Cookie Dough Cake

By now everyone has heard of the horrific events that happened at an Elementary school in Sandy Hook, CT.
I don't believe in glorifying the man who took 26 valued lives from this world.

Instead I think we should be glorifying the incredible heros from that day. The teachers that saved so many childrens lives and sacrificed their own and also to remember those that were lost.

All my thoughts and prayers are with those families dealing with the loss of loved ones.


Some fabulous bloggers came up with the idea to all have a post ready to publish on today, the 21st December to show our support for all those families.

So this is mine.

Sandy Hook families we are thinking of you in this terrible time.

Onto something a little more closer to home for me and also the second reason behind this post.

A friend of mine moved away to Cardiff to go to University......and she's back!!!!

So naturally a party was thrown for her (a belated 21st birthday to be exact) and I was asked to bake the cake.

Also I don't seem to post enough proper cakes.

The main reasons being

1. Nobody will help me eat all the cake and I'm not about to eat a whole cake to myself (I could but I won't)

and 2. Cakes aren't as pretty to photograph as cupcakes and cookies and you're not going to want to read about an ugly cake now are you.

Now luckily this cake turned out pretty sexy looking (yes a cake can be sexy, given that it's covered in enough chocolate)

So I wanted to do something fabulous for Keira's homecoming / birthday do, so I thought I really like cookie dough, everyone likes cookie dough (Ben & Jerrys anyone?).

So here it is the Cookie Dough Cake.

Also, since it is now the 21st of December there's even more to celebrate, we survived the 'Apocalypse'.

So well done guys for dodging those falling balls of fire and then, instead of freaking out, coming to read my new post. You really are a dedicated bunch.

Much appreciated.

Anyways back to the cake.

You are going to love this cake. With a nice rich, moist and fluffy vanilla cake, slathered with lashings of cookie dough frosting and then drizzled in a healthy (unhealthy?) serving of milk chocolate ganache.

Oh yeah! I don't do things by half.

There is a little bit of work to do to create this cake but it is so totally worth it. It's such a crazy rich cake and so decadent and indulgent.

Plus it's a cookie dough lovers dream.

So Happy 21st Birthday Keira! (even if it is a little late, I'm sure the cake makes up for it though)

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

225g / 1 Cup Butter
225g / 1 Cup + 2 Tbsp Caster Sugar
4 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
225g / 1 3/4 Cup Plain Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
50 ml Buttermilk

For the Cookie Dough:

55g / 1/4 Cup Butter
35g / 2 Tbsp Caster Sugar
40g /  1/4 Cup Soft Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Tbsp Milk
75g / Scant 2/3 Cup Plain Flour

For the Cookie Dough Frosting:

339g / 1 1/2 Cup Butter
219g / 1 2/3 Cup  Icing / Powdered Sugar
147g / 1 1/8 Cup Soft Light Brown Sugar
127g / 1 Cup Plain Flour
1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Milk Chocolate Ganache:

100g / 1/3 Cup Milk Chocolate (chopped, or use chocolate chips)
90ml Double / Heavy Cream

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180c, then butter and flour a 20cm cake tin. Cut out a circle of greaseproof paper and line the bottom of the tin also.

Firstly make your cake batter -

In a large mixing bowl beat together the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.

Then add your eggs and vanilla extract slowly. If your mixutre looks like it's curdling just add a tablespoon of the flour to bring it back together.

Once that is well mixed sift in the flour and the baking powder and fold the mixture together gently.

When the flour is only just combined add your buttermilk and continue to mix until combined.

Pour half of the cake batter into your tin and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. When done if a skewer is inserted into the center of the cake it should come out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

Now you will need to wash your tin and butter, flour and line it again. Unless of course you have 2 of these tins.

Pour the rest of the batter into your prepared tin and follow the steps for the previous cake half.

While your cake halves are cooling you can make the cookie dough.

Line a baking tray with a sheet of greaseproof paper.

In a bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Then add your vanilla and milk, beating until well combined.

The fold in the flour until well mixed.

Then, taking small teaspoons of the dough, roll into balls and place them onto your baking sheet.

Once all dough has been used up, pop your baking sheet into the freezer.

It needs to be left for about 15 minutes, once the times up take out the baking sheet and cut all the little dough balls in half and then placing them back onto the baking sheet and back into the freezer.

Leave them in the freezer till you are ready to use them.

When the cake halves are cooled you can get on with making the cookie dough frosting

In a large mixing bowl beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

The beat in your vanilla extract, followed by the flour until everything is well combined.

Place your first cake half onto your plate (or whatever you have chosen to serve your cake on) and spread a generous layer of the cookie dough frosting.

Then, removing your cookie dough halves from the freezer, place the halves flat side down on top of the frosting then place your second cake half on top.

Now you need to crumb coat your cake, which is basically just a very very thin layer of frosting on the cake which is done to seal in the crumbs. This isn't a necessary step but it does help make your cake look a little prettier.

If you are crumb coating you will need to pop your cake in the fridge for about an hour so that the frosting hardens a little.

Once the cake is ready you can spread on the rest of the frosting until the whole cake is covered.

Then set your cake back in the fridge, making sure your fridge is very cold, while you make the chocolate ganache. ( I actually popped my cake in the freezer for 20 minutes just to save on time)

Now to make your ganache -

In a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water start to melt your milk chocolate.

Once its a little bit melted add in the cream and keep stirring (gently as we don't want to incorporate any air, we want a smooth ganache not a thick frosting like ganache) until all the chocolate has melted, the cream is mixed and you have a smooth mixture.


Set your ganache aside to cool to luke warm, don't worry your ganache won't go solid.

Once the ganache is cool enough you can take the cake out of the fridge (or freezer).

Pour the ganache over the top of your cake, gently push and smooth the ganache to the edges of your cake and allow it to fall naturally over the cake edges to create the dripping effect.

Then pop your cake back in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.