Did you know that with a box of cake mix and three other simple ingredients, you can have a batch of deliciously tasty pancakes in no time at all? This easy recipe for Cake Mix Pancakes will make your weekend breakfasts so fun!
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Imagine waking up on a Saturday morning and craving a big stack of pancakes. But you want them to be super easy and incredibly tasty and you don't have any pancake mix.
Do you have a box of cake mix? Plus, some milk, eggs, and butter or cooking oil? If so, you can have pancakes in no time at all!
These Cake Mix Pancakes are absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Plus, depending on what flavor cake mix you use, they can be so fun. Of course, I love using Funfetti cake mix for these pancakes! Which means you can also call these birthday cake pancakes.
🍰 Can you make pancakes with cake mix?
Yes, you can make pancakes with cake mix! Though from-scratch pancakes aren't difficult to make, they do require you to have all the ingredients in your pantry.
When you use cake mix for pancakes, you have the all-purpose flour, baking powder (or baking soda), sugar, vanilla extract, and salt all in one ingredient. Which means you just need to add milk and eggs for the perfect pancake batter (and brush some butter or vegetable oil on the griddle)
Keep in mind that cake is typically a lot sweeter than the average pancake, so your cake mix pancakes will likely be much sweeter than the pancakes you're used to.
But lots would consider that a good thing... These pancakes taste just like cake!
If you're still looking for something to do with an extra box of cake mix, note that you can also make a really delicious banana bread with cake mix!
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
You'll love these cake mix pancakes because they're both super simple to make and really delicious.
They're perfect for when you're running low on flour or sugar or don't have any baking powder in your pantry.
And they're fun to make with different flavors of cake mix.
Oh, and it's always acceptable to top cake mix pancakes with frosting. Obviously.
🗒 Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients for this recipe. Here's everything required (please see recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):
- 15.25 oz. box cake mix: flavor of your choice
- Whole milk: or dairy/non-dairy alternative of your choice
- Large eggs
- Butter or cooking oil: for brushing in pan/on griddle
- Frosting: optional for topping (but so, so good!)
🥞 How to make cake mix pancakes
Of course, making these pancakes is so simple. Pretty much the same exact way you'd make them with a regular pancake mix.
Put the cake mix in a large bowl. I obviously used Funfetti (really, it's Rainbow Chip, which I find to be superior to the branded Funfetti, but that's a conversation for a different day).
Add milk and eggs and mix until just combined.
Take care not to over-mix; a few small lumps are OK! It should look like and be the same consistency as regular pancake batter.
Heat a large griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat and lightly brush with butter or cooking oil.
Pour about ¼ cup of batter onto the hot griddle and cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles start forming on the surface.
Flip and cook for another minute, until lightly golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve a stack of pancakes topped with whatever you choose. I choose frosting. And for funfetti pancakes, I also choose more colorful sprinkles.
They're the perfect way to kick off a birthday celebration. But are also fun for no reason at all.
These are the best light and fluffy pancakes filled with sweet cake flavor. I'm in love!
🥣 What types of cake mix can I use?
While the results may be a little bit different depending on the brand and flavor of cake mix you use, this recipe should work with nearly every boxed cake mix (and luckily, most standard cake mixes are 15.25 ounces).
I've mostly tested this recipe with Funfetti mix and Rainbow Chip mix and both make for delicious pancakes.
Here are some great flavor options:
- Chocolate or devil's food cake mix
- Yellow cake mix
- White cake mix
- Strawberry cake mix
- Red velvet cake mix
I haven't tried these pancakes with angel food cake mix, but I imagine it would make for an extra-fluffy pancake (though I might try the recipe with egg whites instead of full eggs)
💡 Possible substitutions
If you're making pancakes with cake mix, it's either because you want to or because you're short on ingredients and looking for pancake making shortcuts. If that's the case, I have even more substitution ideas for you, including:
- If you don't have milk, you can make these pancakes with water or really any liquid. With water, the pancakes will likely not be as rich as they would be with milk, but the cake mix adds a richness already, so they will still be very tasty. You can also make this with any type of milk, buttermilk, or non-dairy alternative.
- If you don't have eggs, you can try any number of egg substitutes. Things like mashed banana (½ cup), applesauce or pumpkin puree (½ cup), or a flax or chia egg (2 Tbsp flaxseed meal or chia seeds and 5 Tbsp water mixed together). Obviously, these ingredients will change the flavor profile of your pancakes a bit, so keep that in mind.
- Of course, you can also feel free to add in any other mix-ins you want, like fruit, chocolate chips, more sprinkles, nuts, etc.
🎉 Topping ideas:
Of course, I love using frosting and extra sprinkles for my birthday pancakes, but depending on what kind of cake mix you use, you may want to experiment with different toppings.
Here are some fun ideas:
- Maple syrup
- Homemade powdered sugar glaze
- Chocolate syrup
- Fruit, like strawberries, blueberries, bananas, or raspberries
- Chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
- Peanut butter
But honestly, these pancakes don't even need any toppings as they're an amazingly sweet celebration-worthy treat as is.
👩🍳 What else can I make with boxed mixes?
I love experimenting with boxed mixes like pancakes mix, cake mix, muffin mix, and brownie mix to see what other recipe creations I can come up with. Here are some of my favorite box mix recipes:
- Cake Mix Banana Bread
- Muffin Mix Pancakes
- Brownie Mix Cookies
- Pancake Mix Crepes
- Pancake Mix Cookies
- Pancake Mix Banana Bread
- Muffin Mix Cookies
- Pancake Mix Donuts
- Pancake Mix Muffins
- Cake Mix Cherry Cobbler (from The Cards We Drew)
It's so easy to take a box of baking mix and turn it into so many different things!
But there's something extra fun about these festive cake batter pancakes. I have a feeling your entire family is going to love them, whether you're serving them for a special occasion or just a regular weekend brunch.
Have you made anything other than cake with box cake mix?
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 oz. box cake mix (flavor of your choice)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- Butter or cooking oil, for griddle
- Frosting, optional for topping
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together pancake mix, milk, and eggs until just combined. Take care not to over-mix; a few small lumps are OK!
- Heat a large griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat and lightly brush with butter or cooking oil.
- Pour about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle and cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles start forming on the surface. Flip and cook for another minute, until lightly golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve pancakes topped with frosting, maple syrup, or whatever you choose!
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