This Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake will blow your mind! Layers of cookie flavored cake alternating with vanilla bean, browned-butter chocolate chip cookies and fluffy, vanilla buttercream!
This Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake will blow your mind! Layers of cookie flavored cake alternating with vanilla bean, browned-butter chocolate chip cookies and fluffy, vanilla buttercream!Vintage Kitty is celebrating its one year birthday! And although we don’t need an excuse to eat cake any time of year here, birthdays require extra special cakes! We think that this Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake screams birthday with its classic cookie flavors and made from scratch appeal! It’s just like mom made, or maybe better!
Can you believe it’s been a year already? I certainly can’t! It’s been roller-coaster year of learning curves, making new friends online and off and so very, many dirty dishes! 53 recipes, 65 posts, and 365 days of adventure! The musical theatre geek inside me is ready to break into Season of Love and I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry!
It’s overwhelming to say the least. All the positive feedback, the social media shares, and the amazing opportunity to become a freelance writer have made the long hours worth it! But keeping it real…all the recipe flops, Foodgawker rejections, and coding mistakes have challenged me to grow.
And if this year’s successes continue, the ride will get even more exciting! And I’m looking forward to it all..the recipe testing, the travel assignments, the magazine articles, the collaboration with awesome brands, bloggers, photographers and more! BRING IT ON!!!
Tomorrow….hahaha. Because today we must celebrate with Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake!
Many people that know me, know that when it comes to sweets, there are two things I can’t stop eating…donuts and cookies. Luckily, good donuts are hard to come by… but cookies… If I make a batch, there won’t be any left 24 hours later. Especially if they are chocolate chip cookies!
It’s embarrassing but true. So one day when me and the hubby were making cookies, I started thinking about those cookie “cakes”. (Do you remember those Mrs. Fields birthday cookies? The huge ones covered in tons of sugary frosting?) And I started thinking that they were nice and all, but who wants a birthday without cake?
And then the idea of making a chocolate chip cookie flavored cake popped into my mind. Could it be done? Could you really make a cake that has the essence of everyone’s favorite cookie?
I can tell you that yes, you can! But it takes more patience than Cookie Monster making one batch of cookies! It takes quite a lot of test batches to create a new cake recipe but I’m happy to say that this Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is moist, easy to make and actually takes and looks like a cookie!
So I should have been happy and stopped there, right? No!!!! I decided to take this party over the top by adding two thin layers of cookie into this recipe!
It’s so pretty with all the layers…but I’ll let you in on a little secret. This Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is so good you can eat it by itself, no frosting, nothing….other than a glass of milk or a cup of coffee… So if you aren’t into all the layers, this cake would be just as good as a sheet cake topped in a chocolate ganache… Simple, easy and delicious!
But I’m not low maintenance when it comes to celebrations… I “need” all those layers and frosting… so pile them on and let’s eat to a year of Vintage Kitty!
Before I leave you with the recipe, a quick note of thanks to all my readers. You are what has made this dream a reality, so THANK YOU! I’m honored and humbled by your love and support!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cake
- 3 cups AP flour (13.5 oz)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups mini chocolate chips
- 16 TB butter, browned and chilled and softened
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 TB vanilla extract
- 1 TB white vinegar
- 1 TB molasses
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- 2 1/4 cups AP flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 16 TB butter browned, chilled and softened
- 1 cup organic granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups mini chocolate chips
Frosting
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Grease and flour two 9 by 2 inch round cake pans and line with a circle of parchment.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine.
- Place mini chocolate chips in a bowl and scoops a couple tablespoons of the flour mixture onto them; stir and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip butter with the paddle attachment until pale and fluffy.
- Add sugar and coconut oil and beat until fluffy, at least 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine buttermilk, vanilla extract, vinegar and molasses and whisk to combine.
- Add eggs to butter mixture one at a time.
- Add dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture in three intervals, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Finally, add the chocolate chips and stir by hand until the flour has mostly incorporated.
- Divide batter equally between pans and bake 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack for about 5-7 minutes and then turn out cakes.
Cookies
- Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip butter with the paddle attachment until pale and fluffy.
- Add sugar and beat for 5 minutes.
- Slice vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape with a knife.
- Add vanilla beans and extract to butter mixture and discard vanilla pod.
- Add eggs one at a time.
- Slowly add flour mixture and beat to combine.
- Add chocolate chips and mix by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Press a very thin layer (about the height of a mini chocolate chip) into cake pans reusing the parchment paper.
- Bake about 12-16 minutes until golden.
- Cool cookies in pans and then turn out.
Assembly
- Once the cake and cookies have cooled completely, frost cake, starting with a cake layer and alternating with cookie layers.
- Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- The cookie recipe will leave lots of extra dough for making cookies to decorate the cake, bake later, or you can just eat the leftovers straight from the bowl...we won't judge ;-)
- Easy Vanilla Buttercream Recipe
Nutrition
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Erin @ Thanks for Cookin'! says
Happy Birthday!! So happy for you! I’m a few months behind you, but it is quite a ride isn’t it?! This cake looks so beautiful! Who can say no to a chocolate chip cookie? And by the way that Cookie Monster commercial is my FAVORITE! I giggle every time!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Erin! #Bloglife is special…fun, exciting, long days and lots of hard work but I love the art in it! This is my 3rd blog and can tell you that keeping up with the busy pace is the hardest part. If you can make it to a year, I think you’re golden!
And did you see the outtakes from the Cookie commercial? Too funny! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk5qT_814xM
Erin @ Thanks for Cookin'! says
Oh my gosh we just watched the outtakes this weekend! AH-MAZING! hahaha!
Vintage Kitty says
I know! “I wish me could close me eyes” Still giggling!
Megan @ Meg is Well says
Congratulations! You’ve accomplished so much in such a short time! This cake…wow. My mind is blown.
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Megan! It feels good. Lots of goals for the next year, but I’m very pleased with the accomplishments we’ve made this year! Thanks for your support!
Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says
Congratulations on your Blogiversary! (and thanks for dropping by the blog.) This cake looks amazing!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks! It’s very exciting! Love your blog! I’m looking forward to discovering more of your recipes!
Shawnmarie says
So excited to try this! I’m a little confused though. Isn’t 16 Tablespoons of butter the same as one cup? I’m curious why it’s written differently in each recipe. Also, if you cut the cookie recipe in half would it be enough to make the two cookie layers you describe?
Vintage Kitty says
Shawnmarie, I updated the recipe for consistency. Thanks for pointing that out. Yes 16 TB is one cup, however after the butter is browned it should no longer equal one cup. I was concerned that if I wrote one cup of butter for the cake someone might measure it after its browned. The coconut oil in the recipe replaces the moisture that is lost in the browning process.
As for the cookies, it all depends on how thick you make the cookie. It should be thin, but I don’t think a half recipe would be quite enough. I’d say that about a third of the overall batter was let over.
If you try the recipe come back and let me know what you think!
Shawnmarie says
I did indeed try it! The taste is amazing, but if I make it again I think I’ll just do the cake. The cookie layers make it really difficult to cut and the cake by itself tastes amazingly like chocolate chip cookie dough – YUM! I frosted it with Swiss Buttercream because I’d never made SBC before and had been wanting to try it. The cake with the SBC is to die for! I got three cookies out of the cookie dough, but probably could have made them thinner and made four. The cookies are crazy delicious as well.
Vintage Kitty says
That’s awesome Shawnmarie! It is not an easy cake to cut. If you make it again and still wanted to include the cookie portion you could make small cookies (like 1-2 inches in diameter) and decorate the cake with them. But you’re right, the cake can stand on its own. Thanks for your thoughts on the cake!
Psychic Nest says
Happy blog birthday! First time I visit your blog today and I have to admit that I’m impressed! So many amazing posts and this chip cookie cake looks fantastic! I cannot wait to try it!
Zaria
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Zaria! It’s been a busy year! If you try any recipes, please let me know what you think!
Jennifer says
Hi! When you say “browned, chilled and softened” for the butter, do you brown it and then put it back in the fridge till it hardens and then you soften it in your mixer when making the batter?
My husband requested this for his birthday cake and I want to make it right :)
Vintage Kitty says
Exactly Jennifer! Brown the butter and then put it in the fridge until it completely hardens. Then pull it out of the fridge to soften the butter before you make the cake. This is actually a good time to pull out all your refrigerated ingredients (eggs, buttermilk) so everything is at room temp.
Would love to see the finished product!
elizabeth@top cookware online says
I LOVE chocolate chip cookie recipes made into one big one! This looks so delicious!
Katie says
This looks SUPER duper awesome! What if I wanted to make it as cupcakes? How much batter would I put into each cupcake liner and how long would I bake them for?
Vintage Kitty says
I haven’t tried it as cupcakes, so I’m not sure. It’s not a huge riser, so guessing about 2/3 full. Let me know how it turns out.
Katie says
They turned out well! 350 for 15 minutes and they seemed to be perfect! I overfilled a few and they spilled over of course but 2/3 was right on the money I’d say :-)
Michelle says
Hi! This cake looks amazing and would love to make it for my niece’s birthday. In order to save time, I was wondering if I could freeze the cake layers? I know that I have frozen cake layers before but never a chocolate chip cookie cake layer!! Thanks!
