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birthday cookie cake shaped like the numbers 35 topped with frosting, fruit and candy.
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5 from 5 votes

How to Make a Number Cookie Cake

A deliciously soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie makes for a perfect base for a birthday or celebration "cake" baked into the shape of the numbers of your choosing! Top with dollops of frosting, fruit, chunks of brownie, macarons, caramels, or whatever you like!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time17 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 16 people
Author: Erika Kwee

Ingredients

For the Cookie Cake:

  • 1 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup refined coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1/2 cup almond milk, room temperature
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Basic Buttercream

  • 2 sticks butter (8 oz or 1 cup) or vegan butter, softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (organic preferred)
  • 2-4 tablespoons milk (any kind)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch fine kosher salt

Cookie Cake Topping Ideas

  • Fruit: sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, chopped kiwi or mango
  • Candy: malt balls, chopped Kit Kats, Hershey bars, M&Ms, Reese's, Snickers, etc
  • Chocolate-dipped or drizzled chunks of brownie or cookie cake trimmings
  • Sprinkles!!

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in the coconut oil until well combined. Add the almond milk (microwave for 15-20 seconds if it's cold from the fridge) and vanilla; whisk to combine.
  • Add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and gently stir until just combined with a spatula. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Divide dough in half. You can either eyeball this, or weigh it out--half the dough should weigh about 525 grams.
  • Form each dough half into a rough shape of your desired numbers. Keep in mind that your cookies will spread quite a bit, so keep the holes fairly generous.
  • Bake for 17 minutes or until puffed and brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before using a sharp knife to trim the edges into your desired shape. Reserve cookie trimmings if desired to decorate the cake later. Let cool completely.

For the buttercream:

  • Cream the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and cream until smooth. Thin with 2-4 tablespoons of milk, as needed until desired consistency is reached (you'll want a stiffer but still pliable frosting). Add vanilla and salt and mix until combined.

To assemble:

  • Use a frosting applicator or frosting bag fitted with a large round tip. (You can use any piping tip, but the round tip will yield the more typical look.) Pipe blobs of frosting onto the cooled cookie cake. If using sprinkles, I recommend sprinkling them on top right away so they stick better.
  • If time allows, let frosting set for 20-30 minutes before adding additional toppings. You can use this time to decorate some cookie cake scraps to add on top. Cake is best enjoyed immediately.

Notes

Cookie recipe barely adapted from Oh Ladycakes' amazing coconut oil chocolate chip cookies discovered through the vegan chocolate chip cookie bake off.