This chocolate chip cookie dough cake is made with chocolate chip vanilla cake, filled with edible cookie dough, covered with chocolate chip buttercream, topped with chocolate ganache, and more edible cookie dough!
If you like making layer cake as much as we do, check out our black forest cake, best ever chocolate cake, super moist carrot cake, strawberry jam cake, and our Nutella cake!
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Why this recipe works
- Made with a moist and easy chocolate chip vanilla cake.
- Filled and topped with an edible chocolate chip cookie dough! The cookie dough flour is cooked in the oven so it makes it safe to eat.
- Topped with a silky smooth chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
For the chocolate chip cake:
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious cookies.
Eggs- you will need 4 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Baking powder– baking powder and baking soda allow the cake to rise. Make sure that your baking powder is not expired.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Buttermilk– gives the cake extra moisture. You can make your own buttermilk if you don’t have one on hand. Simply mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Vegetable oil – we used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Sour cream- use either sour cream or Greek yogurt. Both will work great.
Kosher salt- you will need about ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Chocolate chips- you can use any kind of chocolate chips for these cookies, we like to use either dark chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chips.
For the edible cookie dough:
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Kosher salt- you will need about ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Brown sugar- adds a caramelly flavor and chewy texture to the cookies.
Chocolate chips- you can use any kind of chocolate chips for these cookies, we like to use either dark chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chips.
Milk- use whole milk.
For the cookie dough buttercream:
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil.
Powder sugar- you will need powder sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powder sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Chocolate chips- you can use any kind of chocolate chips for these cookies, we like to use either dark chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chips.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Kosher salt- we like to use kosher salt.
Milk- use whole milk.
For the chocolate ganache:
Chocolate- use the best quality semisweet or dark chocolate bars for the best flavor. using the best quality dark chocolate is very important in this recipe.
Heavy cream- use full-fat heavy cream for this recipe. the heavy cream makes this french hot chocolate extra creamy and silky.
How to make even cake layers:
Our biggest tip to make even cake layers is to use a scale and cake strips. Weigh the chocolate cake batter and divide it into two even pans. Then use cake strips to make sure your cake layers bake evenly and don’t develop a dome on top.
Cake strips give you an evenly baked cake with a flat top.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare 3 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
Into a big mixing bowl, add the soft butter, salt, and sugar. Mix with an electric hand mixer until creamy and smooth for about 3 minutes.
Add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Into a big measuring cup or a small mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, eggs, and sour cream, and mix with a whisk.
Then into a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, and baking powder. Mix with a whisk until combined.
Add ½ of the dry mixture and ½ of the wet mixture into the butter mixer and mix it until almost combined.
Add the other half of the dry ingredients and the wet mixture and the chocolate chips, and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter into 3 8-inch baking pans and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes (depending on your oven) or until a toothpick is inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool to room temperature and remove them from the pans.
Make the cookie dough buttercream:
Into a big mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter, powder sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and milk. Mix with an electric hand mixer for a few minutes until the buttercream is light in color and creamy.
Add the chocolate chips and fold with a spatula until well combined.
Make the edible cookie dough:
Spread the flour on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 10 minutes. This step ensures it kills the bacteria in the flour and makes the cookie dough edible. Set aside to cool.
Into a big mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth.
Add the vanilla extract, salt, milk, and chocolate chips, and mix until combined.
Add the flour and fold until just combined and there are no visible flour pockets.
Shape the cookie dough into small balls and set aside.
Make the chocolate ganache:
Step 1: Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing bowl in the microwave for about 50 seconds.
Step 2: Let the chocolate and the cream sit for 10 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then mix until the chocolate ganache is smooth and silky.
Assemble the cake:
Pipe a small dollop of the buttercream on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
Top the first cake layer with ⅓ of the buttercream and spread an even layer of the buttercream with a spatula.
Top the buttercream with cookie dough balls and top with the second layer of cake. Repeat adding the buttercream and cookie dough ball and top with the third cake layer.
Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream and smooth it out with a spatula.
Top the cake with chocolate ganache. We made a drip design using an offset spatula. Top the chocolate ganache with cookie dough balls for decoration.
Expert tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Use cake strips! Cake strips give you even and perfectly baked cake layers. Click here for the amazon link.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making these cookies, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.
