Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake

CCC Cake

Right off the bat, I'm going to let you know that I'm not including any recipes directly in this post.

Wait, don't leave!

There will be links to all of the recipes I used, though. This post is more about the IDEA of this cake. It takes basic parts — straight up yellow cake, my favorite buttercream frosting, chocolate chip cookies and a simple no-bake chocolate chip cookie "dough"— and brings them all together into something larger than the sum of it's parts.

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GOOD NEWS! I've created a PDF of all the recipes so you can have them in one place in addition to the links I've posted here for reference. I hope this helps! Download by clicking here.**********

Another confession — I first made this cake in February. I know. A thousand apologies, really. I totally meant to write it up way back then, but I don't even know why I didn't. But a couple of weeks ago, a co-worker specifically requested this cake for his birthday. As he put it, "It was the best cake I've ever had." Granted this kid would eat just about anything you gave him because he's a 24-ish year old guy and 24-ish year old guys will eat just about anything you give them. They're just grateful for the free meal. But I still took it as a huge compliment and happily whipped up another cake. Two cakes, actually (they were small).

CCC Cake mini-side

And 12 cupcakes.

CCC cupcakes-in carrier OH

Because I'm crazy.

The inspiration for this cake came from two very talented bakers and bloggers who both happened to be named Amanda. Over at Fake Ginger, Amanda not only bakes beautiful deserts and breads, she's also a wonderful cook with a large collection of delicious and easy recipes. She's a mom of three little boys, so this woman knows the importance of quick, tasty food!

It was Amanda's Cookie Dough Cupcakes that caught my eye. Beautifully photographed and, hello? Cookie dough cupcakes? Sign me up! Obviously the flavors and the no-bake dough are where I got the general idea. The cake part, though, came from another Amanda.

If you follow baking blogs at ALL, you already know Amanda at i am baker. You do know i am baker, right? Do yourself a favor and just scroll through any of her recipe archives. Your jaw will drop and your stomach will growl. This woman is an amazingly talented baker with a flair for making the most over the top incredible cakes that will blow your mind. I'm not kidding.

It was her Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake that became the inspiration for the assembly of this cake. Go take a look at hers, but promise to come back, OK?

CCC Cake-cut

You start with a basic cake.

Wait! No, first you want to make cookies. Use your very favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. My new fave is from David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert. You can find the recipe here, but I highly recommend you check out the entire book. It's scrumptious.

CCC

Make small and medium size cookies if you're making a full-size layer cake.

CCC-small

NOW let's make the cake.

After learning how easy it is to make cake from scratch, I almost always use the 1-2-3-4 cake** you've seen on here a number of times before. There's a reason I keep using it. I tend to be fickle with a lot of recipes, but not this one. I haven't looked around for a new one because this never lets me down. It's always delicious and I always get compliments on it. It's also sturdier than a box mix, so If you plan on making this cake, I would honestly suggest you make a scratch cake.

**PLEASE NOTE: This cake will require 2- 9" cake pans. The recipe link above is for a 9" and a 6" that are cut in half. This cake just uses 2- 9" cakes that are stacked, not sliced in half. Just level the tops with knife before assembly. My apologies for any confusion! 

CCC cake slice fork
(Unfortunately the frosting is the same color as the cake here, so it's nearly impossible to see the thick layer of frosting. Bummer. But this was a semi-failed attempt at a brown sugar frosting, so a white buttercream will show up better.)

Next you'll need a basic buttercream. You can use my go-to Best Ever recipe, or your favorite version.

Then you'll need the cookie "dough". Mix it right after you put the cakes in the oven so that it has a chance to set up a bit in the fridge. Makes it easier to form little balls of dough.

And here's where the magic happens. And where the Chocolate Covered Cherry cake inspiration comes in to play. I love the idea of a surprise center in a cake or cupcake and the idea of having the super thick frosting layer, so Amanda's cake stuck in my head and burst forth when I had the epiphany for this cake. Slather a thick layer of frosting in with a bunch of cookie dough balls. Sort of like cookie dough ice cream, but as the center of a cake.

I took the chilled cookie "dough" and made a bunch of small balls.

dough rolling collage

Then went to work assembling the cake. I put some frosting in a bowl, then added some dough balls, slapped it on the bottom layer.

CCC filling collage

Added more frosting, filled the gaps with more dough balls then added the top layer...

CCC layering collage

Then crumb coated the entire cake.

CCC crumb coat

Popped in in the fridge to set up, then finished frosting it. I added medium size cookies around the base and small cookies along the top edge, sprinkled mini chips on the top and (literally) threw mini chips on the side. (It was a hoot. I was flinging chips all over the place.)

CCC cake OH

Some would stick, some wouldn't, but I just kept flinging until it was coated to my liking.  For the 6" cakes I made for my co-worker's birthday, I just used medium size cookies, which took up the entire sides, then sprinkled chips on the top.

CCC cake mini-topfront

CCC Cake mini-OH

For the cupcakes, I just cut out a cone of cake, stuffed the hole with the no bake cookie "dough"...

