The fine folks at Queen, famous for their flavouring extracts, cake decorations and their gelato mix, have sponsored this post so I could try out their brand new food colour gels. You know how bland the colours come out when you use the normal liquid colours? Well, that’s a thing of the past with these new gel colours that come in easy to use tubes.
In the past you could get gel colours only from specialist cake decorating shops but it was effort and they cost way more than $2.50 per tube. Look at these pancakes – only one drop in each one gave it the bright colour I was looking for.
When I had little kids, my daughter could cheerfully go without eating. She just couldn’t be bothered. I’d make silver dollar pancakes and make each one a different colour. On the bottom of the plate I’d write the name of a surprise she’d get if she ate all of one of the colours. If she chose wrong, no surprise. It only took once before she realised that if she ate them all, the surprise was guaranteed.
She called it rainbow day and it was a highlight for her. I’d stick everything I could think of in those pancakes and she ate them every time.
When I was asked to share my experiences with this new food colour gel, those pancakes came to mind. Well, to be honest, I thought of a Rubik’s Cube first but that proved problematic in the way I wanted to make them. Needless to say, several batches of pan cookies proved me wrong. I could have just done a block of cake but Tania did fancy icing so I went to my first thought and in honour of my daughter Kathy, here are my fluffy, buttermilk rainbow pancakes.
- 1 cup plain, all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoons melted butter
- gel food colouring
- Sift dry ingredients and set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients and whisk to combine the egg.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Separate into 4 bowls and place one drop of gel food colouring to each bowl. Stir with a spoon to distribute colour.
- Place skillet over medium heat and spoon enough batter in to make two small pancakes. When edges begin to dry, flip and cook the other side.
- Serve topped with butter, maple syrup or ice cream.
If you’re in Australia, try their Food Colour Gels and follow them on Facebook too.
You were a crafty mother, Maureen. What a great trick to get your daughter to eat up her pancakes!
I’m liking the idea of rainbow day, especially on a drizzly grey morning.
Dear Maureen,
Looks brilliant! Can I request a drop each of red and blue? My fave would be purple pancakes 🙂
It’s a holiday here in Halifax, and I’m about to make some buttermilk pancakes! Maybe I should make them FESTIVE?! (And offer up a prize if 2.0 can correctly identify the colours…)
I asked the dog and he said gray every time. 🙂
I love the idea of Rainbow day and these pancakes are perfect. So fluffy as well as colourful. Great looking gels. GG
Oh, you know I am a complete color-addict! Love this, love love love this!
I heard that gel food coloring would be too bland, so I am intrigued by those – I shall search for them at the place that sells everything under the sun, except love and happiness, aka amazon.com
Great post, Maureen…. your daughter sure knows how lucky she is to call you Mom!
What a cute story on how to get your daughter to eat. I need no encouragement when it comes to pancakes. 🙂
What a cute story about how to get your daughter to eat. I need no encouragement when it comes to eating pancakes. 😀
A very cute stack of pancakes, Maureen – these would be so fun for kids! Glad that you are having fun with your food 😉
These rainbow pancakes are adorable!
Such a fun game to play with your daughter! I am curious if your daughter ever tried to sneak a peek at the bottom with a full plate? Cos I know I would have!
Love the color in these pancakes – I am amazed that only one drop gave these gorgeous colors!!!
I’d certainly eat my plateful of these. But then I’m really a kid in a big body. 😉 Fun recipe, fun post — thanks.
oh how cool! My grandchildren would love this 🙂 I am going to do this for them! I like the idea of rainbow day!
What fun, Maureen, will look out for these colourings.
That’s a big stack of pancakes to eat Mom, there better be a good surprise at the bottom! 😀 Just teasing, they look very pretty Maureen! 🙂
Hi Maureen, what a lovely story, my daughter was a little picky growing up, but I know she would of ate these.
What a great way to get your daughter to eat her breakfast. Though I could never finish that entire stack either. The vibrant colours make investing in a set of food colour gels a great idea.
These look really fun! I love how the colors actually bright and beautiful.
Maureen that is such a sweet story about your daughter, what a clever idea and a lovely food memory. I also just LOVE those pancakes! The colors are so vibrant and your photos are so fun!
That’s a lovely sneaky story Maureen. I much prefer gel colour to powder or liquid and these are heaps cheaper than the Wilton ones.
Does your daughter eat now? I used to be the child that didn’t want to eat but I got over it! You certainly went to a lot of effort to make sure Kathy enjoyed her food. Your rainbow pancakes are so gorgeous I can’t imagine any child refusing to eat them. The gel colours certainly give vibrant results xx
What fun! Love the colours.
What a kind and creative mama you were to your girl. 🙂 These are so darn cheery!
My daughter is going to love these rainbow pancakes. They look so pretty!
Lovely pancakes! What a brilliant idea to get your daughter to eat, for kids who are not interested in food that can be really tough — who wouldn’t want to eat a rainbow?!
