A childhood favorite gets an extreme makeover into this decadent Milk & Cookies Cake! Chocolate chip cookie cake layers, cookie milk soak, vanilla buttercream, and a chocolate drip.
Today I’m bringing you a revised version of one of my oldest recipes. Just when you thought milk & cookies couldn’t get any better!
That classic combination you’d always look forward to as a kid for after school snacks, treats on the weekends, or while watching your favorite cartoons or movies…. it was the best! Well, for some people anyhow.
Truthfully, I was never a fan of milk with my cookies (or drinking milk in general). I’ve had it numerous times but, if I had to choose, I’d take my cookies straight up — maybe nuked in the microwave for a few seconds. Seeing as how most people are fans of milk & cookies though, and I’m a fan of cake (in case you hadn’t noticed), what better than to combine the two?
Ryan has been harassing asking me for a chocolate chip cake for some time now. It’s always been on the radar, but there were more pressing season themed desserts that needed to be knocked out first.
I am (only somewhat) restraining myself from jumping head first into Holiday baking (my favourite) and have been trying to distract myself with some Fall recipes instead. Fall baking is my second favorite, so it hasn’t been too difficult.
This Milk & Cookies Cake doesn’t really fit into either of those themes/ seasons, but you’re getting it anyway. It’s a bit of a break from all the pumpkin and Halloween that’s inevitably going to be getting thrown at you from every direction.
I have been seeing Fall stuff in stores already and I’m sure Costco is just itching to get their Christmas stuff out (or is it already??).
How to make this Milk & Cookies Cake
This is a no frills cake, all in all. It’s a basic vanilla cake jazzed up with some brown sugar, cookie milk, and mini chocolate chips. Initially, I was going to do a chocolate buttercream to pair with it, but I figured the vanilla would let the chocolate chip flavour stand out and provide more contrast. That’s when it turned into a Milk & Cookies Cake.
I decided to do a naked cake to let those chocolate chip studded cake layers shine. A drippy ganache which adds a bit of fanciness to this otherwise simple cake.
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that I love ganache drip cakes. It’s a really easy way to add a bit of flair to your cakes – provided that you can get the frosting nice and smooth on the top and edges, which is my biggest challenge.
Cookie Milk Soak
The latest (and greatest?) update to this revised recipe is the addition of cookie milk which is basically chocolate chip cookies steeped in milk to give the milk a cookie flavour. I used the milk in the cake itself and as a milk soak to brush on top of the cake for added moisture and flavour.
I also replaced some of the granulated sugar in the cake recipe for brown sugar to be more cookie-like.
If you prefer though, you can just use regular milk if you don’t have cookies on hand. Regular milk will work fine in the cake recipe and as a soak. I originally used buttermilk in this recipe so you can use that too if you prefer a less sweet cake.
This is a simple yet delicious cake that’s perfect for any occasion. If you’re a milk & cookies lover, I hope you will enjoy this cake version of your favourite treat!
Notes & tips for this Milk & Cookies Cake:
- To help ensure cakes come out of the pans cleanly, I spray my cake pans with Pam for Baking and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- If you don’t have cookies on hand, you can just use regular milk (or buttermilk) in the cake recipe.
- Likewise, you can replace the brown sugar for more granulated sugar.
- The original recipe used buttermilk and all granulated sugar, if you prefer to use that one instead.
- If you’d like to use an easier frosting, you can use my Simple Vanilla Buttercream recipe instead. Half a batch should be enough.
- For the ganache, I let mine set overnight (with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface). It will be too thick at this point, so I microwave it for 10 secs and stir it until it’s the right consistency. But you just need to let it sit until it’s thick enough to be used as a drip.
- The drip technique works best on a chilled cake so that the drips set quickly.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
***RECIPE REVISED: Aug 8, 2019***
Revised the cake recipe to add in brown sugar and also cookie milk for more of that Milk & Cookies flavour.
***RECIPE UPDATED: Feb 5, 2017***
A few of you mentioned that you found the cake dry and dense so I’ve updated it to a lighter, more fluffy version that hopefully everyone should find delicious!
