Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake
Chocolate chip cookie dough cake. Need I say more? As of this month, when I developed this recipe, we’re in the season of all things fresh fruit. While I love all the pies, tarts, and parfaits, sometimes I just want CHOCOLATE. I know I’m not alone. This cake combines my love for chocolate cake with my go-to recurring need for a chocolate chip cookie fix, all in one.
Also, does anyone else think it’s funny how we all get “into” the same random things? Like chocolate chip cookie dough. Most people love eating raw cookie dough even though it’s no bueno for your belly. Quick note: don’t worry, the cookie dough flavors in here are edible, not raw. But also, what about it is so delicious in its raw form? Something psychological is happening here.
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WHAT IS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH CAKE?
As previously mentioned, it’s all (well, many) of my favorite things in one: chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, and cookie dough. First, we’re making my favorite chocolate cake, which I describe as “moist” probably more than I should, but I REALLY mean it. You’ll fall in love with it immediately. It’s also incredibly versatile, so once you make this cake, try my chocolate cake with a simple vanilla buttercream or this layered black forest cake with whipped cream and cherries!
Second, we’re making some edible cookie dough. This is completely optional… but is it? It gives a fun touch to your final cake, not to mention… EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH. For this purpose, we’re rolling it into tiny balls, which makes the mini chocolate chips a perfect fit. Lastly, to make it a proper cake, we’re whipping together some chocolate chip cookie dough buttercream to spread all over this delicious baby.
How do you make cookie dough edible? There are two things found in regular cookie dough that are considered raw ingredients and shouldn’t be eaten without being cooked: eggs and flour. For this edible cookie dough and frosting, I’ve omitted the eggs completely, since they aren’t necessary to the final texture or structure, and you’ll heat-treat the flour to ensure any potential bacteria is cooked off before adding to your dough!
INGREDIENTS
- Sugar: To sweeten our cake and provide structure and texture
- Flour: Binds together our batter but plays a key role in the cookie dough texture and flavor of both our frosting and edible bites
- Cocoa Powder: For that chocolatey bite
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Our leavening agents contributing to the rise of our cake
- Salt: Balances flavor and is another key player for that cookie-dough taste
- Eggs: Provide moisture, structure, and overall richness to the cake
- Half-and-Half: A little fat goes a long way
- Canola Oil: I said this cake was moist, didn’t I?
- Vanilla Extract: For a little flavor boost to complement the cake and the cookie dough elements
- Water: Boiling to activate that cocoa powder and for added moisture
- Unsalted Butter: The base for our cookie dough buttercream
- Brown Sugar: Adds a deeper flavor to our cookie dough
- Mini Chocolate Chips: You can also cut up regular chocolate chips or a bar, but I’d recommend small bites of chocolate for this frosting and edible dough
- Powdered Sugar: For a final cohesive sweet finish
Do I have to use the edible cookie dough to get the cookie dough flavor? Nope! The buttercream frosting is cookie-dough flavored all on its own. The edible cookie dough is just if you want to really smack ‘em with all that cookie dough goodness.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH CAKE
For your chocolate cake, start by preheating your oven to 350°F and greasing two 9-inch cake tins before lining the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper.
To make your cake batter, sift together your sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Crack in your eggs and add your half-and-half, oil, and vanilla. Whisk together for two minutes to combine. Pour your boiling water in carefully and stir with a spatula to gently incorporate. Split the batter evenly between your prepared cake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes. When ready, a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow your cakes to cool in their pans for 15 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
For your edible cookie dough, first, you need to heat-treat your flour. Add it to a bowl and microwave for 45 seconds, remove, and set aside for 5 minutes to cool. While your flour cools, cream together your butter and sugars in a bowl with a whisk, before stirring in the vanilla and salt. Sift your flour into your mixture and stir until combined. Then fold in your chocolate chips. Roll your dough into ½ tsp-sized balls – they don’t need to be measured, just eyeball – and place on a plate in the fridge to firm up.
Now it’s time to make your chocolate chip cookie dough frosting! Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread your flour onto the baking sheet and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely. In a mixing bowl, add your room temperature butter and brown sugar, and mix together for two minutes until light and fluffy. Add in your vanilla and salt, mixing until combined. Sift in your powdered sugar and flour until fully incorporated. Pour in half of your mini chocolate chips and fold them in, saving the other half for when you assemble the cake.
To put your cake together, place one of your cake layers onto a plate and top with about a fourth of your cookie dough frosting. Spread into an even layer and top with a ¼ cup of your remaining mini chocolate chips. Add your next cake layer before piling on the remaining frosting. Use an offset spatula to smooth the buttercream into a thin layer on top while you work it down the sides of the cake. Then spread it evenly along the edges. Top with a rim of your remaining mini chocolate chips and edible cookie dough!
