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Sugar Cookie Cake Recipe

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★★★★★

5 from 101 reviews

This Sugar Cookie Cake is a delightful layered dessert combining soft vanilla cake with embedded sugar cookie dough discs and a creamy cream cheese frosting. Decorated with festive sprinkles and cookie dough balls, this recipe turns classic sugar cookies into a stunning cake perfect for celebrations and holidays.

Ingredients

Scale

Sugar Cookie Dough

  • 3 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp Baking soda
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 3 TBSP Oil (canola or vegetable oil)
  • 1 1/2 cups White granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • 4 Large eggs (room temperature)
  • 3/4 cup Sour cream (room temperature)
  • 1 cup Buttermilk
  • 2/3 cup Christmas sprinkles (jimmies)

Flour Pre-bake Step

  • 2 3/4 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp Salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 cups Unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 6 oz Cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 5 cups Powdered sugar (sifted)
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Pre-bake Flour: Preheat oven to 300℉. Spread 2 3/4 cups of flour evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove and cool completely, then add 1 tsp salt to the baked flour mixture.
  2. Make Sugar Cookie Dough: Using a mixer, beat 1 cup unsalted butter and 1 1/4 cups white sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Scrape the bowl, add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 cup milk, and mix on medium speed until combined. Gradually add the baked flour and salt mixture along with the 2/3 cup sprinkles, mixing on low speed just until combined.
  3. Shape and Freeze Cookie Discs: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and use a small cookie scoop to portion dough into small discs. Flatten each dough ball into discs with your hands and place about 15 discs per sheet. Freeze these while preparing cake batter.
  4. Prepare Additional Cookie Dough for Decoration: Reserve two 1/2 cups portions of cookie dough for filling. Roll remaining dough into small balls, place on a parchment-lined plate, and freeze until ready to use for decoration.
  5. Prepare Cake Pans: Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, line bottoms with parchment paper circles, then spray again. Set aside.
  6. Sift Dry Ingredients for Cake: In a medium bowl, sift together 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt. Set aside.
  7. Make Vanilla Cake Batter: Beat 1 cup unsalted butter, 3 TBSP oil, and 1 1/2 cups sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Scrape bowl, add 1 tsp vanilla, 4 eggs, and 3/4 cup sour cream, mixing on medium speed until combined.
  8. Add Dry Ingredients and Buttermilk: Add the sifted dry ingredients and 1 cup buttermilk to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined, then fold gently with a spatula to ensure smooth batter.
  9. Assemble Cake Layers with Cookie Discs: Divide batter evenly into the three prepared pans. Place 5 frozen cookie dough discs on top of the batter in each pan.
  10. Bake the Cake Layers: Bake for 26-32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
  11. Cool Cake Layers: Let cakes rest in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
  12. Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting: Sift 5 cups powdered sugar into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat 2 cups unsalted butter on high for 2 minutes until creamy. Add 6 oz cream cheese and beat on high for 1 minute, scraping as needed. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar in two parts on low speed. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and pinch of salt, mix on low until combined, then increase speed and beat until fluffy and creamy.
  13. Level Cake Layers: Using a serrated knife, cut off the domes of the cake layers to level them.
  14. Assemble Cake: Place first cake layer on serving plate. Spread 3/4 cup frosting evenly on top. Pipe a border of frosting around the edge, then spread reserved 1/2 cup cookie dough filling inside the border in small discs.
  15. Repeat Assembly: Add the second cake layer, frost and fill as above. Place the last cake layer upside down (bottom facing up) on top.
  16. Crumb Coat: Apply a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake to seal in crumbs. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
  17. Decorate Final Frosting: Frost the cake with remaining cream cheese frosting smoothly. Top with frozen sugar cookie dough balls and sprinkle extra sprinkles for a festive finish.

Notes

  • Freezing the cookie dough discs before baking inside the cake prevents spreading and keeps their shape.
  • Make sure all dairy ingredients (butter, eggs, sour cream, cream cheese) are at room temperature for best mixing results.
  • Sift powdered sugar for frosting to avoid lumps and ensure a smooth texture.
  • Be gentle when folding dry ingredients to maintain a light, fluffy cake texture.
  • Decorate with extra sprinkles and cookie dough balls just before serving for best appearance.

Keywords: Sugar cookie cake, vanilla layer cake, cookie dough cake, cream cheese frosting, holiday dessert

Find it online: https://jedentaglecker.com/sugar-cookie-cake-recipe/