CCC cupcakes filled
(I totally ate almost all of that pile of cake bits. I'm not going to lie.)

...and piped frosting over the top using the Wilton 1M tip, my go-to tip. (It's only about $2 - you totally need to have one, if you don't already. They make your cupcakes look super purdy.)

CCC cupcake single

Topped with mini chips, the cupcakes are ready to go.

So what do you think? Pretty awesome, right? If you have a few hours to wile away on a weekend, give this cake a shot. Someone will probably tell you it's the best cake they've ever had. For reals.

CCC cake slice stand

138 comments:

  1. Gorgeous!!! I am SO impressed and love how you made this amazing cake! Great job!!!

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    1. it doesnt work

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    2. This cake was very difficult. Took me about 4 hours....it's sitting in the fridge now. hopefully it will taste good!

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    3. Elizabeth - So what's the verdict? Did it turn out OK?

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  2. I have never seen a better looking cake! It's 8 am and I am now craving cookie dough and cake!

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  3. Oh my gosh I'm in love with your blog! This looks incredible :)
    Bianca @ Sweet Dreaming

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  4. Oh my goodness... that looks amazingly delish!

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  5. I am completely entranced by how amazing this looks!

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  6. HOLY COW!! I made Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes for the other half for Valentines Day last year and he fell in love.... if I were to make this cake I might finally get myself an engagement ring!!

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  7. Rachel - I have a friend that made "engagement chicken" and it worked. Maybe this could be "engagement cake." :) Hey, it's worth a shot.

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  8. I made the cupcake version and they were out of sight! Thanks for posting!!! Looking forward to making the cake version.

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  9. Your cake looks incredible. I've tried clicking on what I assumed were the links to the recipes you used from other blogs, but upon clicking the link fades away, and nothing opens. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

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  10. Rocketsciencemommy - I'm so glad! Thanks for letting me know.

    Jo - I'm not sure what's going on. I just tried a couple of the links and they work for me. Shoot me an email (somethingshiny at frontier dot com) and I'll email you the links!

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  11. If this is made the night before should it be refrigerated?

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  12. Heather - Yes, I made mine the night before and refrigerated it. You'll want it to sit out a half hour or so before serving so it's not so cold. I'd love to hear if you make it!

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  13. I saw this via Pinterest. This is me giving you a hug --> {squeeze}. Genius idea. My brother will flip. out. when I make this for him.

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  14. where's the recipe, i neeeeeeeeed it?????

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  15. Anon- All of the recipes are available through the links in the post. Just click through and you'll find 'em all. :)

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  16. I have an amazing recipe for chocolate chip cookie dough filling. But this looks more fun! Have to try it :)

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  17. Erin - :) Please let me know how it goes!

    Jennifer - Thank you for stopping by! Link, please, for the recipe. :) I'd love to give it a try!

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  18. Shut the front door!!! I'll trust that the frosting is in there ;) I mean holy DING DANG, if this isn't one of the best lookin cakes I've ever seen, I don't know what is!

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  19. I'm very new to baking and tried this last night! I had a blast! Your directions are so detailed that it was nearly impossible for me to screw up! It's delicious (though not quite as pretty as yours) and we will be making it again next weekend for my daughter's birthday party! Thank you so much!

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  20. Just finished making this for my sweetie's birthday! He loves cookie dough! The cake looks wonderful...can't wait to try it! Thank you for posting! God bless! :)

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  21. Becca & Hannah - YAY!! I'm so glad both of you have tried it. That makes me super happy. :)

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  22. Just made this for my little brother! It looks great! Now, I keep finding choc chips everywhere from my aggressive throwing ha! Turned out great! Glad I found you through Pinterest! Thanks! (Thinking I could with this with "buckeyes" too ? :)

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    1. So glad you made it! {Been there with the chips :) } I think you're on to something with the buckeyes. WOW, that would be super rich and super tasty!

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  23. I just saw this cake when a friend pinned it on Pinterest. I love it! I am such a sucker for somewhat complex/multi-layer desserts. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. You're welcome, and thanks for stopping by! I hope you give it a go.

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  24. My butter cream was very thin!! any insight? The rest was absolutely amazing!!!

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    1. Hi Meagan! I'm so glad you made the cake!

      A couple of things come to mind with the frosting. 1. It might be that the flour part wasn't cooked long enough - was it really thick once cooled completely? 2. Also, was it completely cooled, not even slightly warm? 2. Was your butter really, really soft? 3. How long did you beat it?

      It the cooked part isn't *completely* cooled, that will make for runny frosting (because it melts the butter-been there, done that).
      If the butter is too soft to begin with, it will alter the consistency. If it happens again, pop the bowl in the fridge for 20-30 minutes then beat it. That should perk it up a bit.
      Finally, you have to beat the ever living daylights out of this frosting. A good 10 minutes, generally speaking.

      I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask here, or you can email me directly. somehtingshiny at frontier dot com.

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  25. If this doesn't satisfy your cookie dough cravings, I don't know what will. ;) Thanks for stopping by!

