This Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer Cake turns everyone's favorite cookie into a celebration-worthy dessert with soft, chewy layers, plenty of mini chocolate chips, and rich brown sugar flavor. Finished with luscious chocolate buttercream frosting, it's the perfect birthday cake for cookie lovers of all ages!
Jump to:
- Quick Recipe Summary ✨
- Why this recipe works
- Recipe Ingredients
- How to make a Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer Cake
- Storage and make-ahead instructions
- Choose your size and height of cake
- Use this recipe to make a sculpted cake
- Cookie cake troubleshooting
- Questions asked and answered
- More converted cake recipes to try
- Recipe
- Comments
[November, 2022: I've reworked the recipe and updated this post with all new pictures. Enjoy!]
Quick Recipe Summary ✨
Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer Cake: All the flavor of a soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie transformed into a celebration-worthy layer cake with rich chocolate buttercream frosting between every layer.
Cookie lover's birthday cake: Perfect for anyone who'd rather have cookies than traditional cake, with plenty of brown sugar flavor and mini chocolate chips in every bite. 🍪
Flexible for any occasion: Easily adapt the recipe for different pan sizes, layer heights, sheet cakes, or even sculpted celebration cakes. 🎉
Active Time: About 15 minutes • Bake Time: 22 minutes • Cooling & Assembly Time: About 1 hour • Total Time: About 1 hour 40 minutes
Difficulty Level: ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate. Easy mixing method, but assembling multiple layers requires a little patience.
Yield: One 8-inch 3-layer cake (about 12 servings) • Make-Ahead: Layers can be baked 1 day ahead • Freezer-Friendly: Unfrosted layers freeze well for up to 3 months
👉 Follow the detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips below to make a bakery-quality Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer Cake everyone will love!
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Why this recipe works
- Cornstarch keeps the cookie layers soft and chewy while making them sturdy enough to stack
- Mini chocolate chips distribute evenly, so every slice gets plenty of chocolate
- Brown sugar adds rich caramel flavor that makes the layers taste just like your favorite chocolate chip cookies
- The cookie layers hold their shape beautifully under frosting without becoming dry or crumbly
- Chocolate buttercream complements the cookie flavor without stealing the spotlight
Show of hands…how many of you like chocolate chip cookies? Sixty-three…Sixty-four…ok, lots of you.
You can turn chocolate chip cookies into chocolate chip cookie bars. Now what if we turned that cookie into a layer cake, like with the black and white cookie cake? It would be soft and chewy with that enticing brown sugar flavor, and layered with a thick dark chocolate buttercream frosting. Drooling yet? I certainly am.
If a chocolate chip cookie and a birthday cake had a delicious baby, this would be it. The layers are soft and chewy with lots of brown sugar flavor and mini chocolate chips in every bite, while the chocolate buttercream adds just the right amount of richness. It's all the comfort of a homemade cookie dressed up for a celebration.
The layers have a strong structure to them, yet they're softened by the cornstarch resulting in a nice chewy texture. The cake stays soft and delicious for several days.
When should you make a cookie cake instead of regular cake? How about:
- For birthday parties or graduation celebrations
- At children's parties
- For cookie lovers who don't enjoy traditional cake
Think beyond the basic layer cake and serve a layered cookie cake at your next celebration instead!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Delicious! My friends loved it.
- Debbie
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this chocolate chip cookie layer cake recipe:
Ingredient Notes
As you might expect, the ingredients for this chocolate chip cookie cake are very similar to the chocolate chip cookie recipe it's based on: flour, sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt.
Cornstarch: Like with the aforementioned cookie bars, cornstarch is added to make a softer cookie dough than normal so the layers are easier to slice.
Mini chocolate chips: We're using mini chocolate chips instead of regular for ease of slicing. Regular-sized chocolate chips might be a bit too firm to slice through at room temperature.
Frosting: Here I'm using chocolate buttercream frosting. If you prefer, you can use different frosting flavors or buttercream styles, like an Italian meringue vanilla buttercream frosting).
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make a Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer Cake
Step 1: Make the dough
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes (photo 1).
Add the eggs one at a time, beating on high speed until combined, about 1 minute for each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the vanilla extract and beat again (photo 2).
Gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low until the dough comes together. With the mixer running on low speed, beat in the mini chocolate chips (photo 3).
The dough will be very thick at this point.
Divide the dough equally among the pans
Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper, then spray the parchment paper.
Divide the dough between the cake pans, pressing the dough in evenly. For the best accuracy, use a kitchen scale to weigh the dough. For the recipe as written, there should be about 7 cups of dough total (about 3 pounds or 1345 grams).
Step 2: Bake the cake layers
Bake the layers at 350˚F for 20 to 22 minutes or until the cake layers are lightly brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (photo 4).
Step 3: Cool the cake layers
Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pans. If necessarily, run a sharp knife around the edges, then carefully invert the cakes onto a wire cooling rack to cool.
Allow all the layers to cool completely before frosting and assembling (photo 5).
Step 4: Assemble the cake
Make the chocolate buttercream frosting. One recipe will give you about 6 cups of frosting, enough to top this cake (photo 6).
Thickly spread the chocolate buttercream frosting on the layers with a large offset spatula (photo 7).
Cake decorating options
You can leave the sides bare or cover the cake completely, your choice. Since the cake is so rich, I decided that just frosting between the layers (and not the sides) was ideal.