Vintage Kitty says
I completely understand your desire to do some of the work in advance. Can you? Short answer is yes! After it fully cools to room temp, wrap the cake layers tightly in lots of plastic wrap and freeze. When you want to thaw them, unwrap and thaw at room temperature.
But the longer answer is that this cake is moist and fluffy when not refrigerated. Once it gets refrigerated it is much more dense. There are other steps you can take to prepare in advance, such as brown the butter and freeze it and make the cookie dough in advance and freeze it.
Let me know how it goes Michelle!
Emily says
I’m standing by helplessly as my two cakes overflow their pans and turn my oven into a disaster zone. :(
The bits that landed on the pan below and cooked are good, though.
Vintage Kitty says
That’s awful! Did you use 9 inch cake pans? My other thought is whether the baking powder was fresh. One time while on a family vacation at the beach, I decided to make cupcakes. I was cheap and bought the baking powder from the dollar store. Well, the cupcakes literally exploded in the oven. Baking is chemistry, so sometimes these things happen. I’ve made this cake about 10 times now, so if you want to figure out what went wrong, send me an email and we’ll figure it out.
Garner says
Amazing recipe. I will try to make it.
Vintage Kitty says
I hope you do! It’s so good!
Sandra says
Hi ! I’ve been wanting to make this type of cake and was excited to see this recipe, I have two questions, does the butter have to be browned for the cake part of the recipe ,what would it effect if I didn’t? And what could I replace the coconut oil with ,as my daughter is allergic to coconut? One more question, lol, what does the molasses do for the cake ? THANK YOU ,can’t wait to try this !
Vintage Kitty says
Hi Sandra! Great questions! The browned butter is part of what makes the cake taste like a chocolate chip cookie, so yes, do brown the butter. If you don’t brown it, the liquid/fat ratio will be off too. You can brown the butter ahead of time and place in an airtight container until you’re ready to make the cake. If you’ve never done it before, it’s easier than it seems! I swear I’ve added this Butter 101 link from A Beautiful Plate several times, but it keeps gettings lost! It’s a very helpful post explaining the process.
The coconut oil can be subbed with vegetable or canola oil or really, any neutral oil. The molasses adds to the cookie flavor as well but it also plays a role in the leavening of the cake.
I’d love to know how it goes, so please come back or better yet post a picture via social media and tag me. Happy baking!
Sandra says
Thank you so much for your quick response ,and the butter link ,as I have never browned butter before !My granddaughter and I love to bake together and this is one of our #1 recipes we wanted to try and I will be sure to post an update and photo!
Vintage Kitty says
You’re welcome Sandra. I have great memories of baking with my grammy. You’re giving your granddaughter a wonderful gift, not just in time, but in teaching her to bake too!
Sandra King says
Hi ! I am finally making this cake tonight with my granddaughter and had one more question,can I mix cake flour with the all purpose without messing up the recipe,and if so how would I go about that ?Thank you Sandra
Vintage Kitty says
Sorry I didn’t see this last night. It should be okay if you use the correct weight of flour.
Charles says
I love how much the cake tastes like a real chocolate chip cookie. Well worth the effort.
Vintage Kitty says
I’m so happy that you loved it! Thanks for letting me know how it went!
Susan says
I have the same issue as a previous poster did—my pans are overflowing. It’s as if I should have divided the batter into 3 pans instead of two. Looks like it will taste good. I guess I will just trim them up at the end and hope it all works out. Fingers crossed!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks for the feedback Susan. Were your pans 9 by 2 inch pans? Trying to troubleshoot the overflowing pans issue. Thanks!
Avilyn says
This recipe looks so good! I’m not looking to feed a lot of people, can I just make half the recipe and bake it in two 6″ pans instead?
Vintage Kitty says
Hi Avilyn! It is a big cake. I’ve made this as a sheet cake and in two 8 inch square cake pans. So you can do half. Make sure whatever pans you use, that they have high sides. I’ve had reports of the cakes overflowing pans, but I haven’t had problems. Let me know how it goes!
Sarah says
I am definitely going to try out this cookie cake recipe. I will let you know how it goes. My two baking pans are 9inch round and 2inches high. It really looks quite amazing! Is there such a thing as a molasses substitute? We do indeed have it where I live but it’s just so hard to get to the store with no car and with covid going on.
Vintage Kitty says
Sarah, I totally understand. The molasses is a huge part of making the cake taste like a chocolate chip cookie. But in a pinch you should be able to replace it with corn syrup, honey or agave. Let me know how it goes!