Post: 8/26/2021
C is for cookie CAKE!!! Of course, this recipe is inspired by a chocolate chip cookie so it has nice flavor accents of butterscotch from vanilla, brown sugar and browned butter. And if that’s not enough, I add cookies into the batter! This is a 5” round (or 6”), 3 layer cake. #cookiecake #cakerecipe #dessert
Click here for the full video step by step that will be live 8/27 at 8:15 am PST: https://youtu.be/vd5GACk6Z84
Most asked questions:
· I don’t like chocolate; can I leave the chocolate chips out? What? Who doesn’t like chocolate? I’m kidding! Of course! This would be a super delicious butterscotch flavored cake if you leave out the chocolate chips! Do you like white chocolate and macadamia nuts? It’d make for a tasty substitute for chocolate chips.
· Do you have a suggestion to make this lower sugar? I hardly get this question but the answer is no. The sugar adds moisture and the flavor notes I’m trying to build. I think you could use sugar free chocolate chips if you’re looking for less sugar in the recipe and omit the chocolate chip cookies.
· Can I make this gluten free and dairy free? Yes! King Arthur Flour makes a very accurate 1 for 1 gluten free flour and Country Crock makes plant based butter sticks that taste so good. And of course, make sure the chocolate you use is gluten-free and dairy-free.
· Can I make the cake in advance of decorating? Yes! In fact, I recommend you make them a day or two before, wrap them really well and keep them frozen. The cakes will stay moist and there’s something about this process that makes the cakes tastier.
· What sized chocolate chips? I like mini or classic sized, but you do you (:. I recommend weighing the chocolate.
· Do you have a Cookie Monster cupcake? Of course!! You can find the video here: https://youtu.be/GTqCnA4F4i0 It’s basically a chocolate cake filled with a cookie center.
· Do you have a Cookie Monster cake? Yes! Here is a sheet cake https://youtu.be/gBawHKDsV-o and a round cake as of next week.
· How many people does this cake serve? 10-12 people
Ingredients:
· Unsalted butter ½ cup (114 grams)
· Heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk 1 tablespoons (1/2 oz / 14 grams)
· All-purpose 2 cup (280 grams)
· Baking powder 1 ½ tsp (6 grams)
· Baking soda 1 tsp (5 grams)
· Salt ½ tsp (2 grams)
· Cinnamon ½ tsp (2 grams)
· Granulated sugar 1/2 cup (100g)
· Dark brown sugar 1/2 cup (100g)
· Large eggs 2
· Vanilla extract 1 tablespoon
· Milk 1 cup (240ml)
· Chocolate chips 3/4 cup or 1 cup if you don’t use cookies
· 7-8 chocolate chip cookies
Instructions:
How to brown your butter:
· Unsalted butter ½ cup (114 grams)
· Heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk 1 tablespoons (1/2 oz / 14 grams)
Step 1 – this is a lot easier than it sounds. Start melting your butter over low-medium heat, swirling the pan from time to time. The butter will start to foam, at this point keep stirring until the color goes from yellow to tan to toasty gold brown.
· Why are we browning the butter? When we brown the butter, we’re starting to create a butterscotch, caramelized flavor. It’s like reducing the butter to get only the flavor and remove the moisture (don’t worry we’ll add it back in).
· Why is it crackling? That’s okay, that just happens because water is being cooked out.
· Tip: you could brown the butter in advance and chill it, then bring it back to room temperature before adding it to the batter.
Step 2 – incorporating cream. Transfer to a heat proof bowl and leave out any brown solids. Whisk in cold heavy cream/ milk/ or half and half to get the moisture we cooked out, back in. Let this get to room temperature!
How to make chocolate chip cookie cake:
Step 3 – making chocolate chip cookie cake batter. Make sure everything is room temperature for this part of the recipe and preheat your oven to 335F/168C. Sift all of the dry ingredients and set them aside. Add a paddle attachment to your mixer to combine your butter and sugars for five minutes. It almost doubles in size and lightens quite a bit. Scrape down the sides. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed for 20 seconds each; add the extract with the second egg. Grab the dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Add a third of the dry mixture to the batter and mix to just incorporated. Add half of the liquid and mix until just incorporated. Repeat, alternating additions of flour and the liquid until both just incorporated. If the batter curdles then the ingredients might not be a room temperature.
· Tip: It’s best not to grease the sides so the cake batter can climb the sides of the pan as it bakes. I love tall and fluffy cakes!
· Tip: Loosen the edges with a thin knife or angled spatula and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 4 – adding your chocolate and cookies. I think it’s really nice to add two chocolates to the batter – milk chocolate chips and dark chocolate bar. I chop up the dark chocolate before adding it in so the small flakes fold into the batter. Gently fold your chocolate and broken up cookies into the batter
· Tip: Dust your chocolate chip cookies with 1-2 tablespoons of flour so the chocolate chips don’t sink to the bottom and settle when folded into the batter and baked.
· Can I put in cookie dough? You can but it will incorporate into the batter as it cooks. If you bake the cookies in advance, the cookies will stay differentiated and offer a nice texture to the cake.
Step optional – developing the flavor. This step is optional, but I noticed it makes for an extra tasty cake. Cover up your cake batter and keep it in the fridge overnight to 24 hours. This helps develop all of the flavors!
Step 5 – baking the chocolate chip cake. Distribute the batter across 3, 5-inch or 6-inch cake pans that are lined with parchment paper (this is clearly demonstrated in my video). Use a knife or angled spatula to pull the batter to the sides (score the batter). Then bang the batter to release any extra-large air bubbles and also fill in the edges. If you really, really love chocolate and you can add more chocolate chips on top. Bake for 28-30 minutes or use a toothpick to see if the baking is complete there should be about 5 crumbs.
· Tip: Make sure the cakes are cooled before releasing and decorating.
Step 6 – level the cakes. Once cooled, level the cakes if necessary (varies by oven). I normally don’t need to do this with my oven. If you do, I recommend a bread knife but there is no one way to do this.
How to make a chocolate ganache filling:
Step 7 – if you have leftover cream, make some optional ganache. Fill your bowl with some chopped up chocolate or chocolate chips. Warm some heavy cream or coconut cream and fill the bowl until you barely see the chocolate. I cover the bowl for 2 minutes then stir until completely incorporated.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake success!!!
Rox