Funfetti Cake Batter Pancakes

Because I have 2 small boys, I have become proficient at making pancakes. Believe me when I say these funfetti pancakes are at the top of the list of foods that even the pickiest child will eat. These pancakes do NOT use a boxed pancake mix. No, you are going to make these puppies from scratch.

I usually turn my nose up at any recipes that calls for boxed cake mix, but in this case, I can make an exception. You will only be using a small amount of the cake mix. Just enough to give these pancakes a 'birthday cake' type flavor.

Do NOT use actual Funfetti cake mix. The sprinkles in that mix will melt too easily and the colors will bleed. I will tell you exactly what to use in the recipe below.

What you need:

Pancakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup plain white cake mix
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles (you can get containers of these sprinkles in the baking section of WalMart near the cake decorations. I used Dallies.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
pinch of salt

Whipped Cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

How to make it:
1. In a medium-sized bowl, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar together with a hand mixer until it's light, fluffy, and holds soft peaks. Place this in the refrigerator to use as your topping after the pancakes are done.

2. In a large bowl, blend together all of the dry ingredients, except the sprinkles.

3. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together all of the wet ingredients until thoroughly mixed.

4. Using a whisk, gently pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones, whisking as you go along. Do not over mix this. You still want a few small lumps in there.

5. Using a spoon, gently stir in the sprinkles.

6. Measure out your batter. I used a 1/8 cup dry measuring cup to measure out my batter, but you can use a cookie scoop or just pour it out onto your griddle or skillet.

7. The key here is to LIGHTLY grease your cooking surface with a tiny bit of butter or oil, and cook these over medium/low to medium heat. If you use too much oil or butter, and the heat is too high, your pancakes will turn out with dark, crispy edges. Cook them slowly until bubbles have risen to the surface (around 3 minutes), then gently flip them over, cooking for another minute or so.

8. Top these with the whipped cream you made earlier, and a few more sprinkles.