this is a cake for cookie dough lovers and regular peeps alike.

the layers remind me of a chocolate chip cookie but in cake form: chocolate chip vanilla cake, layered with gooey chocolate ganache and cookie dough frosting!

so the other day we joined costco and you know the size of everything there, right? it’s a joke how big things are. of course they had a ginormous chocolate chips bag and, my husband, the cookie lover, obliged. he even wanted to buy two of these 72 oz. bags. um, no.

since i was “stuck” with this huge chocolate chips bag and didn’t know what to do with it, i went ahead and started making brownies, chocolate frosting, my chewiest chocolate chip cookies, s’mores cake, etc., but i barely made a dent. and i’m not exaggerating :)

now you know the background story on this cake and how it was born. do you have any desserts that you created by necessity? share with me with a comment below and thanks for stopping by. xo!

make the chocolate ganache.

fold the chocolate chips in the cake batter.

assemble the cake with cookie dough and chocolate ganache.

crumb coat the cake and let it rest.

and here’s the cake all completed :)

cookie dough overload layer cake

cake ingredients:
1 and 1/4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in 1/2 tablespoon pieces {still cold to the touch; sitting on kitchen counter for 10-15 minutes approximately}
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature {sitting on kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes approximately}
2 extra large egg whites + 1 extra large egg yolk, room temperature {sitting on kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes approximately}
3/4 cup chocolate chips tossed in 1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour

cookie dough frosting ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature still cold and not melted {about 20-30 minutes outside the fridge seating on the kitchen counter}
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream

vanilla swiss meringue buttercream frosting

5 extra large egg whites
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold to the touch {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes approximately}
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon sea salt

chocolate ganache
3 oz semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream

make the ganache:

1. chop chocolate as fine as you can and place in a heat-proof bowl.
2. bring heavy cream to a simmer in a sauce pan over medium heat and it’s ready when it almost starts bubbling. do not boil.
3. pour cream over chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds to one minute. whisk the two together until well combined, smooth and shiny. let it cool and set aside.

make the cake:

1. preheat oven to 350F. butter three 6-inch pans or two 8-inch pans throughout. line the bottoms with parchment paper. butter and lightly flour sides and bottoms. set aside.
2. whisk buttermilk and vanilla together in a large measuring cup such as pyrex.
3. with a fork, whisk the egg yolks and egg whites in a large measuring cup until combined.
4. sift flour, baking powder, sugar and sea salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. beat for 1 minute at the slowest speed possible.
5. add butter to flour mixture, one piece at a time, making sure butter is almost incorporated before the addition of the next piece. once all the butter is in the bowl, beat  at slow speed {#1 in a kitchenaid} for 1 minute.
6. add buttermilk mixture in a steady form and beat on speed #5 for 2 minutes or until creamy and fluffy.
7. finish batter by incorporating the egg mixture in a steady form to the batter over slow speed. mix for 30 seconds on medium speed to incorporate all ingredients. fold in chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
8. divide batter among prepared pans. if you have a scale, you can weigh batter at 9 oz per pan {make sure you set your scale to zero after setting each pan so you get 9 oz of batter only}.
9. bake for 25 minutes {6-inch pan} or 20 minutes {8-inch pan} or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or a few crumbs.

make the cookie dough frosting:

1. in a large bowl, sift flour and salt together and whisk well. set aside.
2. in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter with sugars for about 2 minutes at medium speed.
3. add vanilla extract to mixing bowl and mix for 30 seconds until well combined.
4. set speed to the lowest setting and add flour mixture a little at a time so it doesn’t go everywhere.
5. make the swiss meringue buttercream frosting:
add water to a large pot and set on a stove burner over low heat until water steams. in the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar and egg whites. place bowl on top of pot with simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
6. whisk egg whites and sugar for 3 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is shiny and smooth. be careful when you touch the mixture to check if the sugar has dissolved since it’s hot.
7. transfer bowl to stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment for 2 minutes at low speed, 4 minutes at medium speed and 4 minutes at high speed, or until glossy, fluffy and soft peaks form, and the bottom of the bowl is cool and not warm.
8. while egg whites are whisking, cut butter in 1/2 tablespoon pieces.
9. once egg whites are ready, add butter, two pieces at a time beating on medium to medium-high speed {speed #5 or #6 in a kitchenaid}.
10. add salt and vanilla. mix until well combined.

to assemble the cake:

1. place a dollop of frosting in the middle of a plate, cake stand or cake board wrapped in tin foil paper and set first layer top side up. the addition of frosting is to prevent the cake slides while working on it.
2. pipe frosting with a pastry bag and tip around the edge of the cake. add half of cookie dough frosting {about 1 cup} and spread with an offset spatula, and add half of the ganache and spread with an offset spatula as well.
3. place another cake layer with top side up, pipe frosting all the way around the edges, and add rest of cookie dough and ganache. continue to assemble the cake until you get to the top layer, which you’ll want bottom side facing up.
4. crumb coat your cake with a thin layer of the frosting with the help of a medium offset spatula. this layer doesn’t have to be perfect. place cake in the fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes to help it set.
5. with tip 103, frost cake with ruffles with the remainder of the frosting and sprinkle the top with a few chocolate chips if desired.
6. serve immediately or store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 day. cake tastes best same day.

notes:

1. double the recipe of each item for a three layer 8-inch cake.
2. you can make the cake the morning of but make sure to wrap tightly in plastic paper after they’ve cooled down and store at room temperature. assemble and frost in the afternoon or evening of same day.
3. you can make the ganache the day before or even two days ahead by storing it in the refrigerator in an airtight container after it’s no longer hot. let the ganache come to room temperature before using or until spreadable consistency.
4. make the vanilla swiss meringue buttercream frosting a day in advance by storing it in the refrigerator in an airtight container and letting it come to room temperature for at least 5 hours. whisk frosting by hand or mixer at low speed until smooth.
5. make cookie dough frosting the same day.

© the baking cup’s recipes, content, and images are copyright protected. Please do not republish my recipes and images without prior permission. If you loved this recipe {thanks!} and wish to share it, please rewrite the directions in your own words and provide a link back to give me credit. You can also link back to this post for the recipe without rewriting it. Please read this article on how to properly credit a recipe if you have any questions or are confused :)

Share This Post