Milk & Cookies Cake
Ingredients
Cookie Milk Soak:
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 4-6 chocolate chip cookies enough to be fully submerged in the milk
Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup cookie milk room temperature (or buttermilk, or regular milk)
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips tossed in 1 Tbsp flour
Vanilla Buttercream:
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
- 1 tsp vanilla
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
- 2 oz good quality dark chocolate finely chopped
- 2 oz heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Cookie Milk Soak:
- Place milk and cookies in a medium bowl. Stir well and steep for 20-25mins. Strain into a small bowl using a fine mesh sieve. Gently press the milk out of the cereal using a spatula or wooden spoon. Separate out 1 cup of the cookie milk for the cake. Save the remainder to drizzle onto the cake layers.
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (3mins).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and cookie milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Fold in chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Bake for 35-40mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack. Allow cakes to cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins).
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
- Add vanilla and whip until smooth.**
Ganache:
- Place chopped chocolate and cream into a microwave safe bowl. Stir to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir. Microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until ganache is smooth and silky. Set aside to cool and thicken slightly before using on cake.
Assembly:
- Trim the tops of the cake layers if needed or poke holes in them with a bamboo skewer. Drizzle or brush each cake layer with about 2 Tbsp cookie milk.
- Place one layer of cake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approximately 2/3 cup of buttercream. Repeat with remaining layers and crumb coat the outside leaving the sides of the cake exposed. Use a bench scraper to smooth out the sides and top of the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Using a teaspoon, apply ganache near edges like so to create the drips. Pour some ganache on the top of the cake and spread with an offset spatula.
Recipes You May Like
Notes
** The buttercream may look like it's curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth. ***RECIPE REVISED: Aug 8, 2019*** - Revised the cake recipe to add in brown sugar and also cookie milk for more of that Milk & Cookies flavour. ***RECIPE UPDATED: Feb 5, 2017*** - A few of you mentioned that you found the cake dry and dense so I've updated it to a lighter, more fluffy version that hopefully everyone should find delicious!
Marie says
Hello Liv,
Would this recipe work in a 9×13 pan? If so, is it double the recipe? Im planning to make this for my son’s birthday and do a 3 layer cake.
Olivia says
Hi Marie! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
Based on that, the recipe should work in a 9×13 pan but the layer will be thinner. If you want to do three layers you may need to 3x the recipe or make it three separate times.
Tia says
Planning on making this for my son’s second birthday next week. If I don’t want the naked effect and want to slather on the icing thick, should I make more or should the amount in the recipe be enough? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Tia! I would either double the recipe here or use a full batch of this: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/ Only difference is the amount of butter.
Maddie says
I just want to say that the cake sponge is phenomenal, this is quite possibly my favourite recipe I’ve ever found online!
Olivia says
Hi Maddie! Thanks so much for your feedback. I’m so glad you love it!
Joan says
Hiya, would this recipe work if I make a 2 layer cake using an 8″ cake tin?
Olivia says
Hi Joan! Yes, it will work fine in two 8″ pans.
Lisa Taylor says
Delicious!
Tastes like a chocolate chip cookie! My cake came out quite delicate so it was a bit difficult to get a good naked look because of all the loose crumbs, albeit this is my first time using the naked effect so it’s more likely my lack of skill. I will absolutely be making this again! I did do a few different things. I steeped the cookies for over a day and the milk was super rich, I would maybe use more milk if you do that as a lot of the liquid gets soaked up and it is trying to get all the liquid out of the cookie. I also used 3/4 cup toasted sugar and 3/4 cup dark brown sugar instead of the 1/2 cup cane & 1 1/2 cup light brown sugar.
We love it and will definitely be making it time and time again.
Thank you for this recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Lisa! So happy you loved it! Thanks for your tips 🙂
Lisa Taylor says
I have been steeping the cookies in the milk for about 12 hours. Is that too long, is there a limit to how long they can steep for? If so, can I just cut it with some more milk?
Olivia says
Hi Lisa! That should be fine but you can cut it with some milk if you like. I wouldn’t bother though unless the strained milk is thick.
Penny says
This looks amazing.
I have a couple questions.
Can I use skim milk for the cake or would whole milk be better?
For the frosting can I use refrigerated pasteurized egg whites?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Penny! Any milk will work just fine. I haven’t had luck with carton whites myself so I can’t recommend them. Read more about that here: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Theresa says
Would ermine frosting work with this cake? I’ve been wanting to try it.
