Easy Pancake Cake - 5 Ingredients, High Protein

This easy Pancake Cake, made with fluffy protein buttermilk pancakes and topped with rich, low-sugar protein chocolate frosting, is the perfect breakfast, dessert or post-workout treat. And that too low in fat and calories with just 5 ingredients!

Ingredients for this Easy Pancake Cake stack recipe:

• Just-add-Water Pancake Mix;
  For an extra high protein recipe, use Kodiak Buttermilk Pancake Mix!
  Or classic Buttermilk Pancake Mix from Bob's Red Mill for that proper buttermilk pancake vibe.
• Water to make the pancakes

The Chocolate Protein Frosting:

• Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
• Chocolate Protein Powder - I used whey-casein from Quest Nutrition.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

How to Make High Protein Pancake Cake

This protein pancake cake is extremely easy to make and is basically flipping pancakes and whipping some frosting on top. Here's what it takes to make this dessert for breakfast:

Cook the Protein Pancakes

1. Make pancake batter - stir pancake mix and water in a bowl according to box directions. Batter should be thick and slightly lumpy. Don't over-mix.

2. Heat nonstick pan or skillet on medium-low, and grease with cooking spray.

3. Scoop out about ¼ cup mixture at a time onto pan and cook until edges are dry and top has bubbles. Flip and cook the other side; About 2 minutes each side.

Make the Chocolate Frosting

4. Whisk yogurt, protein powder and cocoa powder in a bowl.
   Don't add too much yogurt in the topping; It will come together; Just continue to mix.

Assemble:

5. Let pancakes cool first or the frosting will melt!

6. Assemble the stack: pancake, spread frosting, then repeat!
   Top with sprinkles for fun 🙂 

Tips for Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes in this Cake Stack

This recipe is ideal for meal prep or special occasions, and it's so easy to make! No complicated steps or fancy ingredients-just simple, wholesome components that come together for a healthy, delicious dish. Here's some things to remember though.

1. Use a nonstick pan so the fluffy protein pancakes don't stick to the bottom.

2. Use medium-low heat on the pan to prevent the pancakes from burning before they cook.

3. Grease the pan well again so that the pancakes don't stick to the pan.

4. Let the sides dry out, and the top form bubbles before flipping. This is a sign that the bottom is cooked completely.
   
5. Don't press down the pancake after flipping; This would make the air escape and the pancakes won't be as fluffy. 

Let the pancakes stack cool before adding the frosting or the frosting will melt.

How to store Healthy Pancake Cake:

Honestly, storing this healthy pancake cake is just as easy to store as it is to make.

Since it's a 'cake' with frosting, you would need to store it in the fridge not consumed within a couple of hours. Place in an airtight container and keep upto 4 days.
For longer-term, you can try freezing the cake as well; Cut into slices and place in freezer-safe zipper bags upto 2 months. Thaw before eating though!

Alternate Ingredients for Pancake Cake with Chocolate Frosting

This pancake cake with chocolate frosting is a very accommodating recipe, and can easily be customized to make it fit your dietary restrictions. 

Options for Protein Buttermilk Pancakes:

I specified the pre-made protein buttermilk pancake mix from Kodiak here, but you can use any plain protein pancake recipe recipe you like.

Alternatively, you can also just use regular pancakes!

Greek Yogurt Alternatives:

Instead of nonfat plain Greek Yogurt, you can use any other fat-level of Greek yogurt, or even coconut yogurt for a dairy-free option.

Chocolate Protein Powder?

If you don't have a chocolate protein powder, feel free to use a vanilla protein powder instead.

For a vegan-friendly option, you can use a plant-based chocolate protein powder like this one from KOS.

If you don't like Chocolate Frosting

Feed free to make a vanilla, cinnamon or even a peanut butter frosting if that's what you prefer!

More Recipes with Protein Pancake Mix:

• Coffee Cake with Protein Pancake Mix
• Pancake Mix Protein Brownies
• Chocolate Chip Pancake Mug Cake (Vegan & Gluten Free)
• Pancake Mix Protein Cinnamon Rolls
• Protein Pull Apart Bread with Pancake Mix