Birthday Cake Pancakes

I only recently finally learned how to make pancakes properly.  Like last week recent.  I’ve been practicing for years (not kidding), and finally I figured it out.  Patience.  Say wha?  Yes, they take patience!  You must wait until the top starts to bubble before you flip!  I’ve been pre-flipping for years and disaster has occurred every time.  If you don’t wait, the bottom isn’t hard enough to keep the pancake’s shape to withstand the flip, and the pancake ends up a folded, floppy mess.   

The other wise tip of advice I have for you in regards to pancake perfection is to invest in a griddle.  If you have a super large frying pan, that’s easier, but if you’re trying to flip pancakes in a tiny frying pan, you’re bound for failure.  Sorry to break your heart on that one.  The griddle produces an even temperature, flat surface (no annoying pan edges to catch the pancake mid-flip) and lots of space to flip practice.  

If you don’t care about the perfect flip or the perfect pancake, embrace that and ignore everything I’ve said.  There are better things in life to worry about than making pancakes.  

 

I’ll let you know when I find something else meaningless to obsess about.  

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 eggs
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 1/4 cups milk 
• deep pink, sky blue, purple

Procedure:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until combined. 
2. Combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until combined. 
3. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until no lumps remain. If desired, use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this step. 
4. Divide batter equally into 5 separate bowls.  Add desired colouring amounts to each bowl.
5. Preheat griddle or frying pan to 350F or medium high. 
6. Place about 1/2 cup of batter onto griddle and let pancake bake for 2-3 minutes, or until the top is bubbling.  Flip and continue to cook for another minute. Repeat for all pancake batter.
7. Place pancakes in a vertical stack, making sure to include all colours.  
8. Top with cream cheese glaze if desired. 

Cream Cheese Glaze 

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed

Procedure:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. 
2. Add sugar and beat until combined, about 1 minute. 
3. Add lemon juice, and milk; mix on low speed until smooth. If glaze is too thick to drizzle, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. Spoon glaze on top of pancake cake, and gently coax glaze down over the edges.
5. Top with sprinkles and a birthday candle if desired.