Make a Chocolate Chip Cookie Birthday Cake

If you have a friend or family member who loves chocolate chip cookies, there's no better way to celebrate their birthday than with a delicious chocolate chip cookie birthday cake. It has the taste and texture of a giant cookie but all of the fun of a colorful birthday cake. Best of all, it's easy to make and customize to suit your loved one's preferences so they'll have the perfect cake for their special day.

Ingredients

Cookie Cake

  • 10 tablespoons (142 g) butter
  • ⅔ cup (132 g) brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup (66 g) white sugar
  • 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla
  • 1 ⅔ cup (208 g) flour
  • ¾ teaspoon (3.45 g) baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon (4.3 g) salt
  • 1 cup (190 g) chocolate chips

Frosting

  • 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter
  • 2 tablespoons (12 g) cocoa powder
  • 1 ¼ cup (156 g) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) milk
  • Sprinkles, candies, mini chocolate chips, and other decorations (optional)

Steps

Making the Batter

  1. Preheat the oven and grease the pan. To make sure that your oven is hot enough when the cake is ready to bake, it’s important to preheat it. Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius), and allow it to fully heat. Next, grease a 8- or 9-inch (20- or 23-cm) cake or pie pan and set aside.[1]
    • Keep an eye on your oven so you know when it’s fully preheated. Most models will beep and/or flash an indicator light to alert you that it’s reached the desired temperature.
    • You can use a springform for the cake if you’re worried about the sides sticking to the pan after baking.
    • Use nonstick cooking spray, butter, or margarine to grease the pan.
  2. Combine the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, cream together 10 tablespoons (142 g) of butter, ⅔ cup (132 g) of brown sugar, and ⅓ cup (66 g) of white sugar with an electric mixer on medium. Blend the mixture for 2 minutes or until the butter and sugars are fully combined.[1]
    • You can also use a stand mixer to make the cookie cake batter.
    • If you don’t have any type of electric mixer, you can blend the batter by hand with a wooden spoon. It will just take more time.
  3. Stir in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Once the butter and sugars are fully blended, add an egg, another egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of vanilla. Blend together on medium until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated, which should take 1 to 2 minutes.[1]
  4. Mix in the dry ingredients. After you’ve combined all of the wet ingredients, you can add in the dry ingredients. Stir 1 ⅔ cups (208 g) of flour, ¾ teaspoon (3.45 g) of baking soda, and ¾ teaspoon (4.3 g) of salt into the batter. Mix on a low speed until the ingredients are just  combined.[1]
    • Be careful not to overmix the batter when you’re adding the dry ingredients. If you mix the flour too much, gluten can develop, which can make the finished cake chewy and tough.
  5. Add most of the chocolate chips and combine. When you’ve mixed the dry ingredients into the batter, use a wooden spoon to stir in 1 cup (175 g) of chocolate chips minus 2 tablespoons (30 g). Set aside the extra chips for use later.[1]
    • You can use any type of chocolate chips that you prefer, such as milk, semi sweet, dark, or white chocolate chips. You may even want to use a combination of two or more types.
    • In addition to chocolate chips, you can mix chopped nuts into the cake batter. Walnuts are usually paired with chocolate chips, but you can add chopped pecans or macadamia nuts if you prefer.

Baking the Cake  

  1. Press the batter into the pan. Once you’ve stirred the chocolate chips into the batter, carefully begin to press it into the greased pan. Make sure to create a uniform layer with the batter so the cake will cook evenly when you place it in the oven.[1]
    • It’s often easier to press the batter into the pan if you refrigerate it beforehand. A half hour to an hour can help, but you can even make the batter the night before and bake the cake the next day.[2]
  2. Add the remaining chips to the top of the batter. When the batter is pressed into the pan, take the 2 tablespoons (30 g) of chocolate chips that you reserved and sprinkle them over the top of the batter. Gently press them into the batter to keep them in place.[1]
    • If you’ve added nuts to the cake, you can also scatter and press some of them into the top of the batter.
  3. Bake the cookie cake until the top is golden brown, and cool. Place the pan in the preheated oven on the center rack. Allow the cake to bake for approximately 22 to 25 minutes or until it turns a golden brown. When you remove it, set the pan on a wire rack and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.[1]
  4. Loosen the edges of the cake with a spatula and transfer to a platter. Once the cake is cool enough to handle, run a knife along the edges to gently loosen it from the pan. Next, use a large spatula to carefully lift the cake out of the pan and place it on a platter.[1]
    • If you’ve used a springform pan for the cake, you just have to unlock the sides and remove them from the pan to free the cake.

Making the Frosting and Decorating the Cake

  1. Combine the butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla. While the cake is cooling, mix together 4 tablespoons (57 g) of butter, 2 tablespoons (12 g) of cocoa powder, 1 ¼ cup (156 g) of powdered sugar, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of vanilla in a medium size bowl. Stir until all of the ingredients are well blended.[1]
    • You don’t necessarily have to make a chocolate frosting for the cookie cake. Use your favorite buttercream frosting recipe for a simple vanilla frosting if you prefer. You can also use canned frosting in your favorite flavor if you’re short on time.
  2. Add milk until the frosting is smooth. Once the butter mixture is well blended, begin stirring in 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of milk. You only want to add as much milk as is necessary to make the frosting smooth.[1]
    • Whole milk works best for the frosting, but you can use whatever type you prefer.
  3. Place the frosting in a piping bag and pipe along the edges of the cake. After you’ve finished mixing the frosting, place it in a piping bag that’s fitted with a decorative tip. Carefully pipe the frosting along the outer edge of the cookie cake in whatever pattern you prefer.[1]
    • Make sure that the cake has cooled before you pipe the frosting onto it. The frosting may melt otherwise.
    • If you don’t have a piping bag, you can place the frosting in a sealed plastic bag and cut the tip off one of the bottom corners. Squeeze the bag so the frosting emerges from the hole just as it would through the tip of a piping bag.[2]  
  4. Use the frosting or a decorating gel to write on the cake. To make the cake more festive for the occasion, use the chocolate frosting in the piping bag or a tube of decorating gel to write “Happy Birthday” or a similar message on the cake. If you’re using a piping bag, you may need to switch to a smaller tip when you’re writing.
  5. Accent the cake with sprinkles. If you want a more colorful look for the cake, press some bright sprinkles, colored sugar, or dragees into the frosting. Colorful candies, such as M&M’s, also make ideal decorations for the cake.[1]
    • Shaved chocolate and mini chocolate chips are also fun decorations for the cake.  

Tips

  • If you’re short on time, you can use a roll of refrigerated cookie dough instead of making the batter from scratch.

Things You'll Need

  • 8- or 9-inch (20- or 23-cm) cake or pie pan
  • Large bowl
  • Electric mixer
  • Wooden spoon
  • Knife
  • Large spatula
  • Medium-size bowl
  • Piping bag with decorative tip

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 http://www.garnishandglaze.com/2016/04/21/chocolate-chip-cookie-cake-recipe/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://peasandcrayons.com/2013/07/homemade-cookie-cake.html
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