pancakes in a stack with maple syrup being poured over them

Gluten-Free Birthday Pancakes

The perfect celebratory breakfast! These Gluten-Free Birthday Pancakes taste just like cake and are packed with nourishing ingredients.

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pancakes in a stack with maple syrup being poured over them

June is a big month here at the June Table, for obvious reasons. Not only is it this cute little website’s namesake, but it’s my birthday month and the website’s birthday month. If you’ve noticed me going a little crazy with birthday cake-themed recipes, that’s why. Enter: these beautiful Gluten-Free Birthday Pancakes. They’re healthy, delicious, and best served with a big dollop of whipped cream, if that’s your thing.

birthday pancakes in a stack on a plate

Ingredients for Birthday Pancakes

Butter: Dairy or vegan works! Coconut oil should be okay too, but the butter really helps with the birthday cake flavor profile.

Milk of Choice: I usually use almond milk because I always have it on hand, but any neutral milk works!

Vinegar: To make our own buttermilk! I would go for apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar.

Egg: To create structure and binding for our birthday pancakes.

Maple Syrup: Just a splash for a bit of sweetness. You’ll obviously want more for topping, too.

Vanilla and Almond Extract: The heroes of this recipe, to be honest. These two are crucial for creating that birthday cake flavor.

Oat Flour: My favorite gluten-free flour! It’s cheap, works similarly to regular flour, and is packed with fiber.

Sprinkles: For obvious reasons.

Baking Powder: To make these pancakes light and fluffy.

Sea Salt: Just a dash to balance out the natural sweetness in the other ingredients.

birthday pancake stack with a dollop of whipped cream on top

Tips for Success

  • Timing: The big thing with this recipe (and really any pancake recipe) is to follow the instructions when it comes to timing. Be sure to let the milk and vinegar linger together for the full five minutes in order to get that proper buttermilk consistency. Once you’ve mixed everything together, let it sit for the full 10 minutes. This allows the batter to thicken so that your pancakes will be thick and fluffy.
  • Don’t over-mix! Oat flour can get gummy if you over-mix. A few lumps are okay in your batter. Mix until just combined and not a second more.
  • When to flip: You’ll want to look for those telltale bubbles on the tops of your pancakes. You’ll also notice the edges become matte and the bottoms will have browned nicely. The whole process should take 3-4 minutes per side once your pan is fully heated.
overhead shot of birthday cake pancakes topped with maple syrup

I hope you make these Gluten-Free Birthday Pancakes for all your special occasions! If you give them a try, feel free to leave a rating, review, question, or concern. It always makes my day to hear from you. You can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok.

More Birthday Cake Recipes

birthday cake pancakes on a plate with maple syrup being poured over them
pancakes in a stack with maple syrup being poured over them

Gluten-Free Birthday Pancakes

The perfect celebratory breakfast! These Gluten-Free Birthday Pancakes taste just like cake and are packed with nourishing ingredients.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 8 pancakes

Equipment

  • 1 Medium Bowl
  • 1 Large Bowl
  • Whisk
  • large frying pan
  • Spatula

Ingredients
  

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter or vegan butter melted and slightly cooled, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 1 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup plus more for serving
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp almond extract

Dry Ingredients

  • cups oat flour spooned and leveled
  • ¼ cup sprinkles
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Melt butter and set aside to cool slightly.
  • Meanwhile, combine your milk of choice and vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for five minutes to make "buttermilk."
  • In a large bowl, whisk together oat flour, baking powder, sea salt, and sprinkles until combined.
  • After five minutes, add melted butter, egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the buttermilk mixture and stir to combine.
  • Pour wet ingredients into large bowl with dry ingredients and fold together until just combined. Set aside for 10 minutes so the batter can thicken.
  • Once your batter has thickened, grease a large frying pan with butter and warm over medium heat (remove any excess butter with a paper towel so it doesn't burn). Add about ⅓ cup of batter per pancake to the frying pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the tops of the pancakes bubble and the bottoms have browned. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the other side has browned properly. Repeat this process until you've used up all the batter!
  • Serve with maple syrup, butter, whipped cream, or whatever your little heart desires!

Notes

Storage: Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
To make dairy-free: Use dairy-free milk and vegan butter.
Keyword birthday, birthday cake, dairy-free, funfetti, gluten free, nut-free, pancakes, vegetarian

Photography by Hope Agresti

1 Comment

  1. 5 stars
    wow how cool happy belated birthday TheJuneTable! as a pancake lover I could barely tell these were gluten-free, I’m a butter only type of gal but if you put syrup on them you would have no idea!

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