pancakes

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Rainbow Sprinkle Smash Cake with candles
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If you’re looking for a fun way to celebrate a family birthday, Rainbow Sprinkle Pancakes or “party pancakes” as my 3 year old calls them, are the perfect start to a big day! These pancakes come together in just a few minutes and the ingredients are things I always have on hand. The recipe is pretty foolproof and really, who can resist a fluffy, funfetti style pancake stack?!

Pancake “Smash Cake”

These pancakes make an adorable “smash cake”. Just layer them with cream cheese icing, top with more sprinkles and some birthday candles. The pancakes are sweet on their own so sub plain Greek yogurt for the icing to cut some sugar and add protein. These pancakes are egg-free so if you’re serving them for a birthday party you don’t have to worry about kiddos with egg allergies.

Baby with rainbow sprinkle pancake smash cake and ONE candles lit on top.
Ready to dig in to that pancake stack!

Pancakes and Pajamas party

I planned a Pancakes & Pajamas party for my daughter’s 1st birthday and knew these would make the perfect smash cake. In typical life with little kids fashion, my son came down with Flu A the day before her party. Obviously we had to cancel so we rescheduled for two weeks later. The morning of her birthday we decided to have our own Pancakes & Pajamas party just the four of us since we were stuck at home. It really turned out to be a special celebration with just our little family. I mixed some crushed raspberries with Greek yogurt for the “frosting” of her smash cake. The pancakes were just as big of a hit as I expected. I mean, look at the joy on that little lady’s face!

Entertaining tip: Prep ahead of time

Rainbow Sprinkle Pancake Dry Ingredients

If you’re making these rainbow sprinkle pancakes for a celebration, save yourself some stress the morning of. Prep all of the wet ingredients (except the melted butter) in one bowl and all the dry ingredients in another. Cover each tightly with plastic wrap and store overnight (wet ingredients in the fridge). All you have to do the morning of is add the melted butter to the wet ingredients and mix the dry and wet ingredients together. In less than 5 minutes the batter is ready to hit the griddle. I’m always trying to find ways to save time before my events start. Measuring everything the day before will save you time and a pre-party mess to clean-up. 

The cream cheese frosting can be made ahead of time as well. You’ll want to pull it out of the fridge 30+ minutes before serving to allow it to come up in temp so it is spreadable.

I prefer dye free sprinkles, if you’re looking for them in bulk for a party these are great!

rainbow sprinkle pancake stack with cream cheese frosting

Rainbow Sprinkle Pancakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Quick and easy vanilla sprinkle pancakes perfect for a celebratory breakfast or just for fun!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: birthday, easy breakfast, funfetti, kid friendly, maple syrup, pancakes and pajamas, pantry staples, quick, saturday morning, smash cake, sprinkles, vanilla
Servings: 20 small pancakes

Equipment

  • medium mixing bowls (2)
  • measuring spoons
  • whisk
  • large mixing spoon
  • small spring loaded scoop or 1/4c measuring cup
  • griddle pan or large non-stick skillet

Ingredients

Rainbow Sprinkle Pancake Batter

  • 2 ⅓ cup AP flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ⅓ cup multicolor rainbow sprinkles plus extra for garnish (I prefer dye free)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1¾ cup milk
  • 1/4 cup butter melted, plus 3 tbsp extra for greasing the pan
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting (makes about 2½ cups)

  • 8 oz cream cheese one block at room temp
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Rainbow Sprinkle Pancakes

  • In a medium sized bowl whisk together the AP flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, sprinkles, and salt.
  • In a separate bowl mix milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract together. 
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix with a spoon until it comes together but there are still some lumps in the batter. *Over mixing will produce tough, chewy pancakes so don’t try and mix all of those lumps smooth. 
  • Heat a griddle pan or large skillet to medium heat. Once pan is hot add ½ tbsp butter and swirl it around the pan to melt. You only need a very light coating of butter, don't over do it.
  • Scoop or pour the batter in batches, using a medium spring loaded scoop or a ⅓ cup measuring cup, depending on your desired size. Spread the pancake batter from the center to level to desired thickness. Let the pancakes cook until bubbles form. Once bubbles begin to pop (approx 2-3 minutes) flip the pancakes and cook 2-3 minutes on the second side. Add butter between batches as needed. 
  • Serve layered with a spread of cream cheese frosting (directions below) and a couple pinches of the extra rainbow sprinkles for a perfect cake stack or stacked up solo with a pad of butter, a drizzle of good quality maple syrup and another pinch of rainbow sprinkles on top.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a large bowl using a hand held or stand mixer, beat all ingredients together until fluffy and fully combined. If the frosting is too thick add milk, 1 tbsp at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

Notes

Any long skinny sprinkles will do, change it up with sprinkles that match your party theme/colors. All natural, dye free sprinkles are my preference.
 
I wouldn’t suggest nonpareils (the tiny ball shaped sprinkles) for this recipe. They tend to bleed into the batter and make one big greenish-blue pancake instead of a confetti style pancake. If these are the only ones you have on hand I would wait until the batter is poured and sprinkle them over the uncooked side of the pancake before flipping to avoid this problem.
 
 
 
Tried this recipe?Mention @Katyscookin or tag #katyscookin!

I love seeing photos when you make my recipes! Make sure to tag me @katyscookin on Instagram when you make these Rainbow Sprinkle Pancakes! Thanks for stopping by!

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