Every time I bake this Sugar Cookie Cake, I’m instantly transported back to cozy afternoons in my kitchen, the air filled with the sweet scent of vanilla. It’s truly a celebration in cake form! This cake brings together two of my favorite things: soft, chewy sugar cookies and fluffy vanilla cake. It’s a dessert that just screams happiness and comfort.
Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookie Cake
- It’s incredibly soft and tender, with a delightful chew from the hidden cookie dough.
- You get two desserts in one – a delicious vanilla cake studded with sugar cookie bites!
- It’s surprisingly easy to make, even for beginner bakers.
- Perfect for parties, birthdays, or just a sweet weekend treat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted Butter: Using unsalted butter gives you control over the salt content. Make sure it’s at cool room temperature for the cookie dough and softened for the buttercream and cake batter.
- Granulated Sugar: Essential for sweetness and structure in both the cookies and the cake.
- Whole Milk: Helps create a tender crumb in the cake and a soft cookie dough. Room temperature is best for easy mixing.
- Vanilla Extract: Don’t skimp on good quality vanilla; it’s a star flavor here!
- All-Purpose Flour: The backbone of our cake and cookies. Make sure to measure it correctly!
- Fine Sea Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors.
- Jimmies Sprinkles: These add a fun pop of color and a little texture to the cookie dough.
- Vegetable Oil: Adds moisture and helps keep the cake extra tender.
- Large Eggs: Room temperature eggs incorporate better into the batter, leading to a smoother cake.
- Sour Cream: This secret ingredient adds incredible moisture and a slight tang to the cake. Again, room temperature is ideal.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Our leavening agents that make the cake light and fluffy.
- Hot Water: Helps activate the leavening agents and creates a tender crumb.
- Powdered Sugar: The base for our fluffy buttercream frosting. Sift it if it’s lumpy!
- Heavy Cream: Makes the buttercream rich and creamy. You can substitute whole milk if needed.
- Almond Extract: A little touch of almond extract in the frosting really elevates the flavor profile.
How to Make Sugar Cookie Cake Step by Step
First, we’ll get our sugar cookie dough ready. In a medium bowl, cream together the cool room temperature butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until it’s light and fluffy. Then, mix in the room temperature milk. This is where the magic starts!
Next, add your flour, salt, and those fun jimmies sprinkles. Mix until just combined. If the dough feels a little dry, just add a tiny bit more milk, half a tablespoon at a time, until it’s nice and soft. Scoop out 2-tablespoon portions, gently press them down, and pop them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill these in the fridge while you make the cake batter.
Now, let’s make the cake batter! Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the room temperature butter, granulated sugar, and vegetable oil for about 5 minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition. Then, mix in the room temperature sour cream and vanilla extract. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of your bowl!
In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Now, we’ll alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk to the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry. With the mixer on low, stream in the hot water and mix just until everything is combined. Don’t overmix!
Spread about half of your cake batter evenly into the prepared pan. This is where those chilled cookie dough discs come in! Gently press 11 of them into the batter. Then, carefully spread the remaining cake batter over the top, making sure to cover all the cookie dough completely. You can roll any extra cookie dough into small balls for decorating later. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake (avoiding the cookie dough balls!) comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let it cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
My Top Tips for Success
- I always make sure my butter, milk, eggs, and sour cream are at room temperature. It really helps everything emulsify properly for a smoother batter and dough.
- Trust me on this one: don’t overmix your cake batter once the flour is added. Overmixing can lead to a tough cake.
- When measuring flour, spoon it into your measuring cup and then level it off with a knife. Scooping directly from the bag can compact it, making your cake dry.
- For the creamiest buttercream, sift your powdered sugar! It prevents lumps and makes for a super smooth frosting.
- Don’t rush the cooling process. Frosting a warm cake will lead to a melted, messy disaster.
- When pressing the cookie dough into the cake batter, be gentle so you don’t push them all the way to the bottom of the pan.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overmixing the cake batter: This develops too much gluten, making your cake tough. Mix until just combined, no more.