Very nice story about your daughter – you are smart to offer such a creative way to eat! I can’t imagine not being bothered – not a problem for me! These colors are great – and this is very exciting – hope we can find this product in the US
I cook for and with my grandchildren. They would love making these and even more, they would love eating them. Thanks for the inspiration.
Aw, I love that story about your daughter 🙂 What a clever mama you were!
What an awesome trick! Brilliant idea too 🙂 Such a clever clever Mom. Love the pan cakes, even I could finish all of them.
Maureen,
What a great story! I wonder if your daughter now has her own children who won’t eat.
These pancakes are so fun! Love that bright color the gel gave the batter. Makes me think of all the kids going back to school!
I think coloring the pancakes is a great idea and the kids would love them. They look like fun color. I really love the idea.
Those are so pretty, Maureen! I can hardly wait to make them for my 3-1/2 y/o grandson, Sheamus. I can just see his face now. When my kids were small I would read them “Green Eggs and Ham”….one morning I made green eggs with food coloring, ham and toast. They have never, ever forgotten that and now make it for their kids. Thanks for this great idea! 🙂
What lovely color pancakes!
I love them!
An always your posts are fun:)
i just never have alot of time in the morning but I HAVE TO wake up extra early one day before school starts back and make these for my boys! They would freak out over them and just love them! Great idea and yours look fantastic!
Great idea coming up with rainbow pancakes! Love the colours, too! This will surely lure kids to pause from playing 🙂
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Rainbow pancakes?? I’m sold…
They did turn out incredibly bright! Was there a surprise beneath these delightful pancakes?
This looks fun to make! Will definitely do this with my daughter, great idea
How cool are these – only one drop? Wow! I know just the little people to try these out on and there’s one in particular I might need to use your trick on 🙂
Love the idea that you put some color of your pan cake. Look so cool.
So fun and vibrant! What a great food coloring! I wish I had some sort of trick to use on Katie to get her to eat some veggies when she was little…you were a smart mama!!!
Wow! These pancakes look amazing 🙂 Love the colours 🙂
That’s so funny and clever! What a creative mom you were! But honestly I did think maybe these were for Gay Pride Day 🙂 I use powder coloring since I almost exclusively use food coloring for macarons but I think coloring cupcake and cake frosting could be fun. I’d love to try gel coloring with this much pop!
I somehow think that pancakes suit you better Maureen! 😀 And now I have the Rainbow Connection song going around in my head 😛
Hi Maureen
What great looking pancakes. I am always amazed when people say they didn’t eat anything when they were kids. We had no choice:). We ate it or got it next day for breakfast!
I love that idea you used to get your daughter to eat. How cute! And food coloring gels rock!!! I love using them instead of those watery colors that you practically have to use the entire bottle to get a vibrant color.
They look delicious and perfect Maureen and the colours really make them look fun to eat. 🙂
Queen should be selling those gel colors in India, it would be a great hit since Indians use food coloring in dishes frequently and we only get those boring powdered or liquid versions. thanks for the introduction Maureen. =)
Oh Maureen, such a fun post…I would love a rainbow pancake…awesome!
Thanks for bringing a big smile to my day!
Hope you are having a great week 😀
You are weird! And that’s a compliment! Along with silly its an important personality characteristic of people I happen to like. Ha! These pancakes are a HOOT.
I swear by gel food colouring as well, there is only one company that makes it in the UK and I have to get them online but I would never use liquid colour again because its far too wishy washy. Great idea colouring pancakes makes a very colourful breakfast 😀
These pancakes look like so much fun to make, and even more fun to eat 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
How fun, these pancakes would be the perfect birthday breakfast!
Oh Maureen how sweet . I love the idea of these pancakes. I got a bit of a surprise to see my name at the end ofg that blog post. Ha. I did have fun with my colours. i wish they made black though, black is a very diffiicult colour
I’m not a kid, but I get excited every time I see rainbow food! My kids would be thrilled seeing rainbow pancakes at the table when they wake up. 😀 Actually this recipe is a great idea for my kids’ birthday breakfast!
my lil nieces and nephews would dying love this colorfull pancake,
but me personally, i think the colorfull pancake torturring my eyes, lol
even i wouldn’t mind to digging it, hehehe
Well, I think your Rainbow pancakes are adorable and very colorful! Looks like the gel does work better than those liquid drops.
Now little ones would just adore this! Such a nice creation Maureen and love the melted better on top, I’m American in that way, can’t have pancakes without some melted butter!
Krissie x – http://pearlsofstyle.blogspot.com.au
These colourful pancakes are so much fun Maureen. Perfect for little ones – or the young at heart ; )
Great idea to put food coloring gel in tube, I do not do cake decorating but my sister does she would love the gel tubes.
Oh my gosh, I would love rainbow day….my niece would too! :-). Your pancakes sound delicious and all the colors look gorgeous! Hugs, Terra
Rainbow food always makes me smile, and I’d have no trouble finishing all my colors with a breakfast like this!
I am sure that if I make my daughters rainbow pancakes they will love it. I might try this evening.
Consequently yummy! That looks irresistible.
What a fun way to cheer up a gloomy morning!!