The best part about this chocolate sugar cookie cake isn’t the soft texture, or the chocolate flavor or even the slight fudginess. No, the best part is how incredible the rainbow sprinkles look when set against the chocolate! 😉 Don’t worry, I’m only kidding. This twist on the classic sugar cookie tastes just as good as it looks!
But you will need a lot of sprinkles to make this cookie cake happen. I recommend buying an 8 oz. bottle.
Fold 1/2 cup of the sprinkles into the batter and press evenly into the prepared pan. (Check out the recipe below for instructions on making the batter.) Feel free to remove the large round sprinkles. (I left them in.)
Top with another 1/4 cup of sprinkles and press them gently into the batter. Otherwise when you turn the cake out of the pan a bunch of sprinkles will fall off. (Also, note that the round sprinkles will bleed some, so again, feel free to leave these out. I kept them in.)
Note: This recipe was originally created for Sprinkle Pop, who compensated me for my time. But all opinions are my own.
The hardest part about this recipe is waiting for the cookie cake to cool. Leave the cake in the pan until it’s completely cool, for about 2 hours. If you greased the pan well the cake should slide right out, but just to be sure, run a butter knife around the edge to loosen it. (For this recipe you’ll grease the pan with butter and cocoa powder, which gives the cake a bit more chocolaty flavor.)
The rainbow border looks more complicated than it really is. Making each individual color is a little time-consuming, but that’s the hardest part. Let’s walk you through it!
1. Divide the frosting evenly into seven small bowls. Dye each portion a different rainbow color. I used pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.
2. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Using a small offset icing spatula, spread each color in vertical lines onto the sheet of plastic wrap. (See the photos in the instructions below.)
3. Roll the plastic wrap and insert it into a piping bag. Fit a second piping bag with Wilton tip 1M and place the bag with the frosting inside.
4. Moving in a back-and-forth pattern, pipe the border, occasionally twisting the tip so that a different color is on top.
And there you have it. If the round sprinkles bleed while baking, throw a few more sprinkles on top!
Here are a few other tips:
- Cut the cookie cake with a butter knife instead of a serrated knife. Normally I’d recommend the opposite, but not for this cake.
- Store the cake in an airtight container on the counter. It’s best enjoyed after a few days.
- The cake itself will freeze well, but the sprinkles may lose some of their color.
Tag me @rosesandwhiskers on Instagram if you try this chocolate sugar cookie cake and use the hashtag #rosesandwhiskers. Happy baking! 🙂
Chocolate Sugar Cookie Rainbow Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour or substitute all-purpose flour for gluten-full cookie cake
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp espresso powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 6 tbsp butter-flavored Crisco
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 oz. semi-sweet baker's chocolate melted and slightly cooled
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp buttermilk room temperature
- 3/4 cup Sprinkle Pop primary rainbow sprinkles
Vanilla Frosting Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 tbsp Crisco
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- food coloring
- additional sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper and coat the paper and sides with cocoa powder. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Melt the chocolate according to the instructions on the box and set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder and salt in a medium bowl. If you don't have a sifter, use a fine mesh colander.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, Crisco and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla, buttermilk and melted chocolate.
- Fold in 1/2 cup of the sprinkles, and press the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining sprinkles on top and press them gently into the batter.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. The top should be a little soft, but not wet and doughy. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, for about 2 hours.
Decorating the Cookie Cake
- Make the frosting while the cookie cake is cooling. Cream the butter and Crisco until smooth and creamy. Mix in half of the powdered sugar, the whole milk, heavy cream and vanilla and mix on low speed until combined. Add in the remaining powdered sugar and cream on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Once the cake is cool, carefully flip it out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. The cake will be upside down. (You might need to loosen the edges with a butter knife, but it should come out pretty easily.) Flip it again, this time onto a cake board or serving plate.
- Divide the frosting into seven small bowls, and dye each set a different rainbow color. I did pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Use an offset icing spatula to spread each individual color in vertical lines on a sheet of plastic wrap.
- Roll the plastic wrap and insert it into a piping bag. Then insert that piping bag into a second piping bag fitted with Wilton tip 1M. Moving in a back-and-forth pattern, pipe a border around the cookie cake, occasionally twisting the tip so that a different color is on top.
- Top with additional sprinkles, if desired. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