- Using cold ingredients: Cold ingredients don’t emulsify well, leading to a lumpy batter and a less consistent texture. Bring everything to room temperature.
- Not chilling the cookie dough: Chilling helps the cookie dough hold its shape and prevents it from spreading too much in the cake.
- Overbaking the cake: This will result in a dry cake. Start checking at the lower end of the baking time, looking for a toothpick to come out with moist crumbs.
- Frosting a warm cake: The buttercream will melt and slide right off. Always wait until the cake is completely cool.
How to Store Sugar Cookie Cake
- Room Temperature: If unfrosted, cover tightly and store for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Once frosted, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
- Freezer: Cake slices can be frozen for up to 1 month in an airtight container. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this Sugar Cookie Cake ahead of time?
Yes, absolutely! You can bake the cake and store it unfrosted at room temperature for up to two days. The buttercream can also be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge, then re-whipped before frosting.
What kind of sprinkles should I use?
Jimmies sprinkles are best for the cookie dough as they hold their shape and color well during baking. For decorating the top, you can use any sprinkles you like!
My cake looks dry, what did I do wrong?
The most common reasons for a dry cake are overbaking or overmixing the batter. Make sure to measure your flour correctly and check for doneness at the earliest recommended time.
Can I use a different size pan?
This recipe is specifically developed for a 9×13 inch pan. Using a different size would change the baking time and potentially the cake’s texture, so it’s best to stick to the recommended size.
Why is room temperature so important for ingredients?
Room temperature ingredients emulsify much better, creating a smoother, more uniform batter and dough. This leads to a more tender and consistent final product.
I genuinely hope you give this incredible Sugar Cookie Cake a try! It’s such a fun and delicious treat that always brings smiles. If you bake it, please let me know how it turns out – I’d love to hear about your experience!
PrintSugar Cookie Cake
A delightful vanilla cake studded with soft, chewy sugar cookie dough pockets, topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream.
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 80
- Yield: 12-16 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter cool room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2-2 tablespoons whole milk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour heat treated
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 tablespoons jimmies sprinkles
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 11 sugar cookie dough balls from recipe above
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Cream 9 tablespoons cool room temperature butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract together until light and fluffy.
- Mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons room temperature whole milk.
- Mix in 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, and 5 tablespoons jimmies sprinkles until just combined.
- If the dough is too dry, add an additional 1/2 tablespoon whole milk until the dough feels soft.
- Scoop the dough into 2 tbsp-sized portions.
- Press down the tops of each dough portion slightly.
- Place the dough portions on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Chill the cookie dough in the fridge until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Line a metal 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Cream 3/4 cup room temperature butter, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup vegetable oil together for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Mix in 3 large room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed until completely incorporated before adding the next.
- Mix in 1/4 cup room temperature sour cream and 2 tablespoons vanilla extract.
- Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt.
- Mix in 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet batter.
- Mix in half of the 1/3 cup room temperature whole milk.
- Repeat, mixing in another 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
- Mix in the remaining half of the milk.
- Mix in the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients, ending with dry ingredients.
- With the mixer running on low speed, stream in 1/4 cup hot water.
- Mix until just combined; do not overmix.
- Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- Gently press 11 chilled sugar cookie dough discs into the cake batter.
- Use an offset spatula to carefully spread the remaining cake batter to cover the cookie dough completely.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center (avoiding cookie dough balls) comes out covered in a few moist crumbs.
- Let the pan cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
- For the buttercream, cream 1 cup softened unsalted butter with the paddle attachment until smooth.
- Mix in 3 cups powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk, 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and 2 teaspoon vanilla extract on low speed until combined.
- Increase the speed to medium and beat for 3-4 minutes until very light and fluffy.
- Once the sugar cookie cake is completely cool, spread the frosting on top.
- Create swoops and swirls with the back of a spoon.
- Decorate with any remaining cookie dough balls (rolled into small balls), extra sugar cookies, or sprinkles.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Ensure all cold ingredients are at room temperature for best results.
Do not overmix the cake batter once flour is added to prevent a tough cake.
Spoon and level your flour to ensure accurate measurements.
Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting to avoid melting.
