Sprinkle Cookie Dough Cake
This summer has completely gotten away from me! Anyone else feel that way? Two months ago I was thinking, "I'm so excited for summer because I'll have so much time to play with my kids, work in my yard, experiment with new recipes, make lots of cakes, teach lots of cake classes and work on my blog." Ha! I didn't get nearly as much done as my overly ambitious, pre-summer self had planned.
Luckily, I did get a lot of play time in with the kids, and will certainly miss all our pool days when the school bell rings. I've also made lots wedding cakes and birthday cakes for clients. I've also been able to teach a few cake classes and visit Fox 13's The Place a couple more times too. But, I've also had a lot of work travel this summer, which has replaced all that time I had planned for trying new recipes and sharing yummy treats with you on my blog. Ugh! If only I could survive on four hours of sleep!!! (I keep trying, but I fail miserably each time.)
So, that's basically my lengthy apology as to why I haven't shared as many recipes lately. School starts in just a few weeks and I'll have a 2nd grader in school full-time and a pre-schooler attending a couple days a week, which means I'll have a few hours a week all to myself. (I'm doing cartwheels just thinking about it!) I'm hoping to devote a lot of that time to new recipes and writing.
Since it's been about a month since my last recipe, I'm beyond excited to be sharing this Sprinkle Cookie Dough Cake with you (adapted from Sprinkles for Breakfast) because it's a cake that's worth the wait you've endured!
My sister actually shared this cake with me via Pinterest not too long ago. It immediately reminded me of The Chocolate Chip Cookies and Milk Cake I made last year. However, I was never head-over-heels for that cake and thought it would be worth a shot at trying a new cookie dough cake recipe. I also needed a new cake idea for one of my daughter birthday cakes. (Yes, she's getting TWO cakes. One cake on her actual birthday and one cake on the day of her birthday party. You know me! There can never be too much cake!)
I changed the cake recipe only slightly by adding more egg whites and using clear vanilla extract instead of pure vanilla extract. I added the extra egg whites because I wanted to make sure this vanilla cake was going to be moist and fluffy. I also decided to go with the clear vanilla extract because I wanted the cake flavor to resemble a white cake mix and the clear extract has a little more of a sweet, artificial taste. Don't let that scare you! Momofuku Milk Bar uses the clear vanilla extract in their Birthday Cake and it's a game changer. I promise!
We'll be cutting into the cake on Monday, so I don't have any pictures of the inside just yet. I do, however, have one of my time-lapse videos you can watch and get an idea of just how yummy this cake is going to be with the fluffy vanilla cake layers, sprinkle chocolate chip cookie dough bits and vanilla buttercream.
For me, this Sprinkle Cookie Dough Cake wins over the Chocolate Chip Cookies and Milk Cake. The vanilla cake layers are more moist and have a better flavor than the cake layers from Chocolate Chip Cookies and Milk Cake, and I like this frosting better too. If you've tried the Chocolate Chip Cookies and Milk Cake or another cookie dough cake, I'd love to hear your thoughts on which one you like best.
Sprinkles Cookie Dough Cake, adapted from Sprinkles for Breakfast
Yield: one 8-inch, 3-layer cake
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
1 whole egg (I use extra large)
3 egg whites (also extra large)
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
3 cups, plus 2 tablespoons cake flour, sifted
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Sprinkle Cookie Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup sprinkles
Vanilla Buttercream
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
6-7 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
For the Vanilla Cake
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans by spraying each pan with non-stick spray, covering the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spraying the parchment paper with the non-stick spray as well. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the whole egg, egg whites and clear vanilla extract. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the butter and milk. Continue to mix on low until just combined and then increase to medium speed and mix for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg mixture in two additions, beating on medium speed after each addition until just combined and all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
6. Divide the batter into the three prepared cake pans, using a kitchen scale to measure equal parts in each pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes (my cakes took 20 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then invert onto wire racks until completely cool.
For the Sprinkle Cookie Dough
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
4. Stir in the mini chocolate chips and sprinkles.
5. Set aside 1/3 of the dough for the cake filling and use the remaining 2/3 to roll into small balls for the topping. Check out Sprinkles for Breakfast's original post HERE to see how she decorated this cake.
For the Vanilla Buttercream
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
2. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream and vanilla extract.
3. Continue to beat the frosting on medium speed for an additional 3-5 minutes.