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  26. Thanks for this! I was wondering, for the frosting, can I use the brown sugar frosting used on the cupcakes? I'm kinda new to baking, but a brown sugar frosting sounds awesome!

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    1. You're welcome-thanks for stopping by! The brown sugar frosting I made didn't work out how I wanted but I found this one that looks good and easy (and from a reliable source): http://therepressedpastrychef.com/2009/09/22/vanilla-cupcakes-with-brown-sugar-buttercream-frosting/

      She used it on cupcakes so I say go for it with the cookie dough ones. Please let me know how it goes - I'd love to hear about it!

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    2. Will do! I'm making it today!

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    3. It may be too late, but I made one of these this past weekend and used the brown sugar buttercream that went with the Fake Ginger cupcake recipe. It turned out great and was a huge hit.

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  27. Kelly,
    Your cake looked delicious so my daughter and I decided to make it for her 21st birthday. The only bad thing was that your instructions were hard to follow and incorrect. You say to grease 1 9 inch cake pan and 1 6 inch cake pan, but what I realized you needed was 2 9 inch cake pans. The batter in the 9 inch pan rose over the edges. If you did mean to put it in one 9 inch then your directions never say to cut the cake in half nor do they say anything about having 2 cakes. Your instructions should have been executed a lot better. You also have 1/2 tsp of butter flavoring for the cake, but never say anything about adding it in. I was very disappointed....I think next time you post a recipe, you need to look over your instructions to make sure it all makes sense.

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    1. I'm so sorry you had trouble with the recipe. The wedding cake does use a 6" and a 9" but you're absolutely right, this one should have 2 9" pans resulting in 2 shorter cakes that are NOT cut, just stacked. I'm going to adjust this post to allow for the changes for this recipe compared with the wedding cake. I'll also add the butter flavor to the recipe instructions.

      I assure you that I tried to be as thorough as possible when I wrote the post.

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    2. Why does honest feedback have to be given anonymously? Constructive criticism, when given calmly and professionally, is a good thing. Disappointing - but Kelly you responded very positively and well. Impressive!

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    3. Thank you. I really appreciate your kind words!

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  28. Why can't people give honest feedback without having to remain anonymous? Constructive criticism, when given honestly and professionally, is a good thing.

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  29. I made this cake this weekend for a party and it was great! Although I found the cake to really heavy - I made it in 2 6inch cake pans so I wonder if that had something to do with it? The instructions were a little hard to follow as I had open many links but otherwise I feel it was great. I posted a pick of my cake - linking to your recipe on my blog!

    Thanks!

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    1. You cake looks great and I'm so glad you liked it! My guess is that the pan size had something to do with the heaviness of the cake. But that got me thinking - how (even more) incredible would this be if you kept the 6" cakes but cut them in half so that you had FOUR layers. OMG, can you imagine?! Might have to give that a try! :)

      I went ahead and created a PDF of the recipes so they're in one place if you want to make it another time. I hope that helps!

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  30. I'm really new at this. Where do you find no bake cookie dough?

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    1. Hi Michelle! It's actually something you make from scratch, but it's SUPER simple! Here's a link to the recipe: http://fakeginger.com/2010/10/28/cookie-dough-cupcakes/

      Good luck and have fun!

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  31. Hi!
    Thanks for posting this recipe! I've been drooling over it on pinterest for some time and decided to make it yesterday! I was very impressed with your PDF file, it made everything so easy! I'm not that good in the kitchen, so having all the recipes together was an extreme help.
    I have one question:
    As mentioned above, I'm not that good in the kitchen, and I may have run into a snag with the buttercream icing. In the recipe it says to use 1 cup sugar; I used granulated white sugar, was I supposed to use confectioner's sugar? It came out a little too buttery, but I also tried whipping it at a slow speed before speeding it up for the last 6 minutes, so that could be my problem.
    Again, thank you so much for posting this recipe! I love it!

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    1. Hi KattyRae! Yes, granulated sugar is correct. My guess is that the frosting needed to be beaten longer. It takes a while for it to really whip up and get fluffy/less "buttery". You can start it out at a lower speed, but I'd recommend keeping it on med-high to high for the entire time, stopping to scrap the bowl if it looks like I needs it.

      I'm so glad you gave it a go and that the PDF helped!

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    2. I just made the cupcake version of this recipe over the weekend, and my frosting started out too buttery as well - until I realized that the directions don't include the 1 tsp of vanilla that's listed in the ingredients. Once I added that in, it tasted much better! A quick revision to the Master Files recipes should take care of the problem.

      I'm going to try the whole thing again, this time as a cake to see if I can get it "just right". Due to a time crunch, I did not let the flour/sugar mixture cool completely before whipping it up, so my frosting was very runny too. Now I know I need to set aside a lot more time for this step (live and learn, right??) My brother's birthday is coming up and he LOVES cookie dough - here's hoping this cake knocks his socks off! :-)

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    3. Emily - Thank you for the heads up! I fixed the master recipes PDF, so it should be good to go. I'm so glad you gave it a try!

