This fun and decadent cookie dough cake combines your two favorite desserts: cookie dough and a light and fluffy cake. There is no better way to eat dessert. This recipe was sponsored by Domino® Sugar
Why it works
There is so much to love about this chocolate chip cookie dough cake. It is a favorite among everyone for a reason.
The cake itself is light and fluffy, yet delightfully moist.Thanks to the use of high quality ingredients like Domino® Golden Sugar It’s studded with chocolate chips and makes a great layer cake just as it is. I recommend it as the canvas for any other cakes you may want to make because it is just so perfect.
The edible chocolate chip cookie dough we stuff into the layers is so easy to make and so good, you will want to eat it by the spoonful. Luckily, the recipe makes enough that you will have extra, so you can add it to your ice cream, oatmeal, or just eat it as is.
The frosting is a serious favorite and reason enough to make this cake alone. It tastes just like cookie dough, but in frosting form. Be warned, you will also want to eat it by the spoonful.
Ingredients
It might seem like this cookie dough layer cake requires a ton of ingredients, but we only use a few basic ingredients to create each component of this tasty cake. Here are a few important notes about key ingredients.
- Flour - You should use all-purpose flour for this recipe. I do not recommend using cake flour as you need something more sturdy to hold up to the edible raw cookie dough and cookie dough frosting. You can try using white whole wheat flour.
- Sugar - I always recommend using the best quality products you can. Which is why I love and recommend Domino® Sugar. Specifically, I love using the Domino® Golden Sugar because it is less processed which means it retains a subtle molasses flavor which adds even more depth to this cake and cookie dough. The Domino® Light Brown Sugar also has a lovely molasses taste that blends well within the cookie dough frosting which is very important to the overall flavor of the entire cake.
- Butter - Unsalted butter is a must for this recipe as you do not want your cake coming out too salty. You should always use softened butter at room temperature for this recipe. You can experiment with using melted butter for the cookie dough or for the frosting. Just keep in mind that you will need to firm the frosting in the refrigerator for it to set if you want to try making it that way.
- Chocolate Chips - Throughout this recipe, we use mini chocolate chips. This is because it creates a better texture and mouthfeel when biting down. You can also use finely chopped chocolate.
- Vanilla - I recommend using pure vanilla extract in every component of the cake. It will give you the best flavor throughout. You can try using vanilla bean paste, but I think using fresh vanilla beans would not be appreciated fully in this recipe.
Step by Step Instructions
Making and assembling this cake may seem daunting at first. There are a few components to the cake. Luckily, a lot of the cake can be made ahead of time, so you can take your time making the cake.
I usually like to recommend you start with the cookie dough. It is the easiest and makes a great snack while you are making the rest of the cake.
- Beat the Domino® Golden Sugar and Domino® Light Brown Sugar with butter until light and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla extract, egg, and salt.
- Stir in the flour
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
From there, you can make the actual cake. It needs time to cool fully, so you can get a nice break to munch on more cookie dough and start the frosting.
- Prepare your pans with butter and flour, then preheat the oven.
- Beat the butter and Domino® Golden Sugar until fluffy, then add the vanilla and eggs.
- Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Alternate adding the flour and the milk. Begin and end with the flour.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake until golden brown and allow to cool.
The frosting can be made ahead of time, but I prefer making it fresh, the same with the ganache.
- Beat the butter and Domino® Light Brown Sugar together.
- Add in the vanilla and milk.
- Stir in the flour, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Heat cream for the ganache, then add in the chocolate and oil. Stir until the chocolate is melted and combined.
Assembling the cookie dough cake is very easy, too.
- Level the cooled cakes.
- Frost two of the cake layers with a thin layer of the frosting and pipe a ring around the edges.
- Fill rings with cookie dough. Stack the cakes so the plan layer is on top.
- Frost the outside of the cake, then top with ganache and more cookie dough.
Expert Tips
For food safety purposes, you should always heat your flour before using it raw in the cookie dough and the frosting. You can heat a batch in the oven at 300℉ for 10 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes.
Let the flour cool completely, then fluff again. I like to do this ahead of time with a big batch of flour if I know I’ll be using it often to make cookie dough recipes.
