Tonight Show Cake
Tonight Show Cake – Chocolate cake, caramel cake, chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate cookie crumbs and whipped peanut butter frosting.
Inspiration
You know those moments when the most amazing idea hits you like a bolt of lightening? You’re not expecting it, and then, “BAM!,” the idea just pops in your head and you’re feeling like the smartest person in the world. Yup, that’s exactly how things went down a couple weeks ago when I had the brilliant idea for this cake. Of course, I can’t take all the credit. Ben & Jerry, along with Jimmy Fallon, come up with the ice cream flavor first. But, I was the one sitting in my kitchen late one night, eating The Tonight Dough ice cream straight from the carton (because there’s no other way to eat Ben & Jerry’s ice cream), starring at the description, when I realized it needed to become a cake.
If you haven’t heard of the The Tonight Dough ice cream or haven’t had the opportunity to try it, you are missing out and need to run to the nearest grocery store and start hunting it down. It’s a combination of caramel ice cream, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cookie crumbs, chocolate chip cookie dough and peanut butter cookie dough. Mind. Blown. Right?
Are you still reading or have you stopped to head to the store? Don’t worry, I’ll be here when you get back…
Ok, you’re back…
Cake Brainstorming
For the cake, I wanted to incorporate all the flavors Jimmy, Ben and Jerry put in the ice cream without it being an ice cream cake (I’m not a huge fan of those). It was also important to me to get some different textures throughout the cake. I first decided on caramel and chocolate cake layers. The caramel cake layers are adapted from a Milk Bar recipe I love. They’re light and fluffy and full of caramel flavor. As a contrast to the fluffy, buttery caramel cake, I then added my rich, dark chocolate cake.
With those two cakes as my starting point, I decided to stay true to the ice cream creation and use chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate cookie crumbs to give the cake different textures. Then, I was left with the peanut butter cookie dough element, which I didn’t want to be another cookie dough layer in the cake. Instead, I went with a whipped peanut butter frosting that adds a light, creamy texture to the cake and still incorporates the peanut butter flavor. There’s also a good bit of kosher salt in the chocolate cake, the chocolate crumbs, and the peanut butter frosting that helps offset all the sweetness in the caramel cake and cookie dough.
And just a heads up, since I stacked this cake like a Milk Bar cake, you will have scraps of the cakes once you cut the layers out of the quarter sheet pan. Don’t throw those away! Create mini Tonight Show Cakes inside mason jars by stacking the scraps and left over filling just like you would the cake.
Enjoy!
Tonight Show Cake
Yield 1 6-inch round cake
Dark chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate cookie crumbs, whipped peanut butter frosting and caramel cake.
Ingredients
For the Caramel Cake
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tbsp (5 g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (2.8 g) salt
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (150 g) whole milk at room temp
- 1/2 13.4 can (190 g) dulce de leche
For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup(120 g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.8 g) Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) milk (a little more if your cooking dough isn't spreadable)
- 1 cup(150 g) mini chocolate chips
For the Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
- 2/3 cup (80 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (2.8 g) cornstarch
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (78.6 g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.8 g) kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons (84.75 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/4 cups, plus 2 tablespoons (165 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup, minus 2 tablespoons (175 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons (54 g) dark cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.8 g) kosher salt
- 1/2 cup(120 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (54.5 g) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (118.3 g) hot water
For the Peanut Butter Frosting
- 4 tablespoons (57.75 g) heavy cream, chilled
- 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) (339 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (250 g) creamy peanut butter (I use Skippy)
- 1 tablespoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.8 g) kosher salt
Instructions
For the Caramel Cake
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
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In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine and then set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and the sugar. Mix on medium-high speed for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the butter and sugar are mixed well with the eggs. Add the vanilla.
- With the mixer on medium-high speed, add the dulce de leche and mix for a couple minutes. The mixture will get a little lighter in color.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk, starting and ending with the dry mixture. Mix until just combined.
- Using a spatula, spread the cake batter in an even layer in the pan.
- Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes. The cake will rise and puff, doubling in size, but will remain slightly buttery and dense. To check if it's done, gently poke the edge of the cake with your finger. The cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer be jiggly. Leave the cake in the oven for an extra 3 to 5 minutes it if doesn't pass this test.
For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar and beat on medium speed for about one minute until it's light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla, flour and salt and continue to mix until combined.
- Gradually add the milk and mix until you get a spreadable consistency.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
For the Chocolate Cookie Crumb
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Combine the flour, cornstarch, 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 paddle on low speed until the mixture starts to come together in small clusters.