Olivia says
Hi Theresa! Yes, I think it would be perfect and would make it even more of a “Milk” and cookies cake 🙂
Aly Rainey says
This cake is DIVINE, but I want to remake the pre-August 8, 2019 updates version – with removing the brown sugar and going back to the simple syrup (because this all worked magically here in Denver with Hungarian High Altitude Flour) – what was the original granulated sugar measurement?
Thank you – love, Love, Love this cake!
– Aly
Olivia says
Hi Aly! I’m so happy you love this one. I’ve revised it a couple of times since I first made it in 2015. The first revision was in Feb 2017 to make it less dry. The second one was to add brown sugar and the cookie milk. If you want the Feb 2017 version, just use 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and regular milk. Simple syrup will work just fine instead of the cookie milk soak!
Nicole says
Hello
I want two cakes instead of three.
How can I make it?
Olivia says
Hi Nicole! You can 2/3 the recipe by changing the Servings to 8.
Lauren Ross says
I’m just wondering if I can still make this with a 7 inch pan ?
Olivia says
Hi Lauren! Yes, if you have three 7″ pans you can still make this as is, but the layers will be thinner so baking time will be shorter.
Sarah says
How would you change this cake to make cupcakes?? I would like to use your cake to do a smash cake for my son and want to make matching cupcakes for guests. 😀
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! All you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks! Is Swiss buttercream stable enough to pipe? I was thinking of piping one big “blob” with a few chocolate chips and a mini cookie on top.
Olivia says
Hi Sara! Yes, it pipes beautifully! Most of the recipes on my site use a SMBC.
Em says
I have made “revision 1 recipe,” twice and it came out perfect both times. This is delicious, not overly sweet and not dry at all. And thank you for introducing me to Swiss Meringue Buttercream. As dramatic as it sounds, it has changed my life.
Olivia says
Hi Em! Thanks for the great feedback, I’m so happy you like it and that you’re as big a fan of SMBC as I am!
Tammy LaValley says
These are in the oven as I type this:) I am curious about your thoughts around using leftover cookie milk to soak layers overnight?
Olivia says
Hi Tammy! I do that as part of the instructions. You can do it when stacking the cake or overnight if you prefer :).
Madison says
Can I freeze the cake ahead of time or refrigerate and then milk soak?
Olivia says
Hi Madison! Yes, that’s totally fine! Soak after thawing.
Sarah says
This looks SO good! I’m planning on making it for my birthday this weekend!
Do you think two 6in wide pans 3in deep would work with this recipe or do you recommend reducing the recipe by 1/3? I only have two pans, eep!
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! I think since you only have the two pans I would leave the recipe as is. They should bake right to the top of them. You’ll need to increase the baking time but otherwise should be totally fine. You could cut each layer in half to make 4 total after. If you don’t want tall layers though then yes, reduce the recipe by 1/3. You can do this by adjusting the Servings to 8.
Trish says
Seriously the best cake I have eaten !! I thought I would want more frosting ( BTW: never made butter cream like that before, will ONLY make it that way from now on! ) but the amount of frosting was perfect. Delicious!! Will absolutely make again!!
Olivia says
Hi Trish! I’m so happy you loved it and that you tried Swiss meringue buttercream for the first time (and loved that too) 🙂
Kari says
I made this cake this weekend. I opted out of the “poke” cake and syrup option. The cake is denser than a box cake, but cake from scratch IS denser than a box cake. I did find that the cake had a good flavor. It was complimented well with the frosting. I really enjoy Swiss/French meringue buttercream. I find it less sweet than typ buttercream and prefer that. This was a good recipe. I did cut the butter down to one cup because it started to outweigh the sweetness. Typ ganache recipe. Also a good compliment to the frosting and cake. Very good overall.
Olivia says
Hi Kari! Thanks so much for the feedback and tips! I’m so glad you liked it and love the buttercream as much as I do 🙂
Wil.E.Jen says
So, I don’t know what I did wrong… I used the 3/4c brown sugar, 3/4c granulated sugar like was mentioned in one of the comments. Only one layer came out okay. The cake is incredibly dense. Additionally, the batter was super thick. Unsure if this is how the cake is supposed to be. Toothpicks came out clean, but the bottom of each layer is very oily and didn’t seem to brown.