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  32. Hi Kelly! I am making this for my husband's birthday tomorrow and I have everything except for the butter flavoring. I am having a hard time finding it. Can I substitute something else?? Thanks so much! I am so excited to give this recipe a try!

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    1. Hi, Annie! You can either leave it out altogether or just add some extra vanilla extract. Please let me know how it goes - I'd love to hear! And feel free to email me if you have any questions along the way. Have fun!

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    2. The butter flavor can be found at Joann's craft store. I'm not sure where you live but anywhere they have baking isles, even walmart. It's wilton and I got some last year to flavor fondant and I'm excited to have another use for it.

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  33. Hi. I've attempted to make this cake twice. The first time it overflowed over the pan & was half cooked. I had used baking powder instead of soda so I figured that was why. So the next time I bought the self rising flour so I didn't have to worry about that at all. It didn't overflow this time, but I couldn't get it cooked all the way through with out it being to done on the top. What am I doing wrong? Please help

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    1. I'm so sorry you're having trouble with the cake - bummer! My first thought is that your oven might run "hot." Do you have an oven thermometer, something like this? http://www.amazon.com/CDN-High-Heat-Oven-Thermometer/dp/B0021AEAIK/ref=pd_sim_k_1

      Many ovens aren't actually the temperature you set it to. They can be off by just a few degrees or 20 or more. I know mine runs a bit hot. It does sound like the first one had to do with ingredients, but the second time, with self-rising flour, sounds like a temperature issue. Do you have problems with other things you've baked?

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    2. Thanks so much for your response. I do not have a thermometer but I think I will get one. If a recipe has a range on when it's done, it's usually done the earlier time. It was pretty brown on top but overall the cake was still good.

      Thank you! My family enjoyed it very much!

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  34. Just made this for my mother-in-law's birthday! So so good! Thank you for the very detailed instructions :)

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  35. I made this last night for my mother-in-law's birthday. It was so so good! Thank you so much for the extra detailed instructions! Super excited about checking out the rest of your blog :)

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    1. You're so welcome! And thanks for stopping by!

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  36. Hooray! I'm so glad you made it and that you let me know! I love hearing from people that stop by and try a recipe. :)

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    1. This is an amazing recipe! I can't wait to make it from scratch but for the first time around I took some shortcuts. I used a store bought devil's food cake, (sorry), and because it wasn't as dense as a homemade, I made the cookie dough balls much smaller and kind of incorporated them into the frosting,(only for the middle layer part). The result was fabulous and it was the perfect B-day cake for my 18 yr old son. Everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing this winner!
      Maureen

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    2. Are you kidding - devil's food cake with this sounds incredible! Great idea! So glad you all liked it!

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  37. I just made this for my boyfriend's birthday! He's not home yet, so we'll see how he likes it - obviously, if it's as good as it looks, he's going to love it! I sort of cheated when I made the cookie "dough." I didn't wait for it to harden (he could've been home any minute!), so I just spread the dough out like a layer in between the frosting. Not as fun, but it seems like it will get the job done! Thanks so much for this great idea!

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  38. I am making this tonight. It looks awesome! Off i go to start baking :)

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  39. Kelly thanks so much for the recipe! I made it for my boyfriends birthday last night! Every part was amazing! One question...ive never made a cake from scratch before, it is supposed to be so dense/heavy? Could it be because I used what was labeled "cake flour" instead of self rising flour? Regardless it was delicious!

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    1. I'm so glad you made it and enjoyed it! It is a dense cake, but I don't think I'd call it "heavy." Cake flour is lighter than all-purpose-not sure how it compares to self-rising - but you have to make sure to add baking powder to the cake flour since the self-rising already has leavener in it. That's the only thing I can think would cause it to be too heavy.

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  40. This is an amazing cake. Thank you so much for the detailed instructions, you made it impossible to make a mistake. It was a massive hit at my daughter's birthday. I will definately make this again. Yummo!

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    1. You just made my day! I'm so glad you liked it!

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  41. My 8 yo's b-day is coming up and he requested a "cookie dough cake". He started to describe something that I didn't think I could pull off. I sat down with him and googled "cookie dough cake", and your site came right up. I showed him the photos and he said "that's exactly what I want!!". Thanks for sharing the recipe we can't wait to make {and eat!!} this awesome looking cake.

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  42. Rachel!! That. Is. AWESOME! Congratulations!!! You just made my day! :) :)

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  43. I love your cake be cause I love cookies. I looks so delicious. I wanted to taste your cake that's why I need to cook mine. Thank's sharing your recipes.

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  44. This cake sounds delicious!! I can't wait to make it for my family. Thanks for the recipe ^^

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  45. Oh My Goodness! I am in love with this recipe! I plan on being a baker when I grow up and this is going to be one of the first recipes I try doing on my own. My family is in love with cookie dough and is going to fall in love with this recipe! Thanks so much for helping me follow my dreams!

