Cookie Bites Birthday Cake
Posted by The Theo Team on Apr 19th 2022
Cookie Bites are turning one year old!
To celebrate, we are making the ultimate birthday cake. We’ve added a fun twist to an old-fashioned buttery yellow cake recipe by hollowing out the center and filling it with cookie bites.
This cake is moist and tender with a fine, dense crumb and just the slightest buttermilk tang. It’s the perfect foil for the fluffy, creamy-smooth Theo chocolate frosting and the delicious, crunchy Snickerdoodle Cookie Bites.
Cake Ingredients:
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1¾ cups unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 eggs
Frosting Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp very hot water
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 9 oz Theo 70% Dark Chocolate, melted and cooled (but still liquid)
Decorations:
- 4 bags of Snickerdoodle Cookie Bites
Instructions:
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To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) baking pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set the pans aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda on low speed to blend the ingredients, about 15 seconds. Add the butter, butter milk, and vanilla, and mix on low speed until the wet and dry ingredients combine, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and paddle, and mix on medium-high speed for 1 full minute. Scrape the bowl, add the egg yolks, and mix on medium-high speed for 30 seconds to blend and aerate the batter. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium-high speed for 30 seconds between additions. Finally, mix the batter on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
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While the cakes are baking, open up three bags of Snickerdoodle Cookie Bites. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut each cookie bite in half. Set aside in a bowl.
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Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the parchment paper, and let them cool completely.
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Turn the cake layers domed side up. Use along serrated knife to cut off the domes and make the cakes flat if you need to. Using a small cup or circle cookie cutter, hollow out the center of each cake.
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To make the frosting, in a small bowl, whisk together the water and cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.
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Clean the stand mixer bowl, then cream the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl, add the vanilla, salt, and cocoa powder paste, and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip the frosting until soft and creamy, about another minute. Make sure the melted chocolate is still liquid, but no longer warm to the touch. Add it and whip on medium-high speed until thick and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Use right away.
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To assemble the cake: Place 1 cake, bottom side down, on a cake plate. Use an off-set spatula to spread about 1½ cups of frosting on top. Take the bowl of cut cookie bites and start pressing them into the frosting until completely covered. Then put the other cake on top, bottom side up. Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Then use the rest of the cut cookie bites and cover the top.
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Open the final bag of Snickerdoodle Cookie Bites and gently add them into the hollowed-out center of the cake. This cake is best the day it’s made. Store at room temperature until serving.