Most things can be made ahead of time. You can make both the cake layers and the cookie dough and store in the freezer for up to a month.
The most important way to ensure you get the best results is to make sure you are correctly measuring your ingredients, particularly the flour. You should fluff up the flour and then spoon it into your measuring cup then sweep of the excess. If you want to make sure you get consistent results, you can convert the recipe to metric and use a kitchen scale.
Variations
There are a lot of ways you can change up the recipe to make it more fun! Use a delicious chocolate cake recipe base and pair it with edible brownie batter. Or you can use a peanut butter cake and pair it with edible peanut butter cookie dough. Make a funfetti cake and use either edible sugar cookie dough or cake batter cookie dough.
Reader FAQs
Yes! The cookie dough parts of the cake are created specifically for eating raw. We heat the flour to make it safe to eat, and we do not include any egg in those parts of the cake, so it is perfectly safe to eat!
Yes, you can make the cake layers recipe 1.5x bigger for an 8 or 9-inch cake. You will not need to make more cookie dough, but you will also need to make at least 1.5x as much frosting.
You can leave the cake at room temperature and covered for up to three days. I recommend covering any sliced areas with plastic wrap. You can also cover well and keep in the refrigerator for up to five days. The cake can also be frozen for up to a month. I recommend leaving the cake at room temperature for at least 1 - 2 hours to thaw before serving.
Recipe Card
Cookie Dough Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ¼ cups All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- ¾ cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups Domino® Golden Sugar
- 3 Large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Buttermilk room temperature
- ¾ cup Mini chocolate chips
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup Unsalted butter room temp
- ½ cup Domino® Golden Sugar
- ⅔ cup Domino® Light Brown Sugar packed
- ¼ cup Milk
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 cups All-purpose flour heat treated
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- 1 cup Mini chocolate chips
Cookie Dough Frosting
- 1 cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cup Domino® Light Brown Sugar lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- 1 ½ cups All-purpose flour heat treated
- 4 - 5 tablespoons Heavy cream
- ¾ cup Mini chocolate chips
Ganache
- 5 ounces Dark chocolate chopped
- ½ cup Heavy cream
- 2 - 3 teaspoons Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Prepare Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of three 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl, then set aside.
- Add the butter and Domino® Golden Sugar to a stand mixer and beat on medium until light and fluffy - about 3 - 5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium until well-combined - about 2 minutes.
- Alternate between adding the flour mixture (in three additions) and the buttermilk (in two additions) to the mixer. Start and end with the flour. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand.
- Evenly divide the batter among your cake pans and bake for approximately 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. While cake bakes, prepare cookie dough.
- Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Once at room temperature, wrap the cakes tightly and chill them in the freezer until needed.
Prepare Cookie Dough:
- While cake is baking, beat the butter, Domino® Golden Sugar, and Domino® Light Brown Sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in the milk and vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Mix in the flour and salt until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
Prepare Cookie Dough Frosting:
- Beat the butter and Domino® Light Brown Sugar together until fully combined. Add in the vanilla and the salt and mix well.
- Mix in the flour and stir until just combined, but do not overmix.
- Stir in the milk until it reaches your desired consistency. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Assemble Cake and Prepare Ganache:
- Remove the cakes from the freezer and level them. Fill a piping bag with some of the frosting. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of two of the leveled cakes, then pipe a small border around the edges of the cake. Add some of the cookie dough inside the border you piped. Leave some of the cookie dough to decorate the top of the cake.
- Layer the cakes on top of each other, leaving the plain cake for the top layer.
- Frost the cake with the cookie dough frosting. Chill for about an hour.
- Make the ganache by adding the chocolate and cream together in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is fully melted and incorporated with the cream. Stir in the oil.
- Top the the cake with the ganache. Top the ganache with cookie dough. You can also add whipped cream or more frosting to decorate the cake as you wish.
Concerned baker says
This is an amazing idea, I can't wait to try it. I think you may want to check your steps in the blog under "Step by Step Instructions" because step 2 for making the cookie dough is to add egg. This is not a step in the recipe and you detail the reasons very well in your edible cookie dough instructions, but for consistency it may be best to remove it from the blog's step 2.
Cheers!
Amanda Powell says
Oh, thank you for bringing that error to my attention! I will fix it immediately!