I did use the pan wraps for flat cake tops.
At least the buttercream turned out perfectly!
Olivia says
Hi there! Sorry to hear you had trouble with this one. I haven’t done it with half brown sugar myself, but that shouldn’t have a huge impact. The cake being dense could be due to overmixing or using too much flour. Are either of those possibilities? I always recommend spooning and levelling flour rather than scooping it with your measuring up. The batter is somewhat thick, to help the chocolate chips not sink, but if it was overly so maybe it was excess flour? Glad the buttercream worked out!!
Danielle says
Hi
Do you think this cake would be good if I replaced the chocolate chips with oreo pieces??
Olivia says
Hi Danielle! I’ve never tried that but you can give it a shot. Just toss them in a bit of flour first as well.
Jordan says
I’ve used this cake recipe as a base for many different cakes and it’s always a hit! I’m making a cake for a family member who is gluten-free. It’ll be my first time trying to make a gluten-free cake. Have you ever made this recipe using a 1:1 gluten free flour blend?
Olivia says
Hi Jordan! I haven’t used a GF flour blend myself, but this one has been highly recommended: https://amzn.to/2XxhrLs
Syreeta K.D says
I just made this for Thanksgiving dinner. I changed it just a bit by doubling the recipe for 9 inch rounds, putting ganache between the layers, and making a vanilla bean buttercream. I also left off the drizzle as I like chocolate in moderation. Sooooo looking forward to cutting it tonight. The cakes smelled amazing while baking.
Olivia says
I love your alterations, sounds delish! I hope you like it 🙂
Claira says
Rather than egg whites, could I add meringue powder in its place for the buttercream?
Olivia says
Hi Claira! I don’t think meringue powder would work with this exact recipe, but I know there are some Swiss meringue buttercream recipes out there that use it.
Victoria V says
I made this cake exactly as is for my son’s birthday party and it was a HUGE hit! I am going to make it again but would like to make a bigger cake. If I wanted to make a 9 inch cake, would doubling this recipe work? Still bake at 325? Thanks for this lovely cake recipe. I can’t wait to make it again!
Olivia says
Hi Victoria! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html Based on that I think doubling it for three 9″ pans should work. Still the same temp, baking time may differ slightly depending on how much batter is in the pans, but should be fairly close. Let me know how it turns out!
Karin McAleenan says
My daughter wants me to make this cake for her birthday! Can I substitute cake flour for the AP flour? Also you mentioned that you add brown sugar for an ingredient to give it the cookie flavor but I don’t see it on the ingredient list. And then one more question. How would I prepare a milk soak to use instead of the simple syrup? Thank you, I can’t wait to try this cake and many more of your recipes!
Olivia says
Hi Karin! Cake flour should work just fine. Re: the brown sugar, I just checked my recipe notebook and it looks like I didn’t use it after all (but I should have – wth!). I would do 3/4 cup granulated and 3/4 cup brown sugar.
For the milk soak, what I’d do is actually soak some homemade or store bought chocolate chip cookies in it — 1 cup milk and 1 cup roughly chopped cookies. Steep that for 20mins then strain. If you want to enhance the flavour of the cake even more, you can swap the buttermilk in the cake recipe for “cookie milk” too. Come to think of it, I should have done that too!! If you go that route, do 2 cups milk and 2 cups rough chopped cookies, after steeping separate out 1 cup milk for the cake and use the rest as a soak.
I hope that helps. Let me know what you do and how it turns out!
Eve says
Hello Dear Liv
Thanks for sharing your recipe. I would love to try it. I live at sea level in Doha – Qatar and never face issues with recipes from the net but every time I travel back home in Ecuador, South America which is 2800m over sea level then there is always an issue. I just read sometimes reducing sugar or adding fluids and less baking powder can do the trick, but never tried it. For this particular recipe … any advice so I won’t Panic with spilling cakes while being baked ( like two days ago) !!! Or is altitude safe ? Thanks in advance. Looking forward for your reply.
Love, Eve
Olivia says
Hi Eve! There are various adjustments that need to be made for high altitude baking, here’s some info on that: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Likely it might involve some trial and error to see what works best. I haven’t tried this one at high altitude myself. Let me know how it turns out!