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  46. I made this cake with a slightly different recipe for a cake off competition at my job. This cake was incredible! I doubled the filling recipe to make a super thick layer of cookie dough in the middle so when I cut into it looked beautiful. Although, I was a little disappointed I didn't have enough batter for cupcakes like you did! I took some pictures if you would like to check them out
    http://cookingwith-gina.blogspot.com/2012/04/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-cake.html

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  47. Hi Kelly! I made this cake yesterday and couldn't help but to eat some of everything through out the process! I told my husband that I had to make sure it's good enough to serve :)

    I'm new to baking and to be quite honest, I lack the patience for decorating. I would really just want to eat so I'm working on that.

    I ran into a couple of problems:
    1. My cookies weren't as uniform as yours - I did the logs like you specified but they were really sticky when I unwrapped them. I think if I balled them up a bit it would have been better.

    2. My cookie dough was also very sticky. It was hard to make the balls without having tails so I opted to spread it between the cakes as a filling

    3. My frosting (not just with this recipe, pretty much all the time) was delicious but isn't as thick as I would have liked it. I let it cook long enough so it was extra thick and then chilled it. I did use Country Crock Spread which I realize is oil - is this why it doesn't thicken up? It tasted delicious either way :)

    Awesome recipe! The cake is in the fridge ready to be devoured!

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    1. Hi Kaylyn! Thanks for your comment! Now let's see if I can answer your questions:

      1. Was the dough completely chilled? If so, then they might have needed a touch more flour, but rolling in balls either before or after chilling is a great idea. I've read were people will do just that, line them up on a sheet and freeze them till firm then pack them in freezer bags for later use. I think it's worth trying!

      2. The no-back cookie dough filling is very sticky, I agree. I chilled mine before using which I think helps. Since you had stickiness issues with both the cookie dough and the no-bake filling, I'm wondering if it was really humid that day-that can make a difference! Chilling everything completely is going to be your best bet.

      3. I'm guessing the spread is your issue there. The original recipe called for crisco, not butter. Both butter and margarine have some water in them whereas Crisco is 100% fat. Crisco DOES make for a nice looking frosting, but It also makes for a greasy mouth-feel, that I don't particularly like, which is why I use butter. You do have to beat the daylights out of the frosting, too, and it's easy to think that you've beat it enough...but keep going. It will eventually lighten and get fluffier.

      I hope that helps!!

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  48. I had a question. Do you have to use the chocolate chip cookie recipe that comes with it? I have a recipe that my mom have me for cookies. all the same ingredients just different measurement

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    1. Not at all! In fact, when I originally wrote this post, I did it as a "how to assemble a CCC dough cake" not a "here are the recipes, use these." It was only later when some requested the specific recipes that I gather them in one place.

      I absolutely encourage using YOUR favorite recipes for the component parts. The only thing that you "have" to use is the no-bake dough filling because it's unique. So go for it - use your mom's cookie recipe. Heck, use a cake mix and canned frosting if you want. The end result will still be fantastic. And have fun!

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  49. Made this cake today, and didn't have much success. I will admit that I am a 20 year old who has never baked a cake in my life, not even from a box. But when I saw this recipe I almost fell off my chair and decided to make it. I was really excited by the master list and thought because there were ingredients and recipe instructions on it, I could just follow those. Unfortunately the way that the master list of recipes is set up isn't in the order you should follow to make this cake successfully. I made the two cakes, then I made the cookie dough, then I made the frosting, then I made the filling. The cakes were perfect, the only part that came out perfectly. The dough for the cookies came out well too, but it literally took me 10 hours to do everything from scratch because I've never baked before that I was so annoyed and over it I'm just making the actual cookies tomorrow. The frosting was easy to make, but it was not thick at all. I followed those instructions VERY carefully, I beat the ingredients for 15 minutes and I let the frosting cool off the stove, so I'm not sure where I went wrong there. The cookie dough filling was the worst part for me. Because I made it last there was no time for it to chill after I frosted it, so I had to cheat and just slather it in between the layers, and the filling actually didn't taste good at all for some reason. Overall I loved how this cake looked online, and I'm sure for a more experienced baker it would have came out awesome. I'll definitely try again in the future maybe after I have a little more practice. Thanks for the recipe!

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  50. Over the past year or so, I've heard on the news that choco-chip cookie dough is not safe to eat uncooked. There seems to be no concerns here. I can't wait to try it, I've just been hesitant because of that. I'm going to use it for one tier of a 3 tiered anniversary cake. Thanks for the post

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  51. My daughter wants this for her birthday. Do you think I could add mini m&ms to both cookie dough batters to give it some color or will the color of the m&m's 'run' in the batter. Thank you.

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    1. Margrett - If you gently fold in the M&Ms and don't overmix, they'll probably be just fine. I've made monster cookies with M&Ms and they "bleed" just a bit during baking, but hold up otherwise.

      They might run a bit as the cake sits (in the filling part), but I say go for it! I think it would be a really fun addition!

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  52. Hi Kelly - I found this cake on pintrest and am obsessed! I absolutely love Cookie Dough and can't wait to make this cake for my co-workers! I have a co-worker that is gluten free and thought I could make some gluten free cupcakes for him since he would not be able to have the cake. Do you happen to have a gluten free version of the no bake cookie dough filling?