- Spread the clusters on a parchment or silpat-lined sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes, breaking them up occasionally. the crumbs should still be slightly moist to the touch at that point; they will dry and harden as they cool.
- Let the crumbs cool completely before using in a recipe or eating. stored in an airtight container, they will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.
For the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F. Spray a quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix for about 30 seconds.
- In a separate bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients and whisk for a few seconds.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Once all the wet ingredients are added, continue to mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 15 to 30 seconds. Don't over beat this batter.
- Pour the batter into a quarter sheet baking pan. Bake the cake for 16-18 minutes.
For the Whipped Peanut Butter Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.
- Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high. Blend in the heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt, and continue to whip on high speed until very fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Can be made a day or two in advance.
Assembly
- Put a piece of parchment on the counter. Invert chocolate cake onto it and peel off the parchment from the bottom side of the cake. Use a 6-inch cake ring to stamp out 2 circles from the cake.
- Repeat step #1 for the caramel cake.
- Clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a sheet pan lined with clean parchment. Use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. (This is essential, as it is going to support the cake as you layer all the amazing elements.)
- Place one chocolate cake layer inside the ring.
- Use the back of a spoon to spread 1/3 of the cookie dough over the caramel cake in an even layer, making sure to spread up against the acetate.
- Sprinkle 1/3 of the chocolate cookie crumbs evenly over the cookie dough and use the back of your hand to anchor them in place.
- Use the back of a spoon to spread about 1/2 cup of the peanut butter frosting evenly over the cookie crumb layer.
- With your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top 1/4 inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5 to 6 inches tall - high enough to support the height of the finished cake.
- Set a caramel cake round on top of the peanut butter frosting and repeat the cookie dough, cookie crumb and peanut butter frosting layers.
- Repeat with the second layer of chocolate cake and fillings.
- Place the second caramel cake layer on top and spread remaining buttercream on top. Sprinkle a few cookie crumbs over the buttercream. (My chocolate balls are just the cookie crumbs I cooked as giant cookie crumbs).
- Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze for a minimum of 12 hours to set the cake and the fillings. The cake will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
- At least three hours before you are ready to serve the cake, pull the sheet pan out of the freezer. Using your fingers and thumb, pop the cake out of the cake ring and gently peel off the acetate. Let it defrost in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours.
Courses Dessert
Cuisine Cake
This cake looks amazing! Would it be possible to bake the cake batter in round pans? Or will that effect the outcome of the layers? Thank you!
You can do that no problem!
Thanks for this delicious recipe! I think there is a typo in the weight of granulated sugar in the chocolate cake. The volume amount calls for 1 cup minus 2 tbsp, which would weight about 175 g, but the weight listed is only 75 g. Would you mind clarifying which amount is correct?
175 is right. I will fix that!
Hi Courtney!
I noticed that the peanut butter frosting in this recipe has 3 cups of powdered sugar compared to 5 cups in your other peanut butter frosting recipes (like the Peanut Butter Dream Cake etc). All of the other ingredients and amounts are the same between the two. Is 3 cups correct or could it be a typo? Thanks!
I changed it a little for this one actually.
Hi, I am wondering what the chocolate balls on the top of the cake are. I want to make this cake for my husband’s birthday, but I can’t find where you talk about those Chocolate cookie/balls are on the top of the cake.
It’s in the assembly. They’re just extra cookie crumbs I baked into balls.
Made this was and was so happy with the outcome. Thank you for this!! Wish I could post a pic!
Thank you!
5 stars!
Zero issues with the recipe and it came out so perfectly! Loved the flavor combinations! My favorite part was the cookie dough.
Made homemade dulce de leche (boiled sweetened condensed milk can for ~4 hours) and had some leftover buttermilk so used that in the place of some of the whole milk in the caramel cake. Cakes came out beautifully moist and tender and fluffy.
This looks so delicious! You should make more of their Ice cream flavors into cake like this one!
I am excited to try a milk bar style cake! This one looks amazing. So you have a cake pan that you recommend for this? I’ve never used those sheets or adjustable pan yet.
1/2 sheet pan.
If I wanted to create this as an 8” would you recommend doubling the recipe and baking in two half sheet pans and cutting with 8” rings or 1 1/2 times the recipe and using 8” cake pans?
Could you make both cake batters and then marble them together? I’m wondering about turning this into cupcakes for a coworker(cupcakes are easier to serve at work). I was thinking about marveling the cake together, putting some cookie dough inside, PB buttercream on top and sprinkle crumbs on top. Thoughts?