Cookie Dough Cake- Chocolate chip cake layers with a dark chocolate cookie crust, filled with edible cookie dough and finished with a brown sugar buttercream.
Keep a bit of summer alive with this Cookie Dough Cake — a dream for cookie dough and chocolate chip cookie fans. Crisp dark chocolate cookie crusts frame chocolate chip cake layers, with an indulgent edible cookie dough filling and a silky brown sugar buttercream frosting.
If you enjoy this recipe, try these other favorites:
- Cookie Dough Brownies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Blondies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
Why this recipe works:
- Cookie crust — A dark chocolate cookie crust adds crunch and a deep chocolate note that balances the sweet elements.
- Chocolate chip layers — Light, tender cake layers studded with mini chocolate chips give classic cookie flavor inside a cake.
- Edible cookie dough — A safe-to-eat cookie dough makes the filling irresistible.
- Brown sugar buttercream — Brown sugar buttercream is less cloying than standard American buttercream and pairs beautifully with the cookie dough.
- Layered cake — This is a three-layer cake (three 8-inch pans or four 6-inch pans work well) for a satisfying height and texture contrast.
Ingredients you will need:
Below are key ingredients to have on hand. The full, detailed ingredient list appears in the recipe card further down.
- Butter — Unsalted butter gives you control over salt. Plan on roughly 2.5 pounds across all components.
- Egg whites — Use room-temperature eggs for a smooth, even batter.
- Brown sugar — Light brown sugar is used here, though dark brown sugar can be substituted.
- Sour cream — Adds tenderness to the cake; bring to room temperature before mixing.
- Buttermilk — Also should be at room temperature for proper emulsion.
- Cake flour — Produces a silky crumb; don’t skip it for the best texture.
- Dark cocoa powder — Gives the cookie crust its intense chocolate flavor.
- Mini chocolate chips — I prefer semisweet for balance.
Step by step — the crust
Step 1: Prep your pans. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment, and spray again.
Step 2: Combine dry ingredients. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, dark cocoa powder, and salt on low until combined.
Step 3: Add melted butter. Pour in melted butter and mix on low until the mixture forms small clusters.
Step 4: Press and bake. Divide the crumb mixture evenly — about 7 ounces per pan — press into the bottom of each pan to form a crust, and bake 6–8 minutes. Let cool.
Step by step — cake layers
Step 1: Mix dry ingredients. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Cream butter and sugar. In a stand mixer with the paddle, beat butter, oil, and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Step 3: Add eggs and sour cream. On medium speed, add the whole egg and then the egg whites one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Beat 1 minute more, then add sour cream and vanilla and mix 30 seconds.
Step 4: Alternate dry and wet. On low speed, add half the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk, mixing until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk.
Step 5: Fold in chips. Gently fold in mini chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
Step 6: Divide and bake. Use a scale to divide batter evenly between three 8-inch pans (about 18 ounces each) or four 6-inch pans. Bake 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs or the tops are lightly golden.
Step 7: Cool the cakes. Let cakes cool in the pans 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack. When fully cool, wrap layers individually and refrigerate or freeze until ready to assemble.
Expert baking tips
- Cream butter and sugar thoroughly to trap air — this helps the layers rise and keeps them light.
- Use heavy-duty, high-quality cake pans to prevent excessive browning on the sides.
- Always use room-temperature ingredients for even mixing and better texture.
- For an ultra-smooth buttercream, add a tablespoon of heavy cream and then beat by hand with a spatula to remove air pockets.
- Do a crumb coat before final frosting to seal in crumbs and make decorating easier.
- A turntable and an offset spatula make frosting and smoothing much easier.
Assembly
- Place a small dollop of buttercream on the cake board and set the first cake layer on top with the chocolate cookie crust facing down.
- Spread a generous layer of prepped edible cookie dough onto the first layer.
- Place the second cake layer, crust-side down, and repeat with more cookie dough.
- Add the final layer, crust-side down, on top.
- Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream around the cake and freeze 10 minutes to set the crumbs. Finish with the remaining brown sugar buttercream and garnish as desired (chocolate-dipped cookie dough balls are a nice touch).
Storing
If you bake in stages, cool layers completely, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate or freeze. Chilled layers are easier to level and frost without sliding. Store completed cakes in the refrigerator for 3–5 days.
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More favorite cake recipes:
- Graham Cracker S’mores Cake
- Gooey Cinnamon Roll Caramel Cake
- Season’s Best Triple Berry Cake
Recipe
Cookie Dough Cake
Molly Murphy
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups dark cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large whole egg room temperature
- 5 large egg whites room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
- 3 cups cake flour spooned and leveled
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups buttermilk room temperature
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
For the Cookie Dough
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
For the Brown Sugar Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 cups powdered sugar measured and sifted
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
For the crust
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Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray three 8-inch pans, line with parchment, and spray again.
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Combine flour, sugar, dark cocoa powder, and salt in a mixer bowl and mix on low until even.
-
Add melted butter and mix on low until the mixture forms small clusters.
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Divide crumbs (about 7 ounces per pan), press into each pan to form a crust, and bake 6–8 minutes.
For the cake
-
Keep oven at 325°F.
-
Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
-
Beat butter, oil, and sugar on high until fluffy, about 4 minutes.
-
On medium speed add the whole egg and egg whites one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Beat 1 minute, then add sour cream and vanilla and mix 30 seconds.
-
On low speed, add half the flour mixture and half the buttermilk, mix to combine, then add the remaining flour and buttermilk.
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Fold in mini chocolate chips.
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Divide batter evenly among pans and bake 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs or tops are lightly golden. Cool 15 minutes in pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Wrap and chill if not assembling right away.
For the cookie dough
-
Cream butter with granulated and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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Mix in vanilla, then add flour and salt until incorporated.
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Fold in mini chocolate chips. Reserve two-thirds of the dough for filling and use one-third to roll into balls for decoration (dip in chocolate if desired).
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Press the filling portions into lined 8-inch pans with plastic wrap to form cookie-dough layers to layer in the cake.
For the brown sugar buttercream
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Beat butter until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
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Add brown sugar and beat on medium-high until combined, about 1 minute.
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Add powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low until combined, then beat on medium-high until smooth and creamy.
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Fold the buttercream by hand with a spatula to remove air pockets for a silky finish.
Assembly
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Place a small dollop of buttercream on the cake board and set the first layer, crust-side down.
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Top with a prepared cookie dough layer.
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Add the second cake layer and another cookie dough layer, then the final cake layer.
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Crumb coat the cake, freeze 10 minutes to set, then finish frosting with the brown sugar buttercream and top with cookie-dough decorations.