Birthday {PAN}CAKE!

I still have cheesecake in the fridge {in my mouth, and coincidentally now on my thighs} but it's time to make more sweets in this house.

I love to make a big hoot out of my boys birthdays. Yesterday, one of my sweet boys turned six!

In our house, we hang birthday signs, streamers, ribbons, and spread balloons all over the birthday boys bed and bedroom while he is sleeping. You even get a special decorated birthday chair.

This year, I wanted to try something new when it came to the birthday cake. I saw a great idea for birthday pancakes in the August 2011 Rachael Ray magazine, but sending my boys off to school full of birthday cake and sugar {even though it's a birthday day}, is probably not the best idea. I thought if I put layers of frosting in between the birthday pancakes, we'd have ourselves a fun, quirky, birthday cake!

You will need:

1 box of cake mix - I used Pillsbury FunFetti {or regular yellow cake mix mixed with sprinkles}

2 tbsp butter, softened, plus extra for buttering the griddle

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 {8oz} package 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Make the cake mix according to package instructions. Preheat your griddle to 350 degrees and butter the surface. {Griddles may vary.} Place one ladle full of batter onto the griddle and use a spoon to spread it out quickly into a circle. {I found the best technique is to smooth the batter from the center outwards to form a circle.}. The {pan}cake is ready to flip when there are bubbles formed and the bottom is browned. Use two spatulas, flip, and cook on the other side until cooked through.

 Stack the {pan}cakes on a plate and place one by one {as they come off the griddle} in the freezer to cool. Repeat until all batter is gone. The number of {pan}cakes depends on the size of your ladle. I got five large circles which made almost a regular sized 9 inch cake!

While the {pan}cakes are chilling, let's make the frosting.

{Frosting recipe from Cooking Light magazine, November 2009.}

Combine the 2 tbsp softened butter, 8 oz. softened cream cheese, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Beat at medium speed until combined. Add the powdered sugar gradually, beating well until all ingredients are combined. 

Place a {pan}cake onto a cake platter. Spread a good amount of frosting between each layer, being sure to go all the way to the edge so the birthday boy or girl can see it! Repeat with all {pan}cakes.

Top with the leftover frosting and add some candles and sprinkles if you have them! I only had Halloween and Christmas ones so I opted for a ribbon decoration! Not edible by any means, but festive!!!

Happy Birthday to your special someone! I hope they love this unconventional cake as much as my son did!

Shared with:

Crafty, Scrappy, Happy

Kayla's Creations