Faq's
Yes! You can use any kind of your favorite frosting on this cake, this cake is very versatile so you can turn it into whatever you want! You can use chocolate frosting, vanilla frosting, caramel frosting, etc.
This cake will last up to 4 days stored in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. This cake tastes amazing the day after.
We use all-purpose flour for this cake, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Yes! you can bake this cake into a 9x13 inch sheet cake. Change the baking time and keep an eye on the cake so it is fully cooked.
Freezing
Freeze this cake after it cooled completely in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months, some people find the cake tastes better after freezing it.
our tip is not to freeze it decorated or covered with frosting, because it can ruin the decorating on the cake, we suggest freezing the cake and decorating it when you defrost it.
If you’re not looking to impress anyone with your decorating skills, it’s absolutely okay to freeze the cake with the frosting on.
Substitutions
There are a few substitutions that may be helpful for your diet:
- Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
- Dairy-free - you can make this cake dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter and replacing the buttermilk with vegan buttermilk. Also, replace the heavy cream with vegan heavy cream or coconut milk.
More layered cakes you may like:
Best ever chocolate cake- This decadent chocolate cake is made by making two simple cake layers with the easiest and most chocolaty chocolate frosting.
Lotus biscoff cake- This lotus biscoff cake is a layer cake made with a soft biscoff cake, biscoff buttercream, filled with biscoff cookie crumbs, and topped with biscoff cookies.
Chocolate orange cake- This super moist chocolate orange cake is made with fresh orange juice, orange zest, dutch cocoa powder, and topped with chocolate orange buttercream.
Strawberry jam cake- This strawberry jam cake is made with a moist and fluffy vanilla cake, filled with strawberry jam, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries, covered in vanilla buttercream and topped with more fresh strawberries!
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate chip cake:
- 3 ½ cup Flour
- 2 cup Sugar
- 230 g Butter soft
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil or canola oil
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 4 Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 teaspoon Baking powder
- ⅓ cup Sour cream
- 1 ½ cups Buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups Chocolate chips
Vanilla buttercream:
- 320 g Butter soft
- 700 g Powder sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4-5 tablespoon Milk
- ½ cup Chocolate chips
Edible cookie dough
- 1 cup Flour
- 115 g Butter
- ½ teaspoon Kohser salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Milk
Chocolate ganache:
- 100 g Dark chocolate
- 100 g Heavy cream
Instructions
Chocolate chip cake:
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare 3 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the soft butter, salt, and sugar. Mix with an electric hand mixer until creamy and smooth for about 3 minutes.
- Add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Into a big measuring cup or a small mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, eggs, sour cream, and mix with a whisk.
- Then into a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, and baking powder. Mix with a whisk until combined.
- Add ½ of the dry mixture and ½ of the wet mixture into the butter mixer and mix it until almost combined.
- Add the other half of the dry ingredients and the wet mixture and the chocolate chips, and mix until just combined.
- Divide the batter into 3 8-inch baking pans and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes (depending on your oven) or until a toothpick is inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool to room temperature and remove them from the pans.
Make the cookie dough buttercream:
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter, powder sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and milk. Mix with an electric hand mixer for a few minutes until the buttercream is light in color and creamy.
- Add the chocolate chips and fold with a spatula until well combined.
Make the edible cookie dough:
- Spread the flour on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 10 minutes. This step insures to kill the bacteria in the flour and make the cookie dough edible. Set aside to cool.
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract, salt, milk, chocolate chips, and mix until combined.
- Add the flour and fold until just combined and there are no visible flour pockets.
- Shape the cookie dough into small balls and set aside.
Make the chocolate ganache:
- Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing bowl in the microwave for about 50 seconds.
- Let the chocolate and the cream sit for 10 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then mix until the chocolate ganache is smooth and silky.
Assemble the cake:
- Pipe a small dollop of the buttercream on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
- Top the first cake layer with ⅓ of the buttercream and spread an even layer of the buttercream with a spatula.
- Top the buttercream with cookie dough balls and top with the second layer of cake. Repeat adding the buttercream and cookie dough ball and top with the third cake layer.
- Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream and smooth it out with a spatula.
- Top the cake with the chocolate ganache. We made a drip design using an offset spatula. Top the chocolate ganache with cookie dough balls for decoration.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Use cake strips! Cake strips give you even and perfectly baked cake layers. Click here for the amazon link.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making these cookies, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.
Shirley says
This cookie dough cake is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made!