Description
Celebrate Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday with these festive King Cake Pancakes, featuring mashed bananas and a cinnamon-spiced batter topped with a sweet, creamy icing and colorful purple, gold, and green sanding sugars. Perfectly fluffy and delicious, these pancakes bring the fun and flavor of the classic King Cake to your breakfast table.
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 2 cups buttermilk complete pancake mix (Krusteaz recommended)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) or 1 tablespoon cinnamon-sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 2 small ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Icing & Toppings
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons half-and-half, whole milk, or 2% milk (or half whipping cream and half water)
- Purple, gold, and green sanding sugars (for decoration)
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat an electric griddle to 350°F (175°C) or heat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat to prepare for cooking the pancakes.
- Mix Batter: In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, ground cinnamon if using, water, and mashed bananas. Stir just until moistened to avoid overmixing and ensure fluffy pancakes.
- Melt Butter and Oil: Melt the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl for about 30 seconds. Stir in the vegetable oil and mix well. This mixture will be used to grease the griddle or skillet.
- Grease Cookware: Brush a little of the butter and oil mixture in circles on the heated griddle or skillet, one circle per pancake to prevent sticking.
- Cook Pancakes (Side 1): Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto each greased circle. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the tops are bubbly and the edges look cooked. If edges brown before bubbling, reduce heat as it is too hot.
- Flip and Cook (Side 2): Carefully flip the pancakes using a spatula safe for nonstick surfaces. Cook for about 1 minute more until the bottoms are lightly browned and pancakes are cooked through.
- Prepare Icing: While the pancakes are cooking, whisk together the powdered sugar and chosen milk or cream to create a drizzleable icing. Add more milk as needed to adjust consistency.
- Stack and Drizzle: Stack 2 to 4 pancakes per serving (2 pancakes typical) on serving plates. Drizzle the prepared icing generously over the stacks.
- Optional Tradition: For a festive touch, insert a tiny plastic baby figurine or a whole almond/nut between pancake layers to continue the King Cake tradition. The finder of the prize is crowned King or Queen and traditionally must bring the next King Cake.
- Decorate: Sprinkle the pancakes with purple, gold, and green sanding sugars to mimic King Cake decorations. Pancake syrup can also be added if desired.
Notes
- For best texture, do not overmix the batter once liquid is added.
- If you don’t have buttermilk pancake mix, you can substitute regular pancake mix and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 1/4 cups milk to mimic buttermilk acidity.
- The plastic baby figurine is optional but adds fun Mardi Gras tradition to your pancakes.
- Adjust heat carefully when cooking pancakes to prevent burning before the batter cooks through.
- Use a spatula safe for nonstick pans when flipping to avoid scratching.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 21 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