    Thanks!

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    1. Shawna - I'm so glad you're giving it a go and I love that you're making it GF! Please let me know how it goes! As far as the no back dough goes, I don't see why you can't substitute a general GF flour in place of the all-purpose - something from Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur Flour or similar. I think that would turn out just fine. Good luck, and enjoy!

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  53. i use the same butter cake that your use! or as you call it. 1234 cake. it works for me every time too!! I'm excited to try your buttercream recipe. the flour in it really intrigues me. this cake looks bomb. i like how the cookie dough isn't baked in with the cake because then it wouldn't be cookie "dough" anymore. anyway, i'll let you know when i try this - my little boy would totally love a cake like this

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  54. Well, I just got done finishing my first (definitely not my last) piece of this tasty delight. Wow. This cake is not for the faint of heart (and I mean that in the best possible way). Anyone who is thinking of trying this might want to make sure they schedule time for a nap after.
    Trust me on this. ;)

    As for the issues some people have had with the frosting, I had a few ideas about that. The phrase "cook until thick" may mean different things to different people. When I cooked it, I noticed it started to thicken at around 170 degrees and was done at the 190-195 degree mark. You know you're on the right track if the cooled mixture has the appearance and consistency of condensed milk.
    Also, if your kitchen is warm (as mine was today), you might need to chill the frosting for 1/2 hour or so to make it a little more manageable. Hope that helps.

    And a big thank you to Kelly for sharing this recipe with us!

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  55. Such a beautiful cake, I love it!

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  56. This is a must try! My son's 1st birthday is in November and it is a cookie monster theme. I will have to try it before then to see how it turns out.

    Is there anything I can "pre-do"? Like premake the cakes and freeze them? Since this is for a 1 year old birthday party (well for the guests) I will be short on time.

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    1. Definitely! The cake can be baked ahead of time, just wrap it really tightly in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag or wrap again in foil. It will make icing the cake a lot easier, too. I would definitely make the no-bake cookie "dough" ahead as well. You can even form the balls and freeze them so they're ready to go. Don't premake and freeze the icing because it messes with the chemistry of the butter and turns it grainy. If you want to save time, you can ALWAYS use canned frosting - super easy! Just get 2 cans so you have enough to fill and frost.

      Oh! And you can always make the cookies ahead, too, and freeze them. Then all you really need to do the day before is assemble everything. Sounds perfect to me! Then your finished cake will have time to defrost in the fridge overnight. I actually think that is the best way to do this cake so that you've got plenty of time to wrangle all the parts.

      Good luck, have fun and report back and let me know how it goes!

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    2. Everyone told us our wedding cake would taste awful when we got the top layer out for our first anniversary. But someone gave us a tip to let it thaw still wrapped in the plastic in the refrigerator and it tasted great.

      Do you recommend the same for this cake? (granted this will be plain cake and not with icing on it)

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    3. The problem with freezing things is that it takes the moisture out of the food, which is probably why keeping the wedding cake wrapped while thawing helped because you kept whatever moisture was left in with the cake. Since this cake will only be frozen a week or so (I would guess) you won't have as much of an issue. Here's a "trick" I learned - as soon as the cakes are cooled maybe 10 minutes in the pan, immediately turn them out on to plastic wrap and triple wrap the cake while warm. That will trap a lot of the moisture. Keeping air way from the cake while in the freezer is key, hence lots of wrapping and if it fits in a gallon freezer bag, pop the tightly wrapped layer in there, squeeze out as much air as possible without squishing the cake (!) and then put it in the freezer.

      As far as thawing before frosting - I'm not sure. I wold say it's fine to frost it frozen, but I don't want to tell you something incorrect! let me ask my twitter peeps and see if I get a reply.

      In the mean time, here are a few links from people who know more than I do. :)
      http://www.thekitchn.com/expert-advice-how-to-wrap-stor-151924
      http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/layer-cake-tips-the-biggest-birthday-cake-yet/

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  57. I'm making your cake tomorrow for my boyfriend's birthday. :) So excited!

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  58. My frosting came out really liquidy

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  59. I made this cake for my boyfriend's 23rd birthday. It was the first cake I have ever baked (not from a box). I used all of the recipes you compiled and it turned out amazing!!!! Thank you for the recipes :) we really loved how the cake was nice and dense, almost like pound cake. I was a bit worried it may be too sweet, but there was a nice sweet/salty component. Thank you again!!

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed it - good for you tackling this as your first scratch cake! The texture is definitely more dense than boxed, but it's great for layers since it holds hop better. Thanks for letting me know how it went!!

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  60. When do you add the vanilla extract into the frosting? I don't think it says in the instructions ~ thanks :)

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    1. Sorry about that! I always add it when I whip the butter and cooked mixture together. HTH!

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  61. I would like to marry this cake. Please don't tell my husband.

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  62. Now this is an AMAZING looking cake. Genius!

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  63. Great use of cookie dough! Looks sensational!!!

