Homemade Funfetti Birthday Cake Waffles
Birthdays are a time for celebration, and what better way to make the day extra special than with a stack of Homemade Birthday Cake Waffles made from scratch?
This is such a fun way to add a birthday twist to a traditional breakfast recipe. It combines the flavor of homemade waffles with a scrumptious vanilla birthday cake.
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These delicious waffles are sweet with a fluffy texture, golden brown exterior, and full of fun-filled sprinkles.
The recipe is super simple and a great way to make regular waffles a little more festive!
Whether you’re wishing your kiddo a “Happy Birthday” or treating yourself, these easy birthday cake waffles are a great start to any special occasion and make for an extra special birthday breakfast the whole family will love!
If you’re looking for a shortcut recipe with the same great taste, I have a super easy recipe for Cake Mix Waffles on the blog. Perfect for busy mornings, with just as many sprinkles!
How To Make Homemade Birthday Waffles From Scratch
Full recipe and ingredient amounts can be found on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Equipment Needed
- Waffle iron: You have to have a waffle iron to make waffles! I have a round waffle maker that makes one 6″ waffle, but you can use a model that best suits your family’s needs.
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Whisk and a rubber spatula
- Cooling rack or wire rack
- Cooking spray
Ingredients You’ll Need
All-purpose flour: For holding everything together.
Granulated sugar: Makes the waffles super sweet and taste like birthday cake batter.
Baking powder + Baking soda: The baking powder makes the waffles rise while the baking soda provides beautiful browning, crispness, and makes the waffle lighter. Make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh for best results.
Kosher salt: I like coarse kosher salt. The salt balances out the sweetness from the sugar and sprinkles.
Buttermilk: This adds a nice tang and helps make the waffles tender. When the buttermilk and baking soda react with one another, it creates a nice airy rise and brown crispness to the waffle.
Vegetable Oil: The addition of fat makes the waffles crisp on the outside and helps brown the exterior.
Large eggs: The eggs are the glue that bind everything together.
Vanilla extract: The vanilla extract helps to flavor the waffles like cake batter. We use a generous amount in this recipe to make these Funfetti waffles extra delicious.
Rainbow sprinkles: The colorful sprinkles are what make the waffles look like a birthday cake!
Instructions
Preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Choose a low setting if you plan to toast these waffles later, or choose a higher setting if serving immediately
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture together until just combined, but lumpy.
Gently fold in the rainbow sprinkles, and mix until the sprinkles are evenly distributed.
Spray the top and bottom of the hot waffle iron with cooking spray.
Scoop a spoonful of batter onto the waffle maker. Depending on the size of your waffle iron this can range from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of the waffle batter. For my model, I use 1/2 cup of batter to make a 6″ waffle.
After adding the batter to the waffle maker, spread it slightly with a rubber spatula so that it’s evenly distributed in the center of the waffle maker. Do not spread the batter all the way out to the edges, it’ll do that on its own.
Close the lid of the waffle maker and allow the waffle to cook until it is golden brown and crisp, following the manufacturer’s directions. My waffle iron takes about 2-3 minutes per waffle, on the highest setting.
Carefully remove the waffles from the waffle maker and transfer them to a wire rack. To keep the waffles warm, arrange waffles in a single layer on the wire rack, over a cookie sheet and let them sit in a warm oven (200F-250F) until serving.
Repeat the above process until all the batter has been cooked off and serve immediately.
Serving Your Waffles
Serve these birthday waffles warm with a generous dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, and extra sprinkles.
These waffles are also delicious topped with a fresh strawberry compote, plump blueberries, or raspberries.
To make this special breakfast a complete meal, I like to serve these waffles with some of my favorite breakfast sides like bacon, breakfast potatoes, or some fresh fruit.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
Store any leftover waffles in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container. They will remain fresh for up to 3 days after cooking.
Reheat cold waffles in the toaster oven or toaster until warmed through and crispy.
Leftover waffles can also be frozen and will last for up to 2 months in the freezer.
See freezing instructions below.
Freezing Waffles
To freeze leftovers, simply make a batch of waffles per the instructions above. I recommend cooking the waffles on a low setting to prevent overcooking when they’re reheated later.
