Perfect for children’s birthday parties, Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Icing Swirls tastes like cookie cake purchased at the mall. It costs a lot less too!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Icing Swirls

¾ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon iodized salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Spray bottom and sides of pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Place butter, brown and white sugar in a mixing bowl. Cream butter and sugar 3-4 minutes with a mixer until mixture changes color to pale yellow. Add egg and vanilla.

Stir flour, cornstarch, salt and soda together in a small bowl. Add half of flour mixture to dough. Mix until flour is incorporated, then scrape down sides of bowl. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until flour is incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Add chocolate chips and mix until chocolate chips are evenly distributed.

Press dough in an even layer in prepared pan. (I use a spatula sprayed with non-stick spray so it does not stick to the dough.)

Bake 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan. Remove from pan and decorate with Buttercream Icing Swirls (recipe follows). Makes a one layer, 9-inch, cookie cake.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing– decorates a one layer, 9-inch, cookie cake

½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup shortening
⅛ teaspoon iodized salt
2 cups powdered sugar
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ tablespoon water
Multi-colored sprinkles

With a mixer, cream butter and shortening until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar. Add vanilla and water. Beat for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. (Make sure to add the water- it makes the icing fluffy and easier to pipe swirls.)

I used a Wilton 1M or Ateco 844 closed star tip to make miniature cupcake swirls. (For directions go to Wilton.com and look up, “how to make a cupcake swirl” under the “Learn”/ “piping techniques” tabs. Sprinkle swirls with sprinkles as soon as they are piped so sprinkles will stick to icing and not fall off. Decorate top of cake with additional sprinkles and chocolate chips.

Published in The News and Neighbor on March 14, 2018