Elle says
Used this as the basis of a vegan birthday cake and it was sooooo good and looked so charming! You’re recipes are always so clear and easy to follow – I’ve never been disappointed!!! Thanks for all your hard work!!
Olivia says
Yay! So happy to hear that Elle! Thank you 😀
JK says
Hi Liv – How’d do you get your chocolate chips to show up on the edges of the cake like that? I naked-frosted too but am not seeing those pretty chips (they haven’t sunk to the bottom either). I forgot to flour them first, so maybe that’s it?
Olivia says
Hi JK! Hmm, I’m not totally sure! I did flour them all and made sure they were well incorporated into the batter and it just kinda happened. Try the flour next time 🙂
Kiya says
Hi! I am so excited to make this recipe. Gorgeous post. I am planning on making it for an event tomorrow, and I was hoping to find out if it is still as good the second day, and if you have any tips for keeping it moist and beautiful overnight! Fridge keeps it stable and pretty, but sometimes that can stale it. And with a tall cake like this, I’m not sure how it could be covered… any advice?
Olivia says
Hi Kiya! The fridge does have a tendency to dry cakes out, but if it’s only a day or two it will be totally fine. I would definitely use the simple syrup though and make sure the cake is at room temp before serving. As for storage — do you have a cake carrier? That would be ideal as something airtight since it’s a naked cake. Otherwise I would chill the cake to set everything then lightly wrap it in plastic wrap so the sides don’t dry out.
Bean Bradford says
Hello, I’m wondering that if I were to make these into cupcakes instead, how many would it make? Thank you for the recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Bean! I’ve never made this into cupcakes but I would guess around 18 or so 🙂
Scarlett Medina says
Hey Olivia!
I tried this recipe because it looks amazing, but the cake sunk as soon as I took it out the oven. It baked at 325 for an hour and 10 minutes because it grew so much that it wasn’t fully cooked. Not sure where I went wrong, followed the recipe to the t!
Olivia says
Hi Scarlett! That is super weird! Did you bake it in three 6″ pans??
monika says
How many days in advance can I make this cake?
Olivia says
You can make it a day in advance and store in the fridge. Any longer and the cake will dry out.
monika says
Can you use a hand-held mixer to make the buttercream? I don’t have a stand-mixer 🙁
Olivia says
Hi Monika! You can for sure, just note that you’ll be mixing for a long time for the meringue to whip up and cool completely.
Erin says
I’d love to make this this weekend, but in three eight-inch pans. Would you recommend 1.5 times the recipe or do you think I could get away with 2 and just have a very tall cake?
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Erin! How tall are your 8″ cake pans? Mine are 2″ high, so I would play it safe and 1.5x the recipe. If they’re 3″ high you may be able to double it. Let me know how you like it 🙂
Aisha says
What temperature is your double broiler on when making the meringue?
Olivia says
Hi Aisha! I bring the water up to a boil on High then reduce the heat so it’s barely simmering (med-low) when I place the bowl over top.
Mo says
Hello, this cake look amazing, what of cake pans did you use? I love how tall the cake is
Olivia says
Hi Mo! I use three 6″ cake pans from Fat Daddio’s.
Deanna says
I made this cake for Easter dinner, and my family said it was the best thing I have ever baked 🙂 I thought the 6in pans made the cake a little too wobbly when we cut into it, though, so even though it was beautiful being so tall, I think I’ll do 8 or 9 in pans in the future.
So- the ingredients would be the same for 2 8in pans? And I saw that for 3 9in pans, I’d increase ingredients by 50%? What about 2 9in pans- 25%?
Olivia says
Hi Deanna! So glad you and your family liked this one! Conversions for pan sizes are always so tricky. I try to use this site as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
So, in theory, the current recipe makes about 12 cups of batter (three 6″ pans or two 8″ pans).
For two 9″ pans you would need 16 cups so you should 1.3x the recipe. For ease though, 1.5x should work, just don’t fill the pans more than 2/3rds full or so.
For three 9″ pans you would need 24 cups so you should 2x the recipe.
I *really* hope my math is right there :). I hope that helps!
Taylor says
I want to make this for my birthday guests, any advice for scaling it to 9″
Olivia says
Hi Taylor! I would 1.5x the recipe and use two 9″ cake pans. Be sure to only fill each pan no more than 2/3rds full. I hope that helps!