Allow the waffles to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Place the cooled waffles into the freezer and store them for up to 2 months.
When you’re ready to serve, grab a frozen waffle (no need to thaw first) and reheat it in the toaster or toaster oven until warmed through and crispy.
Pro Tips
- Always spray the waffle iron with cooking spray before adding the waffle batter.
- Pour the waffle batter into the center of the waffle iron and spread it around a little before closing the lid. I also like to spread the batter toward the back hinge of the waffle maker, to help the waffle cook up more evenly.
- If you plan on freezing these waffles or storing leftovers to toast later, cook the waffles on the low setting of your waffle maker so that they’re cooked through, but are lighter in color. This will ensure they don’t get burnt when toasted later.
- Add the rainbow sprinkles to the batter at the very last minute. This will keep the sprinkles from dissolving in the waffle batter and making streaks.
- The amount of batter scooped onto the waffle maker will depend on your model. I use ½ cup of batter to make one 6″ waffle. If you have a square waffle maker or a waffle maker that makes fun shapes, you may need to spoon on less batter.
Variations and Substitutions
Here are some easy ways to jazz up your waffles from an ordinary breakfast food, into a treat worthy of any special occasion! I’ve also included some ingredient substitutes if you don’t happen to have a couple of items on hand!
Substitutions
- If you don’t have buttermilk, simply add 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup and add enough milk to equal 1 1/4 cups. Let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before using. It might curdle, but that’s perfect!
- Feel free to use melted butter, melted coconut oil, applesauce, or any other neutral-flavored oil in place of the vegetable oil in the recipe.
Variations
The recipe above uses traditional rainbow sprinkles, like what you would find in a Funfetti cake mix, but there’s no need to stop there! Play around with different sprinkle combinations to make themed waffle recipes. Here are a few suggestions:
- Use teal, purple, and green sprinkles to make mermaid waffles
- Find a unicorn waffle maker and coordinate colorful sprinkles for magical unicorn waffles.
- Mix and match colors to coordinate your kiddo’s favorite superhero for the best birthday breakfast ever!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Prepare the waffle batter as stated above and cook per your waffle iron’s instructions on the “light” setting. Store waffles in the fridge until ready to use and toast before serving.
Yes! Homemade Funfetti Waffles freeze beautifully and last up to 2 months in the freezer. See the “storing, freezing, and reheating” section above for instructions.
Yes! Choose whatever color sprinkles fit the theme of the birthday boy or girl. If you’re using sprinkles with big chunky shapes (like mermaid tails or unicorns) leave those out of the batter, since they will just melt and become unrecognizable. You can always sprinkle the big shapes on top of the waffles when serving.
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More Birthday Recipes
Funfetti Birthday Cake Waffles- From Scratch Recipe
Homemade waffles that taste like Funfetti Birthday Cake! These sweet waffles are a tasty treat with a fluffy texture, golden brown exterior, and full of fun-colored sprinkles.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Choose a low setting if you plan to toast these waffles later, or choose a higher setting if serving immediately
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture together until almost combined, but a few lumps of flour remain.
- Gently fold in the rainbow sprinkles, and mix until no streaks of flour remain and the sprinkles are evenly distributed.
- Spray the top and bottom of the hot waffle iron with cooking spray. Scoop a spoonful of batter onto the waffle maker. Depending on the size of your waffle iron this can range from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of the waffle batter. For my model, I use 1/2 cup of batter to make a 6" waffle.
- Spread the batter slightly with a rubber spatula so that it's evenly distributed in the center of the waffle maker. Do not spread the batter all the way out to the edges.
- Close the lid of the waffle maker and allow the waffle to cook until it is golden brown and crisp, following the manufacturer's directions.
- Carefully remove the waffles from the waffle maker and transfer them to a wire rack. Store the waffles in a warm oven until ready to serve.
- Repeat the above process until all the batter has been cooked off and serve immediately.
Notes
*You can make a buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of lemon juice/white vinegar to a measuring cup and adding enough milk to make 1 1/4 cups. Let sit 5 minutes at room temperature before using. It may curdle, but perfectly fine!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 393Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 547mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 1gSugar: 33gProtein: 7g