Decorate the top of the cake with any remaining frosting and more chocolate chips for a fun presentation.
Storage and make-ahead instructions
Storage instructions: You can store your frosted cookie layer cake for 1 to 2 days in an airtight container, or up to 5 days in the refrigerator, well wrapped in plastic wrap. It's best to serve the cake at room temperature so the cookie layers won't be too firm to eat.
Make-ahead instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before assembling with frosting and serving.
Choose your size and height of cake
This recipe is written for an 8-inch round cake with 3 layers, but you can alter the pan sizes and the number of layers to suit your needs.
Thick, chewy, and rich, this is a fun cake to serve at a party or special celebration. With a few candles, it can be a cute sheet pan birthday cake.
No matter which size layered cookie cake you make, use the bake time listed as a loose guideline. When the cake layers are lightly brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, they're done.
If you don't have enough baking pans for the number of layers you want to bake, it's ok to bake in batches. Just cover any dough that isn't being used and set aside at room temperature. After the layers have come out of the oven, clean out the baking pans and respray with baking spray to reuse them.
Here are some alternate cake sizes and number of layers to try:
Make a half recipe for:
- a 9-inch 2-layer round cake and bake in two 9-inch round baking pans for about 20 minutes
- a mini 3-layer round cake and bake in three 6-inch round baking pans for about 20 to 22 minutes
Make a full recipe for:
- a 9-inch 3-layer round cake and bake in three 9-inch round baking pans for about 22 to 25 minutes (the layers will be thin)
- a mini 5-layer round cake and bake in five 6-inch round cake pans for about 20 to 22 minutes
Double the recipe for:
- a 9-inch 3-layer square cake and bake in three 9- x 9-inch baking pans for 25 to 28 minutes
- a giant 12- x 17-inch cookie sheet cake and bake in a half sheet baking pan for 28 to 30 minutes
Use this recipe to make a sculpted cake
While this chocolate chip cookie layer cake recipe is a fun way to have cake, it's also great for making sculpted cakes (a cookie tower cake), like this groom's TARDIS cake we made for my older daughter's wedding. The cake layers are sturdy enough to be piled high.
For the upper portion of that cake, we quadrupled the recipe to make a 6-layer square cake using six 9- x 9-inch baking pans, baking them for 25 to 28 minutes (see the story behind making this cake). It worked really well!
Cookie cake troubleshooting
Here are some issues you might encounter when making a Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer Cake:
- My cookie layers are dry: Be careful not to overbake the layers. They should be lightly golden around the edges and just set in the center.
- My cookie layers spread unevenly: Make sure the dough is spread evenly in the pans before baking, and check that your oven temperature is accurate (an oven thermometer helps).
- My cookie layers domed in the center: A slight dome is normal. If needed, gently press the warm layers flat with the bottom of a measuring cup or trim them after cooling.
- The cookie layers stuck to the pan: Line the pans with parchment paper and allow the layers to cool for a few minutes before turning them out.
- My cookie cake seems too soft: The layers will continue to set as they cool. If they're still very soft, they likely need another minute or two in the oven.
- My layers are crumbly when I stack them: Let the layers cool completely before assembling, and handle them carefully since warm cookie layers are more fragile.
- The frosting is sliding around: Make sure the cookie layers are completely cool before frosting. Chilling the layers for 20 to 30 minutes can also help.
- My cake is difficult to slice cleanly: Chill the assembled cake for about 30 minutes before serving and use a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
The answer is a qualified yes. The difference between a regular cookie and a cookie cake is the addition of cornstarch, which softens the cookie cake to make it sliceable.
Sure! Just be aware that the cookies will be softer than a normal chocolate chip cookie recipe, and the recipe will make a lot of cookies. Make sure to chill the dough for a couple of hours before shaping and baking.
Yes! A generous layer of frosting and a little extra chill time can help restore moisture and improve the texture.
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I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces mini chocolate chips, (2 cups)
- chocolate buttercream frosting, for cake assembly
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray. Line the bottoms with 8-inch parchment paper rounds, then spray the parchment rounds. Set the pans aside.
- Make the cookie cake layers: In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl for a hand mixer), beat 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar together until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, beating on high speed until combined, about 1 minute for each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and beat again.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low until the dough comes together. With the mixer running on low speed, beat in 12 ounces mini chocolate chips (the dough will be very thick).
- Divide the dough between the cake pans, pressing the dough in evenly. For the best accuracy, use a kitchen scale to weigh the dough. There should be about 7 cups of dough total (about 3 pounds, 1345 grams).
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until the cake layers are lightly brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
- Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pans. If necessarily, run a sharp knife around the edges, then carefully invert the cakes onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Allow all the layers to cool completely before frosting and assembling.
- Assemble the cake: Thickly spread chocolate buttercream frosting on the layers with a large offset spatula. You can leave the sides bare or cover the cake completely, at your discretion. Decorate the top with any remaining frosting.
- Slice into portions, serve, and enjoy!
- Storage instructions: You can store your frosted cookie layer cake for 1 to 2 days in an airtight container, or up to 5 days in the refrigerator, well wrapped in plastic wrap. It's best to serve the cake at room temperature so the cookie layers won't be too firm to eat.
- Make-ahead instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before assembling with frosting and serving.
Debbie says
Delicious! My friends loved it.
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Debbie, I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing 🙂