Heidy says
Please tell me where the cake stand and plates are from please and that they are new! 😩 To die for 😻😻. And thanks for the lovely recipe
Olivia says
Hi Heidy! Unfortunately, they are not new and I got them in a discount housewares store (Homesense) 🙁 I am sure you can find similar online though 🙂
Yo.va.na. says
Liv – this cake was amazing! I made it for my birthday party (along with your Oreo cake) and everyone loved them! This cake was not overly sweet but had good flavor and was just perfect – and super easy to make! I accidentally put a 1/4 extra butter in the cake batter so it was moist enough without the simple syrup, though my edges didn’t come out as clean. Oh well 🙂 thanks for another great recipe (I’ve tried 4 so far!)
Olivia says
Yay! So happy to hear that you liked it – and that you’ve tried 4 recipes so far!! 😀
Delanie says
Where do you use the simple syrup? Did I miss it? I can’t wait to make this yummy cake and I want to do it well. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Delanie! It’s at the bottom of the Cake instructions. I’ve reordered the instructions to be more clear 🙂 I hope you like it!
Kaela says
Hello! This cake looks great. I am considering subbing brown sugar for white to give it more cookie flavor, any scientific reason why I should not do this? What do you think?
Olivia says
Hi Kaela! You mean using all brown sugar or all white? Either would work perfectly fine 🙂 I specifically put in some brown sugar so that the cake would taste more like chocolate chip cookies (I usually only use white sugar in my cakes).
Love says
Hey! I understand the simply sugar is optional but when does one add it if deciding complete that step?
Olivia says
Hi! The directions for that are with the cake portion 🙂
“Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack. Poke holes into the warm cakes and brush with some of the cooled simple syrup. Allow cakes to cool completely.”
Kim says
what if you don’t have a stand mixer, just a regular hand held mixer with no paddle attachments?
Olivia says
Hi Kim! A hand mixer will work ok, it just might be more of a challenge for the buttercream as you’ll need to whip it for a good 5-10mins so that it cools before adding the butter.
Erin Vickers-Huff says
Hi Olivia. I love your blog and just made this cake today. I had trouble with the ganache. This is the second time I have had trouble with the same technique. 🙁 The ganache was not liquid enough to pour. I gently tried to coax it over the sides, but the butter cream started to melt.
Can you make any suggestions? I am using Sharffenberger chocolate and heavy whipping cream. So I don’t think the quality of the chocolate should be an issue?
The ganache on your cakes looks so glossy and liquid. Thanks for any tips you can share!
Olivia says
Hi Erin! That is super weird! The ganache should be very thin when it’s hot and you need to cool it completely before use. If it gets too thick once cooled, you can microwave it for about 10 seconds to loosen it up, but no longer, and make sure it’s cool to the touch before using it on the cake. It sounds like something is off in your measurements if the ganache is hot and still not pourable :\.
Jessi Gordon says
I made this cake in two 8″ pans. It was a big hit! Thanks for the recipe.
Olivia says
Thanks Jessi! Glad to hear you liked it! 🙂
Mark says
Thanks for the recipe. 6″ seems a bit on the small side so I’d like to try this out with 9″ pans. Would it work out and would you suggest any modifications besides adding 50% to the recipes? Also, how would the baking time change? Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Mark! If you use three 9″ pans then I would double the recipe. The baking time *should* be fairly similar. There’s a chance the layers will be a bit thinner due to the size difference though, so I would start checking at 30mins or so 🙂
Jess says
Wow wow wowww. I seen this cake last night, and made it today. It was my first attempt at a layer cake, and it turned out amazing. Thanks for sharing!!!
Olivia says
Hi Jess! That is awesome!! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Emily says
HI! What size cake pans did you use for this recipe?? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Emily! I used three 6″ rounds.
Rosie says
This recipe looked amazing! But I think an ingredient or two is missing from the list. I made the batter as directed, and it was much more of a dough than a batter. More importantly, my cake did not rise AT ALL. It was very dense and small. I tried again and made some modifications. As the recipe currently is listed, you will not get the cake pictured.
Olivia says
Hi Rosie! Sorry to hear this didn’t work out for you. It is definitely a denser cake — more of a pound cake, so the ingredients listed are correct.