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  64. Wow. Great Cake. I made it today with a friend of me, really a lot of work. but i must say, i think the buttercream is too much for this cake. its so terrible sweet. but your 1-2-3-4 cake ist lovely <3 thank u for this recipe

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  65. I didn't have time to leave the cookie dough in the fridge for a day, so I just rolled dough balls and then cooked them, but my cookies came out all misshapen and broke... :(

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  66. How can I get the cookie dough receipt. My brother-in-law will be 21 on Wednesday and I Would love to make it for him.

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    1. Hi Amlynn - Here's where you can find the no-back cookie dough recipe: http://fakeginger.com/2010/10/28/cookie-dough-cupcakes/

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  67. Just made this cake for my neice's birthday. Super fun to make! I am in love with the yellow cake recipe. And, you have made a buttercream lover out of me. I have never found a buttercream recipe I like but this one is so fluffy and delicious.

    Thanks!

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  68. My son, who is turning 13 tomorrow, asked me about a month ago to make him e CCC dough cake for his bday. Since I had never seen one before I turned to trust ole' Pinterest and guess what? I found you! CCC dough cake bliss. So I am attempting to make my first from scratch cake today and so excited to see how it turns out. In playing with the CCC recipe, i did put a couple of logs in the freezer, I also left out 1/2 of the dough to see how I can get the best shaped cookie for the cake. Did you indeed use the frozen logs? How ayou do the little cookies on top? I tried scooping them with my smallest cookie scoop (I think it's only a tsp or so) and they are still too big. When I used my scoops for the dough none of the cookies came out flat enough, so I am glad I froze some too and will give it a go later. Any pointers would be so appreciated!

    OK, back to the kitchen I go to start the actual cake. BTW, if I counted right this recipe uses 8 1/2 sticks of butter!!! Glory be! I think I am even putting Paula Dean to shame today. Either that or making her mighty proud!!

    ~Jillian

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  69. Wow, this cake looks incredibly delish!!! I love the small cookie dough bites in the middle!

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  70. That look incredible! I'm a huge cookie dough lover and this is for sure on my holiday to-do list!

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  71. Made this cake this past weekend....actually 2! One for my daughters' fundraiser (cakewalk) and the other for us!! What a hit!! The icing was to die for!!! I haven't come across an icing like this and it was sooooo yummy!! Thanks

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    1. AWESOME! I love hearing back from people that have made the cake - thanks so much for letting me know how it went. And TWO cakes? You rock!!

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  72. My cousin made a version of this cake for a gathering we just had. It was good, but a little different from yours. I can't wait to try it using your recipe!
    Just wanted to share one thing...you mentioned frosting the cake while frozen. This is actually not a good idea. Cakes expand when they thaw, so if you frost it first, the icing will actually crack, and it doesn't look pretty! For a cake like this, it wouldn't be a huge deal, as it would be fairly easy to smooth over any crack and hide them. On a beautifully decorated cake however, it would pretty much be a disaster...and that's no fun!

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  73. I am going to try and make this for my 8 y.o's 9th birthday pray all goes well : D

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  74. OMG YUMMM! I SO want to make this cake but I hate the way homemade frosting tastes. I can never get it to the right consistency or texture no matter how hard I try (have used variations of diff recipes and its hopeless) What kind of canned frosting do you suggest would go good with this?

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    1. Hi, Melody! I'd probably go with a French Vanilla Duncan Hines or similar. I'm trying to decide if the "Whipped" kind would be better or not. Maybe whipped for the outside and regular for the layer. You'll definitely want 2 cans. If you want to go really rich and decadent, you could do chocolate or even fudge. OMG, that would be insane - in a good way. :) Good luck and have fun!

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  75. I am a wimp so I am going with a box cake. Lame, I know.
    Do you make that separate cookie dough filling so that it will be egg free? Or is there another reason, I mean, because if I was to use, say just some regular dough w/o an egg,(or if I even threw caution to the wind and it had egg in it.) do you think that would work? I'm asking for a friend. ;)

    Next annoying question from a stranger, who is sucking your baker's brain dry... chocolate frosting on a white cake? Yea or Nay?

    thank you for posting this recipe, and hopefully I will have great Valentine's Day success with it, despite my using a box mix.

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    1. I've sent you an email, but I'll also post here:

      Thanks for stopping by the blog and leaving your comment and questions. I love hearing about people trying the cake. No dirty looks from me about using a box mix - I think it's a perfectly acceptable alternative. I won't even gasp if you use premade frosting. Promise!

      RE: eggless cookie dough center
      I used this recipe because I was making it for other people and didn't want anyone freaking out if there were raw eggs in the batter. Personally, I'm all about raw cookie dough and have never had a problem eating it. Lots of it. When I was kid, I mean. Not NOW as an adult....

      ANYway, if you want to use regular ole ccc dough for the center balls, go for it. I'm not the raw egg police and if you're fine with it, throw caution to the wind! I mean, your FRIEND can throw caution to the wind.

      RE: Chocolate frosting on white cake? YES, PLEASE. I think the next logical, over-the-top thing to do to this cake is add more chocolate. Go for it!

