A thick and chewy homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is the best birthday gift you can give someone!
This easy cookie cake recipe is made entirely from scratch, including a rich chocolate buttercream frosting, and it’s easier to make than you might think.
I don’t know if you remember this, but when I was a kid, cookie cakes were incredibly rare and special. They only came from this one cookie store in the mall and needed to be ordered weeks in advance. If someone got you a cookie cake for your birthday, you must have been really good that year!
Now, you can find cookie cakes in most supermarket bakeries, which is fantastic! Everyone should be able to enjoy this delicious giant cookie treat. But listen, it’s much less expensive to make a cookie cake at home, and it’s not at all difficult.
With around an hour of your time, a few common baking ingredients, and a little bit of love, you can make the most delicious homemade cookie cake. It will taste even better than anything you could buy at the store, and everyone will be impressed with your impeccable baking skills!
Looking for a slightly different chocolate chip recipe? Try my chocolate chip cake mix cookie bars instead! Frosted sugar cookie bars are also a favorite for birthday parties since you can decorate them to match any theme.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Everyone Loves a Cookie Cake – Regular cake is good. Cookies are also good. But this dessert that combines cookies and cake into one big spectacular dessert is just the best!
- Simple Recipe – The ingredients here are all common baking ingredients that you might already have. There’s no need to shop for anything special, except maybe some fun birthday cake sprinkles.
- It’s Easy! I think that making a cookie cake is easier than making a batch of chocolate chip cookies. You only need to bake one giant cookie rather than a few trays of smaller bites, so it’s faster this way!
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Butter: I’m using salted butter in this recipe because I think it’s what most of us have in the fridge. You can also use unsalted butter, but add a half teaspoon of salt to the dough to make up for it. Be sure that the butter is softened at room temperature.
- Sugar: For classic chocolate chip cookie flavor and texture, we’re using both granulated sugar and brown sugar in equal amounts.
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour
- Cornstarch: including cornstarch in cookie dough helps to keep the center of the cookie thick, soft, and chewy.
- Baking Soda
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: These are classic, but you can also use dark or milk chocolate chips if you prefer.
How To Make a Cookie Cake
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 9-inch round springform pan by lining the bottom of it with a parchment paper round.
- Mix the Cookie Dough: Use your stand mixer to cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Lastly, add the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking soda) and mix until there are no dry spots remaining.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Fold the chocolate chips in last, mixing just until they are well-distributed throughout the cookie dough.
- Bake: Press the chocolate chip cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. If you find the dough sticky, spray your hands with cooking spray before using them to press the dough down. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and set. If you want your cookie cake to look like mine does, gently press in some extra chocolate chips now so that they will slightly melt.
- Make the Frosting: Allow the cookie cake to cool completely, then make the chocolate frosting. cream the butter on med-high speed for 3-4 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Then add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream. Beat on high for 1-2 minutes.
- Decorate: Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip or any decorating tip you like. Generously pipe swirls of frosting around the edge of the cake. Top with sprinkles if desired.
Top Tips
- Try not to overmix the cookie dough. Follow the steps in the recipe, and mix only enough to combine the flour and chocolate chips into the dough. Overmixing will cause the cake to be dry.
- Don’t overbake! The giant cookie will continue to cook after you take it out of the oven, so pull it out when the edges are set and the center is slightly underbaked.
- Instead of this chocolate frosting, you can decorate with vanilla buttercream or even store-bought frosting if that’s easier. The cake is delicious without any frosting at all, or served warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream too!
How to Store Cookie Cake
You can store leftover cookie cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
This means that you can also make this cake up to 3 days ahead of time if needed!
Other Birthday Cookies and Cakes You’ll Love
- Birthday Cake Cookies
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Unicorn Bundt Cake
- Pinata Cupcakes
- Classic Red Velvet Cake
Recipe FAQs
Why is my cookie cake hard?
Generally, I would guess that you either overbaked it, or you overmixed the dough after adding the flour. Next time, try to avoid overmixing and overbaking, and I think your cookie cake will turn out perfectly!
How do you know when the cookie cake is done?
The cake is done when the edges are firm and set, and the cake is light golden brown. It’s ok if the center of the cookie is slightly underbaked, as it will continue to cook as it cools.
What if I don’t have a springform pan?
I like how easy it is to remove the cookie cake from a springform pan, but this recipe will work just as well in a round cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and use cooking spray on the sides of the pan.
It’s so easy and satisfying to make this chocolate chip cookie cake recipe from scratch! Add your own special touches with different sprinkles or colored buttercream, and enjoy the celebration.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Ingredients
For the Cookie Cake:
- ¾ cup salted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- ½ cup salted butter at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C), or 160°C if using a fan oven. and prepare a 9-inch (approx 22 cm) springform pan by placing a round of parchment paper in the bottom.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, equipped with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix additionally if needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined and there are no dry spots remaining.
- Add in the chocolate chips last and mix just enough to combine throughout the dough.
- Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. (NOTE: I found the easiest way to do this was to use a clean hand that is gently sprayed with non-stick spray to press the dough down into the bottom of the pan.)
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and set. Be careful not to overcook the cookie. Keep in mind it will continue cooking when you take it out of the oven just like a regular cookie.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookie to cool completely in the pan before trying to remove it.
- Once it is cool, transfer to a serving plate if desired and prepare the frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, equipped with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on med-high speed for 3-4 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Add in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and heavy whipping cream. Mix on low until everything is combined, then slowly increase the speed to high for 1-2 minutes. If needed, add additional heavy cream, one tbsp at a time, until you get the consistency you want.
- Add the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a piping tip of your choice. Generously pipe swirls of frosting around the edges of the cookie cake. Top with sprinkles if desired.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to three days.
Notes
- Try not to overmix the cookie dough. Follow the steps in the recipe, and mix only enough to combine the flour and chocolate chips into the dough. Overmixing will cause the cake to be dry.
- Don’t overbake! The giant cookie will continue to cook after you take it out of the oven, so pull it out when the edges are set and the center is slightly underbaked.
- Instead of this chocolate frosting, you can decorate with vanilla buttercream or even store-bought frosting if that’s easier.
- To Store: This cookie cake can be served immediately after frosting, or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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