3 reasons you’ll love this cake
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- The edible cookie dough is optional, but highly recommended. For a fun twist, you can cut the amount of mini chocolate chips in half and use half of a cup of colorful sprinkles instead! Personally, I love sprinkles in chocolate chip cookies.
- Make sure you sift your heat-treated flour! The flour with somewhat clump together (regardless of whether you use the oven or the microwave), so make sure to sift it before adding to your buttercream or edible dough, to avoid any lumps.
- Speaking of cooking your flour, for the cookie dough itself, it’s such a small amount that microwaving makes the most sense, but for a large amount like the flour in the frosting, I recommend baking on a cookie sheet in the oven. Make sure to lay a piece of parchment under the flour, since some of it will stick.
- Note that the chocolate cake does not get a big puff on top when baking. It bakes relatively flat. Don’t be alarmed when you check it, it will be soft and fluffy when you cut into it later! Also, one tin may cook faster than the other, so don’t worry if you need to pull one out while the other finishes cooking.
- If you want to do a naked cake (aka leave the sides unfrosted), I would recommend halving the frosting recipe, since you don’t need the extra to cover the sides.
- To make it easier to spread the frosting, I recommend using mini chocolate chips. You can also cut up a bar of chocolate or regular-sized chips, if preferred.
- I highly recommend a standing mixer for the buttercream, both because of the quantity and because I’ve not had good luck mixing big batches of frosting with a hand mixer… without it dying. You have been warned!
STORING YOUR CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH CAKE
You can make the cake layers in advance. Allow them to cool completely after baking before wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap. You can keep these at room temperature and assemble the next day.
Additionally, your chocolate chip cookie dough frosting as well as the edible cookie dough will keep in airtight containers in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for approximately 3 months.
Once assembled, seal and store your cake in the fridge where it will last for up to a week. Or, you can cut it into individual slices and store it in the freezer for up to a month!
MORE CAKE RECIPES
For more nostalgic flavors, try this Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting (it’s better than the box) or this recipe for the best Red Velvet Cake I’ve ever had. Looking for something more cookie-like? Try this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake topped with peanut butter frosting. If you love a sweet breakfast item, this is my childhood favorite, Cherry Coffeecake.
Equipment
- Bowls
- Spatula
- Whisk
- 9” cake pans (2)
- Standing Mixer
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Offset spatula
- Fine Mesh Sieve
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour sifted
- ¾ cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder sifted
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda sifted
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup half-and-half
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup water boiling
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp mini chocolate chips
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 cups heat-treated all-purpose flour
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips divided
- 1-2 tbsp milk if needed
Instructions
CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease your 9-inch cake tins, and line them with parchment paper along the bottom
- In a large bowl, sift together your sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together. Add the eggs, half-and-half, oil, and vanilla, and whisk for 2 minutes. Carefully, pour in the boiling water, stir with a spatula to gently incorporate, and then mix on low briefly until fully combined.
- Split the batter evenly between each cake tin.
- Bake 20 – 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, and then dump onto a wire rack to cool completely
EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH
- Pour your flour into a bowl and microwave for 45 seconds. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes
- In a separate bowl, cream together your butter and both sugars. Stir in the vanilla and salt
- Sift your flour into your mixture – it will get a little clumpy from the heat treatment – and stir until combined. Fold in your chocolate chips
- Roll your cookie dough into ½ tsp-sized balls, place on a plate, and pop in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up or until you’re ready to assemble your cake
FROSTING
- Spread flour on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350°F for 5 minutes. Remove and let it cool completely
- In a large mixing bowl, add your butter and brown sugar, mixing together for 2 minutes until light and fluffy
- Add in the vanilla and salt, mixing until combined
- Sift in your powdered sugar and cooled flour. Mix until fully incorporated
- If needed, add in a tablespoon of milk at a time to loosen your frosting
- Fold in half of your chocolate chips until combined, then set your frosting aside at room temperature until your cakes are cooled for assembly
ASSEMBLY
- Place one cake on a cake plate, top with a fourth of your cookie dough frosting, and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle with a ¼ cup of your remaining mini chocolate chips
- Dollop our remaining frosting onto the top of the cake with an offset spatula, smooth it into a thin layer on the top, and work it down the sides of your cake. With the edge of your spatula, slowly spin your cake to make an even, thin coat of frosting along the sides
- Sprinkle the top rim of your cake with your remaining mini chocolate chips, place a pile of your edible cookie dough in the center, and dot the remaining cookie dough around the sides of your cake
- Slice and enjoy!
