This gluten free cookie cake bakes up crisp on the sides, chewy within the heart, and by no means will get caught within the pan—thanks to a couple sensible methods.
Simpler than a conventional cake, simply as festive, and a complete lot extra moveable, that is your go-to dessert for birthdays, class events, or any day that requires a chocolate chip celebration. Bake it in any spherical pan, beautify it merely or extravagantly, and slice it like cake—however serve it simply like a cookie!
Substances defined
Every ingredient on this cookie cake performs a particular function in texture, taste, or construction—right here’s what to know earlier than you bake:
- Gluten free flour mix – The suitable mix offers the cake construction and that excellent crispy-chewy texture. I like to recommend Higher Batter’s unique mix or Nicole’s Finest multipurpose (with ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum). Should you’re utilizing Bob’s Pink Mill 1-to-1, add one other ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum for greatest outcomes. Keep away from gritty blends—they’ll wreck the feel.
- Granulated sugar + gentle brown sugar – A mixture of each offers the most effective steadiness: crisp edges from the white sugar, moisture, depth of taste, and chew from the brown.
- Butter – Provides taste and richness. Creaming it with the sugars builds construction to assist the cake rise within the oven, and retains the crumb tender.
- Pure vanilla extract – A full tablespoon provides depth and provides the cake that basic cookie taste.
- Egg + egg yolks – The entire egg offers construction; the yolks add richness and a comfortable, chewy heart.
- Baking soda – Helps the cake brown and provides a little bit of raise.
- Salt – Balances the sweetness and sharpens all the opposite flavors.
- Chocolate chips – Add the one chocolate taste, plus texture and a few bitterness when you select darkish chocolate. Use your favourite kind.
Tips on how to make a gluten free cookie cake
1. Cream the butter and sugars.
Begin with room temperature butter and beat it with the brown and white sugars for about 2 minutes, till the combination is creamy however not fairly fluffy. This helps dissolve the sugar and incorporates simply sufficient air for a barely larger rise—with out turning it into a conventional cake.
2. Add the egg, yolks, baking soda and salt.
Beat till the combination is clean and nicely mixed. This step helps construct construction and creates the signature crackly cookie prime because the cake bakes.
3. Add the flour and chips.
Toss the chocolate chips with the flour mix, then add all the things to the blending bowl. Mixing the chips with flour first helps preserve them from sinking so that they keep evenly distributed all through the cake.
4. Switch the dough to the pan.
Scrape the dough into the ready cake pan and unfold it into a good layer. A small, moistened offset spatula makes this simpler. For a properly outlined crust, press the dough barely larger across the edges.
5. Bake low and sluggish.
Bake at 325°F for about half-hour. That decrease temperature helps the cake bake evenly to the middle with out drying out. If the highest is browning an excessive amount of earlier than the middle is about, scale back the oven to 300°F, tent with foil, and bake for five to 10 extra minutes. A toothpick inserted within the heart ought to come out with moist crumbs however no uncooked batter.
6. Cool utterly, then chill.
Let the cake cool within the pan at room temperature—don’t rush this half. As soon as it’s totally cool (after about an hour), place the entire pan within the fridge and chill till very agency. This helps the cake set totally so it doesn’t crack or break if you take away it.
7. Enhance the cake.
Switch the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a big open star tip—or use a sealed zip-top bag with the nook snipped off. Pipe frosting simply inside the sting of the cake, barely overlapping the crust. Add sprinkles or different decorations straight away, earlier than the frosting units.
It’s also possible to use the identical frosting, thinned with a bit extra milk, with a small piping tip to pipe a customized message within the heart. Let the frosting agency up at room temperature earlier than slicing and serving.
Ideas for an ideal cookie cake
That is a straightforward, basic recipe—simply cream the butter and sugars, add the eggs, then the dry substances. However a couple of small particulars from my expertise within the kitchen could make the distinction between good and nice:
Watch the bake time
Too lengthy within the oven (or too excessive a temp), and also you’ll find yourself with crisp edges and a dry heart. Intention for a delicate bake that puffs up within the heart after which settles barely right into a crackled prime because it cools, just like my common gluten free chocolate chip cookies.
Cool, then chill the cake
Let the cake cool utterly at room temperature within the pan, then chill it till very agency. That’s the important thing to eradicating it cleanly—both by lifting the parchment or inverting it onto your open hand and flipping once more onto a platter.
Selecting your pan
A 9-inch spherical cake pan makes a thick, basic cookie cake that unmolds superbly. However you may as well use:
- Springform pan: pringform pan – Best to launch after chilling. Line backside and sides with parchment.
- 9-inch sq. pan: Simpler to line, bakes thinner and a bit sooner. Examine for doneness at 25 minutes.
- Specialty cookie cake pan: Normally 11 or 12 inches broad with low sides, for a thinner cake. Additionally bakes sooner.
Line the pan with wings
Hint your pan on parchment, lower out a spherical however go away two lengthy tabs or “wings” on reverse sides. Safe with binder clips. As soon as chilled, raise the cake out simply by the wings.
Ingredient swaps & mix-ins
Dairy free
Use 12 tablespoons (168 g) of block-style vegan butter (like Miyoko’s or Soften) or half (84 grams) vegan butter and half (84 grams) vegetable shortening for steadiness. Make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips and nondairy milk within the frosting.
