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This cookie dough cake is the best cake for cookie dough lovers! It starts with a delicious chocolate cake with pieces of cookie dough baked into it and it’s then frosted with the best cookie dough frosting.
Based on the name of my blog, you know I had to have a cookie dough cake recipe! The cake combines my two favorite things - cookie dough and chocolate.
The moist chocolate cake is based off of my dairy free chocolate cake and it's loaded up with cookie dough bits baked inside, then layered and covered in a dreamy cookie dough frosting.
This chocolate cookie dough cake really is perfect for cookie dough lovers!
Why You'll Love This Cookie Dough Cake
- You get cookie dough in every bite thanks to cookie dough being baked right into the chocolate cake layers.
- The chocolate cake is made with oil instead of butter, giving you an extra light and fluffy cake.
- You can easily make this cookie dough cake dairy free if you have food allergies.
- This makes a 2 layer cake, but I’ve got tips on how to turn the recipe into a 3 layer cake too!
Ingredients Needed
- Flour: I’ve only tested this recipe with all purpose flour, but if you’re gluten-free you could try using gluten-free all purpose 1-1 baking flour.
- Milk: you can use regular milk or a dairy free milk.
- Oil: I’m using canola oil in the cake to make it extra fluffy! You could also use sunflower oil or grapeseed oil, just make sure it is a neutral oil.
- Cocoa Powder: I recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder, but you can use natural if that's what you have.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: you’ll need mini chocolate chips in both the cookie dough for the cake and in the frosting.
- Light Brown Sugar: adding light brown sugar to the frosting will give us that cookie dough taste.
- Hot Water: adding hot water to the cocoa powder to the cake will help it bloom, giving you a more intense chocolate flavor.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1: Start by making the cookie dough for the chocolate cake. In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or in a stand mixer, beat room temperature butter with light brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until everything is combined.
Step 2: Add in the salt and flour and mix until you have a dough. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop into 18 small cookie dough balls (about 1 tablespoon sized) and place on a parchment lined plate. Flatten the top of each one just slightly to make them disc-shaped and then place in the fridge.
Step 3: Make the chocolate cake. Start by preheating the oven to 350°Fahrenheit/175°Celsius. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans by spraying with non-stick spray and lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 4: In a bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Step 5: Add in the vanilla extract, oil, eggs, and milk. Pour in the hot water and mix until the cake batter is smooth.
Step 6: Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and gently push 9 pieces of cookie dough into each cake pan. Make sure the cake batter completely covers the cookie dough pieces and bake for 20-26 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes before removing and letting them cool on a wire cooling rack.
Step 7: While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Start by heat treating your flour. Microwave the flour for 1-2 minutes or until it reaches 165°Fahrenheit. You can also bake it on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350°Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. Let cool.
Step 8:In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in a stand mixer, combine the room temperature butter with vanilla extract, granulated sugar, light brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk.
Step 9: Add the heat treated flour and salt and combine. Add more milk if you feel like it is slightly dry! Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.
Step 10: Place one chocolate cake layer down and cover it with some of the frosting. Place the second layer on top and frost the tops and sides!
FAQs and Expert Tips
Yes, because we are heat treating the flour and there are no raw eggs, the cookie dough frosting is safe to eat!
Use three 8-inch round cake pans and divide the cake batter evenly between them, this does mean you will have slightly thinner cake layers! You’ll also need to divide the cookie dough into smaller pieces, so divide the cookie dough for the cake into 27 pieces.
You can bake the cake layers ahead of time and wrap them (once cool!) in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days before assembling.
Expert Tips
- Make sure the cake layers have completely cooled before assembling the cake, otherwise the cookie dough frosting might melt straight off!
- Make sure you measure your flour properly! Adding too much flour to the cake will cause it to be dry and it will also make the cookie dough frosting dry and not smooth.
- Don’t skip heat treating the flour for the frosting! If you don’t heat treat the frosting it might not be safe to eat since bacteria can grow on raw flour.
- When adding the cookie dough balls to the cake batter, you want to gently push them down into the pan so they get completely covered in cake batter before being baked. You can use a spatula to scoop cake batter and cover them up.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
You can store this cake at room temperature (if it isn't too warm in your house), for up to 4 days.
To freeze the cake, cut it into slices, then wrap each individual slice in plastic wrap, then wrap in tinfoil. You can place the tinfoil wrapped slices in a ziploc freezer bag and thaw at room temperature when ready to enjoy!
More Recipes You'll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Cookie Dough Cake
Video
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
Cookie Dough Pieces
- 6 Tablespoons butter, softened (regular or dairy free)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup +3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½-1 Tablespoon milk of choice (regular or dairy free)
- ¼ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Cake
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup water, hot
- ½ cup canola oil, grapeseed oil, or sunflower oil
- ½ cup milk of choice (regular or dairy free)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cookie Dough Frosting
- 1¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons butter softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1½ Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ teaspoon salt
- 2¼ cup all-purpose flour, heat treated SEE NOTES
- 1-4 Tablespoons milk of choice (as needed) (regular or dairy free)
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips (regular or dairy free)
Instructions
Cookie Dough Pieces
- Start by making the cookie dough for the chocolate cake. In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or in a stand mixer, beat room temperature butter with light brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until everything is combined.
- Add in the salt and flour and mix until you have a dough. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop into 18 small cookie dough balls (about 1 tablespoon) and place on a parchment lined plate. Flatten the top of each one just slightly and then place in the fridge.
Chocolate Cake
- Make the chocolate cake, start by preheating the oven to 350°Fahrenheit/175°Celsius. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans by spraying with non-stick spray and lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Add in the vanilla extract, oil, eggs, and milk. Pour in the hot water and mix until the cake batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and gently push 9 pieces of cookie dough into each cake pan.
- Make sure the cake batter completely covers the cookie dough pieces and bake for 20-26 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes before removing and letting them cool on a wire cooling rack.
Cookie Dough Frosting
- While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Start by heat treating your flour. Microwave the flour for 1-2 minutes or until it reaches 165°Fahrenheit. You can also bake it on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350°Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. Let cool.
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in a stand mixer, combine the room temperature butter with vanilla extract, granulated sugar, light brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Add the heat treated flour and salt and combine. Add more milk if needed until the desired consistency is reached. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.
Assembling The Cake
- Place one chocolate cake layer down and cover it with some of the frosting. Place the second layer on top and frost the top and side if desired! Crumble any remaining cookie dough on top for decoration.
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Ginna
Made this today with King Arthur Measure 4 Measure and plant based butter. This was a huge hit with the kids! Just waiting for hubby to try it!
Gabby
I'm so happy to hear that Ginna! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Lauren
I will be trying this recipe in a few days. And I noticed after clicking on the metric measures tab all of the weights show except for the cake ingredients.
Gabby
Hi Lauren, thanks for catching that! It's been updated now. Enjoy!
Jayla
Do I have to use dairy free milk or is lactaid okay?
Gabby
Any type of milk will work fine!
Elliott
The cookie dough pieces and cookie dough frosting take any type of milk, but does the chocolate cake require dairy free milk or are you saying any type of milk will work throughout the recipe? I just want to get it right as I'm going to buy the ingredients tomorrow!
Gabby
Any milk will work in the cake! Enjoy!
Lisa
made this for my nephews 8th birthday and i he loved it. Thank you so much for this recipe Gabby!
Gabby
You're so welcome Lisa, I'm so glad it was a hit!