Why I love these birthday cake pancakes
October is birthday month in our house. We have 3 birthdays to celebrate, so we try to change things up to make each one special, and let me tell you, having ice cream for breakfast definitely makes things special.
This isn’t the first time we’ve done it – the kids loved the chocolate chip waffles and ice cream we had for our yes day last year – but surprising the kids with ice cream for their birthday makes their day just a little bit sweeter.
This year, we added sprinkles to our favorite dairy free pancakes recipe and topped them with a powdered sugar glaze and a big scoop of ice cream. We even added a candle to pull it all together.
Here’s what you’ll need to make them
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Buy Now → How to make birthday cake pancakes
Mix the dry ingredients. In a big mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together. This helps distribute the baking powder to make sure the pancakes rise evenly.
Whisk the wet ingredients. In a different bowl, whisk the milk, oil, egg, vanilla extract and almond extract until smooth.
Combine everything. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir to combine. Don’t over stir or you’ll end up with chewy pancakes. Then, fold in the sprinkles.
Cook the pancakes. Heat a griddle or frying pan to medium. Let it get nice and warm before you start, then add a tiny bit of oil or melted vegan butter if you aren’t using a non-stick pan.
Add about 1/3 cup per pancake onto the pan and let it cook until nice bubbles start to form around the top and the edges look set. Flip and cook a little bit longer – about one more minute.
Mix the glaze. If you’re using the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth.
Assemble your stack. Stack a few pancakes and drizzle with glaze or syrup. Top with dairy free whipped cream and/or a scoop of ice cream. Add sprinkles and top with a candle before serving.
FAQs and tips for making the best pancakes
There are a few reasons your pancakes might turn out flat. The most likely cause is over mixing. There’s also a chance that your baking powder was expired or that your heat wasn’t hot enough when you started cooking your pancakes.
Neither. Pancakes actually cook best at a medium heat. Making sure that your griddle is the right temperature can really make a difference in your pancake results.
Your pancakes should cook for about 2-3 minutes per side. I typically find that the first side needs to cook for a little bit longer than the second. This helps them to flip since the pancakes have started to set on the first side.
More dairy free ice cream recipes:
More dairy free birthday ideas:
Eggs are not dairy.
But, if you thought eggs were a dairy product, you are not alone. It’s common misconception that stems from the fact that eggs are sold in the dairy section at the grocery store and they usually need to be refrigerated, which is something we often associate with dairy. See more: Are eggs dairy free?
Birthday Cake Pancakes
Ingredients
For the pancakes:
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
For serving:
- Dairy free whipped cream
- Rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
For the pancakes:
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix the milk, canola oil, egg, vanilla extract and almond extract together in a separate bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir to combine, and fold in sprinkles.
- Preheat a non-stick griddle or large skillet to medium heat. (Coat pan with butter or oil if not using non-stick).
- Pour about ⅓ cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Allow it to cook until bubbles are visible throughout the pancake before flipping.
- Repeat until all batter has been used.
To make the glaze:
- Whisk the powdered sugar and almond milk together until smooth.
To serve:
- Stack a few pancakes and drizzle with glaze.
- Top each stack with dairy free whipped cream and/or a scoop of ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My whole family loves! My daughter can’t have eggs and we just leave it out and they still turn out perfect!