Egg free
Exchange the egg with 1 “chia egg” (1 tablespoon floor white chia + 1 to 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, combined and gelled). Use 2 tablespoons further butter rather than the 2 yolks.
Combine-in concepts
As an alternative of ordinary chocolate chips, attempt mini chips, chopped semi-hard nuts (like pecans or walnuts), white chocolate, or any baking chips you’re keen on.
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Stand mixer with paddle attachment or handheld mixer
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9-inch spherical cake pan lined with parchment
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Pastry bag with open star piping tip
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Make the cookie cake.
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Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease calmly and line a 9-inch spherical cake pan with unbleached parchment paper and set it apart.
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In a big bowl with a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, place the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, and beat till creamy (about 2 minutes). Cease beating earlier than the combination turns into really gentle and fluffy.
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Add the egg and yolks, baking soda, and salt, and beat once more till well-combined (about one other minute).
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Add the chocolate chips to the flour mix, toss the chips within the flour to coat, after which add them each to the bowl.
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Combine till mixed. The dough can be thick however comfortable.
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Scrape the dough into the ready cake pan, and use a moistened offset or different spatula to unfold it into a good layer. Run the spatula from the middle to the sides for extra batter alongside the perimeter to create a crusty edge on the baked cake.
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Bake, rotating as soon as, for about half-hour or till calmly golden brown throughout and a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out largely clear (not moist). If the highest may be very brown however the cake just isn’t totally baked, scale back the oven temperature to 300°F, tent the pan with foil, and proceed to bake for about one other 5 minutes.
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Take away from the oven and place the cake, nonetheless within the pan, on a wire rack to chill utterly at room temperature.
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Place the cooled cake within the pan, uncovered, within the fridge till agency (about half-hour).
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To take away the cake from the pan, flip the pan over onto the palm of 1 hand, and take away the pan. Reinvert the cake onto a serving platter. It’s also possible to serve the cake proper from the pan.
⠀Make the frosting.
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Within the clear bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a clear giant bowl with a handheld mixer, place the butter and beat on medium velocity till gentle and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
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Add the milk and vanilla, and switch the velocity to combine till well-combined.
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Add the salt and about 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Combine slowly till the sugar is integrated, then flip the mixer as much as excessive and beat till it turns into uniformly thick.
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Add the remainder of the confectioners’ sugar if essential to thicken the frosting.
⠀Enhance the cake.
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Switch the white frosting to a piping bag fitted with a big open star tip or a sealed ziptop bag with the nook snipped off.
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Use the white frosting to make the celebs or dollops across the border of the cookie cake, simply past the crust.
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Permit the frosting to set at room temperature till it hardens a bit. Slice into wedges and serve.
Flour mix.
Use a high-quality gluten free flour mix for the most effective texture. I like to recommend Higher Batter unique, Nicole’s Finest multipurpose (plus 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum), or Bob’s Pink Mill 1-to-1 (add an additional 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum). Keep away from gritty blends—they’ll spoil the chew and crumble.
Serving: 1slice | Energy: 747kcal | Carbohydrates: 124g | Protein: 5g | Fats: 40g | Saturated Fats: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 11g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 377mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 905IU | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg
Diet info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Storage directions
Room temperature: Retailer the totally frosted or unfrosted cookie cake, lined, at room temp for as much as 2 days. If frosted, preserve it in a container that protects the decorations.
Fridge: Wrap unfrosted cake tightly in plastic and refrigerate for as much as 1 week. For frosted cake, use a container that gained’t smudge the frosting.
Freezer: Freeze particular person slices or the entire cake, nicely wrapped, for as much as 2 months. Defrost within the fridge or at room temp. Keep away from microwaving any frosted cake—frosting will soften.
Make-ahead frosting: Put together the frosting forward and refrigerate. Deliver to room temp and beat once more till clean earlier than adorning.
FAQs
Each! It bakes like a cake, slices like a cake, however tastes and chews like a wealthy chocolate chip cookie.
You’ll be able to pipe frosting across the edge, spell out a message within the heart, or preserve it easy with a scoop of ice cream. Something that works on a conventional cake will work right here, too.
Probably not. This recipe is constructed for brown sugar–based mostly chocolate chip cookie dough. For a sugar cookie-style base with out chips, attempt my gluten free fruit pizza recipe. You’ll be able to frost that with or with out the fruit!
No, this all-butter cookie cake spreads because it bakes, so that you want a pan with sides to maintain its form. If you would like to attempt it with out a pan, you’d want to exchange half of the butter with Crisco or Spectrum model shortening.
Sure—use 2/3 of the recipe for a 6-inch pan. You’ll be able to modify the yield to five servings within the recipe card to recalculate.
Sure! Form it within the pan, cowl, and refrigerate for as much as 3 days. Let it come to room temperature earlier than baking.
Sure, however scale back the oven temp to 300°F for the final 10 minutes to stop over-browning. A 9-inch skillet works greatest.
No, watch out about choosing cake decorations like sprinkles, nonpareils, and edible confetti, as many comprise gluten. Cake Mate and Betty Crocker model sprinkles and nonpareils are often gluten free. Americolor model edible confetti is gluten free.