      Happy Valentine's day, and good luck with the cake. I'd love to hear how it turned out!

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  76. Thank you for posting this awesome recipe!!! I made it for my father-in-law's birthday yesterday. All gone! I still had leftover frosting and cookie dough so I decided to make another one for my sister-in-law'a birthday which was today. Both of their favorite ice cream is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough so I just had to incorporate it somehow and I am so glad I found this recipe! The only challenge I had was the buttercream - it was too buttery. I read in another comment that it could be I didn't whip it too long. Probably so! Other than that, it was fun making it as an all nighter project. Second one didn't take so long since I had the pre-made dough and frosting. And it was very, very yummy! The family is asking for more! :) Thank you once again!

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    1. You're very welcome - So glad you liked it! Yeah, the frosting - it's kind of tricky in that I *always* think I've messed it up, but I just keep the mixer going and going and it magically turns out. You really have to whip the hell out of it.

      I'm so glad you gave it a go!

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  77. I am a newbie baker & I made this cake for a cake auction at my church & it went for $65! More than the preachers wife's went for ha ha! Mine wasn't nearly as pretty as yours, especially my cookies, but it turned out great & was really blonde friendly ;) great recipes great cake thanks for sharing!

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    1. That is AWESOME! Congratulations! And thank you for the lovely comment - made my day!

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  78. I'm attempting to make this cake and have the dough for the cookie filling in the fridge until tomorrow but I'm worried that the weight of my cake layer will squish the dough balls :( They're pretty sticky even for being in the fridge for over an hour.

    Should I add some flour to harden them up a bit? What about when I serve it? I'm using a different butter cream and making all that and assembling tomorrow as a surprise!

    Help!!!

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    1. Hi Chelsea! So glad you're making the cake! It sounds like it wouldn't hurt to add just a touch more flour to the filling. They don't have to be super firm, but not very sticky, either. You should be able to roll the balls without them sticking much to your fingers. There will be a little residue, but not much. I don't think the weight of the other layers will squish them much. If anything, the filling frosting will help support them. I think you're in pretty good shape. A touch more flour and call it good. Let me know how it goes!!

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    2. Hi! My icing didn't work out as well as I had hoped but the dough balls were a huge hit! Because I left them in the fridge for nearly 24 hours I didn't have to add the flour. Thank you so much!

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    3. That frosting can be temperamental, I've noticed - but delicious! So glad the filling worked out - thanks for reporting back!

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  79. I just made this for my husband's birthday, and it was a huge hit! I brought in the leftover cookies to work, and all my co-workers love them and are clamoring for the recipe. Thanks for posting this!
    I do think it was extremely rich (like, Cheesecake Factory level) and time consuming, so I wouldn't make it more than, say, once a year, but this is a good baking project for a special occasion.

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    1. Awesome! Thanks for coming back and commenting! Love hearing from people that have made the cake. And I'm totally with you - this is definitely a special occasion cake!

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  80. This cake is beautiful! Do you think the cookies/cookie dough would go well with chocolate cake and chocolate butter cream frosting?
    Thank you!

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    1. Thank you! And yes, I absolutely think this would work with chocolate. In fact, I think it would be INCREDIBLE! If you make it like that, pleeeease let me know. I would LOVE to see it/hear about it!

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    2. I'm going to do it! Not for a few weeks though. I'll definitely let you know how it turns out!

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  81. I'm making this cake tomorrow or Saturday. I'm just curious as to how much it makes because you said 12 cupcakes as well. So, is it going to make to 9in pans and 12 cupcakes or either or? I'm having about 20-25 people to feed with cupcakes on the side but I have a feeling the cake will go fast so I'm wondering if I could have some sizing feedback and that this blog is still in order!

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    1. Amanda--The 12 cupcakes were left over from making 2- 6" cakes. The recipe will make one 9" cake with the cake NOT being cut in half. They're full cakes stacked. So you could make two, shorter 9" cakes if you cut the cakes in half. As far as servings go, according to a search I just did (http://cakedecorating.about.com/od/planningstage/a/Cake-Sizes-And-Portion-Sizes.htm), a 9" will provide 27 servings, but you probably have to cut it a certain way. Here's a guide: http://www.wilton.com/cakes/cake-cutting-guides/
      Hope that helps!

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  82. This is a amazingly beautiful looking cake (found it on Pinterest) ;) And I bet it tastes even better...hoping to make it for my birthday next month!! Thank you!!! :)

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    1. You're welcome, Christiana! Please check back in and let us know how it goes!

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  83. Kelly,
    I am having a bit of trouble with the consistency of the cake - it seems to be a bit "course" is that normal? I did a trial run before the boyfriends birthday - overall the look of it was pure fun(especially when you have your very own cookie monster that you living with) but just had that bit of an issue with the courseness of the finished product.

    Karrie

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    1. Karrie,
      I haven't noticed it being coarse, but it is definitely more dense than say a cake mix cake. I would suggest beating the batter longer during each step. That might help the texture and with fluffing it up a bit. Good luck!

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