Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake – inspired by one of my favorite Sprinkles cupcakes, this cake is filled with a chocolate cookie crust, yellow chocolate chip cake layers, brown sugar frosting and chocolate chip cookie crumbs.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
A few years ago, my friend was in Las Vegas and stopped by the Sprinkles Cupcakes store. Because we talk about food all the time (hence why we’re such close friends), she was, of course, texting me the play-by-play of what she was ordering. It wasn’t even five minutes later that I get a text that said, “The new Sprinkles Cookie Cupcake is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. YOU MUST RECREATE IT!”.
Done! Recreating amazing cupcakes or cakes, or taking flavors of some other decadent treat and turning it into a cake is my calling in life!
As soon as she was back in town, we had a detailed conversation about the cupcake. Since I hadn’t tried the cupcake, I made Lisa describe it to me in every detail. Crunchy or soft cookie crust? Tender and light, or rich and dense cake? What about the frosting? Silky like a meringue or a little more dense like a traditional American buttercream?
After I got as many details about the cupcake as I could, I got to work on my version of the cupcake… but in cake form.
Dark Chocolate Cookie Crust
The base of the cupcake has a cookie crust. It’s a bit crumbly and would be hard to eat in cake form, I think. I opted for a dark chocolate cookie crust, that’s more packed in place. We’re not cooking it too long, so it should still be easy to cut when you’re ready to serve.
The Best Cocoa Powder
It’s important to note that this recipe uses dark chocolate for a reason. Because we’re adding cream, butter, and powdered sugar to the chocolate, the flavor gets diluted just a bit. If you use milk chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate chips, you’re going to lose a lot of the chocolate flavor. Additionally, the buttercream will simply taste overly sweet. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love all things sweet, but it’s important to have balance. The dark chocolate in the layers and the buttercream help provide a balance to the sweetness because dark cocoa is bittersweet.
I use Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa Powder, but you can also use Hershey’s Special Extra Dark Cocoa Powder if you’re in a pinch and can’t get Cacao Barry. Just be sure to use dark cocoa powder. It not only creates a rich, dark color in the cake, but the flavor is slightly bitter and pairs so well with sweet, American buttercream.
The Best Yellow Cake Layers
As I thought about the chocolate cookie crust, I knew I needed to contrast it with a lighter, fluffier and sweeter cake. My Classic Yellow Cake was the perfect choice.
When making the cake layers, don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:
- Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
- Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
- Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
- Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
- Use room temperature wet ingredients.
- Use fresh baking powder.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it
Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream
For the frosting, I went with a less sweet option – Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Surprising, I know! I don’t do SMC often, but chose to use it for this cake because I wanted to add brown sugar to it. I knew if I used brown sugar in my American Buttercream, it would be too sweet (and that’s coming from someone who lives for sweet!).
Be sure to follow the instructions for SMC below. It’s super important that you allow the egg white mixture to cool COMPLETELY while it’s whisking to stiff peaks.
Other Chocolate Chip Recipes You’ll Love
Enjoy! Follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for more tips and the best recipes on all things cake!
P.S. If you’re looking for some baking equipment to make your life easier, here are some of my favorites!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Inspired by the Sprinkles Cookie Cupcake, I’ve created my new Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with layers of dark chocolate cookie crust, tender yellow chocolate chip cake, silky brown sugar frosting and dusted in chocolate chip cookie crumbs.
Prep Time 1 hr
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 2 hrs
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST
- 1 1/3 cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/3 cups (157.3 g) dark cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoons (6 g) salt
- 12 tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE CAKE
- 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (72.6 g) canola oil
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) clear vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) butter extract
- 1 cup (240 g) full fat sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup (150 g) mini chocolate chips, dusted in 1 tablespoon flour
FOR THE BROWN SUGAR SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
- 2 cup (400 g) brown sugar
- 7 egg whites
- 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.
FOR THE GARNISH
- Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Instructions
For the Crust
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and paddle on low speed until mixed.
- Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture starts to come together in small clusters.
- Spread 8 ounces of the chocolate crumbs on the parchment in each the three 8-inch cake pans. Using the back of a spoon, push the crumbs together to form a crust. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.
- Let the crust cool a bit while you make the yellow cake.
For the Cake
- While the chocolate cookie crust is cooling, turn your oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, oil, and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Turn the mixer to medium-low and add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition. Add the extracts. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix for an addition 2 to 3 minutes, until the texture is smooth and the color is light.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir just until the flour is combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine the mini chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of flour. This helps to coat the chocolate chips so they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake.
- Fold the chocolate chips into the cake batter.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter in the pans on top of cookie crust.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with only just a few crumbs on it.
- Cool the cakes on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cakes onto cooking racks to cool completely. If you don’t plan to stack and decorate the cake right away, wrap each layer in plastic wrap or tin foil and freeze.
For the Buttercream
- In a medium sauce pan, heat 2 to 3 inches of water over medium-high heat until simmering.
- Using a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip sugar and egg whites on medium-high until foamy.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and place over the saucepan to create a double boiler. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Pour out some water, if necessary.
- Heat the mixture to 160-170 degrees F, stirring occasionally.
- Carefully transfer the bowl back to the stand mixer. Whip the mixture on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until stiff peaks form and the bottom of the bowl is no longer warm to the touch.
- Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the butter, a couple tablespoons at a time. Once incorporated, add the vanilla.
- With the mixer on medium-high speed, beat the btutercream for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl at least twice during the process. The texture should be silky-smooth
Assembly
- Spread a small dollop of buttercream on your cake board. Place the first cake layer on the board, with the chocolate cookie crust on the bottom.
- Spread about ¾ cup of the brown sugar buttercream on top of the cake layer. Make sure to get eye level with the cake to ensure it is level.
- Sprinkle three crushed chocolate chip cookies (big chunks of cookie are ok!) on the frosting and tap them with your fingers to gently set them into the frosting.
- Place the second cake layer, chocolate cookie crust on the bottom, on top of the buttercream and cookie crumbs. Repeat step 2 and 3.
- Place the final cake layer, chocolate cookie crust on the bottom, on top of the second layer of buttercream and cookie crumbs.
- Spread a thin layer of buttercream around the entire cake to lock in any crumbs. This is called the crumb coat. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes to ensure the crumbs get locked into this coat of buttercream. After the buttercream is set, continue to frost the cake. I used about 16 cookies to pulse in my blender to get find crumbs for the outside of my cake.
Hello Courtney. I am planning on making this cake for my son’s birthday this weekend. Are the egg whites better used from the actual egg or carton of egg whites? I’ve loved making your cakes for both of my sons birthdays every year. I’m getting better every year. It’s definitely a labor of love.
With eggs being so expensive these days do you have any good subsitites or ideas do not use 14 eggs? Not sure if a different frosting would pair well or an actual egg substitute would work for the cake?
This has 7 eggs
My first cake from Cake By Courtney! Turned out super delicious. That dark chocolate cookie crust is to die for, and honestly steals the show for me. I will for sure be trying out some of your other cakes, Courtney!!
I’m trying to make this for this weekend, i was gonna do it a tier cake bottom 12 inch and top 6 2 layers each, would you triple the batches?
Hi Im trying this right now but I dont see when to add the salt to the meringue??
Add after the vanilla.
Cakes look so rich and delicious