Leslie says
This cake did not rise anything like the picture
Olivia says
Hi Leslie! Sorry to hear you had trouble with it. Perhaps your baking powder was expired?
Rebecca Blackwell says
These pictures are making my mouth water. I’ve promised to supply my daughters theater group with bake sale treats, and think I’ll turn this cake into cupcakes for the occasion. It looks like one of those recipes that absolutely everyone will love. Thank you so much for sharing!
Olivia says
Thanks Rebecca!! I hope you like it 😊 Let me know how the cupcakes turn out!
Emily says
Hi Olivia, the cake looks amazing. I’m planning on making it but am worried about it being on the dry side. Would you recommend putting a simple syrup on the cake layers? If so should the syrup be plain or would you recommend any specific flavor? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Emily! It does have more of a pound cakey texture for sure. A plain (or vanilla) simple syrup would help make it more moist. I recommend poking holes in the cake with a skewer as soon as it’s come out of the oven and brushing on the simple syrup then :).
Stacy says
Can this be made a day ahead? Keep covered in fridge or just on counter?
Olivia says
Hi Stacy! Yep, it will keep either way, but I recommend putting it in the fridge overnight and then taking it out 2-3 hours before serving.
Stacy says
It won’t get mushy? Should I do the topping after I take it out of icebox the day of or before I put it in the day before?
Olivia says
The cake should not get mushy at all. And ideally yes, do the ganache after taking it out of the icebox.
Stacy says
Thank you so much!
Faigy says
My buttercream became runny after adding the butter, any idea why that might’ve happened?
Olivia says
Hi Faigy! Was the meringue nice and stiff before you added the butter? And cooled completely? If yes to both of those, then I think you just needed to whip it a bit more. I’ve had this happen to me before, right after adding all the butter — most often it gets curdled looking, but one time it got runny. I freaked out a little bit but decided to just walk away from the mixer and leave it whipping. It came together after a couple of minutes.
Judy says
I followed your recipe.Where is the liquid? Or is the eggs the only liquid?
Olivia says
Hi Judy! This is more of a pound cake type recipe, so eggs are the only liquid.
Samantha says
Is a baking bar suggested? Or could you use dark chocolate chips? I’m making this as we speak as was curious which to use. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Samantha! A baking bar you mean like Bakers Chocolate? Don’t use that (too bitter), but dark chocolate chips should be totally fine! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Sabrina says
great idea, wonderful recipe and beautiful photography! Love this combination of flavors…in a cake! Thank you for sharing this!
Olivia says
Thanks Sabrina! 😊
Holly says
This is the first time I made buttercream with a meringue base and it was delicious!! So light and airy!! I was intimidated at first (I’m usually too impatient for meringues) but I’ll definitely be using this recipe again.
Olivia says
Hi Holly! That buttercream is my favourite, I’m so glad you tried it, and liked it! 🙂
Emily says
I just made this recipe exact. The dough is extremely thick, nothing like ny cake mix I have made before. It was more like cookie dough. It didnt seem nearly enough for 3 6″ rounds either. It is currently in the oven. We will see how it turns out!!
Olivia says
Hi Emily! This is more like a pound cake, so it will be thicker than a normal batter — it shouldn’t have been as thick as cookie dough though! And the layers should bake up to be 1.5″ to 2″ tall. Let me know how it turns out!
Hailey says
This looks absolutely delish! I’m looking to try this out this weekend. Can you share how you get flat surfaces of the cake? It would be great appreciated! Love your blog! 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Hailey! Thank you! I actually have a post with tips on how to bake cakes up flat :):
http://livforcake.com/2014/09/flat-top-cakes.html
Hailey says
Awesome! Thank you so much! 🙂
Hailey Soo says
HI Liv, the tip worked perfectly! I was over the moon to see flat surfaces for the first time! Hahaha. All thanks to you!! xx
Olivia says
Yay!! So glad to hear it. I totally swear by that!!
Faye says
Hi do you think this recipe can be made into cupcakes?
Olivia says
Hi Faye! I don’t see why not!
Jennifer says
Just made this cake and it is delicious! Taste just like what the title says. Milk and cookies! Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe. My family loves it!
Olivia says
Hi Jennifer! Yay! I’m so glad you guys liked it 🙂
Jennifer @ Town and Country Living says
YUM! I found this cake on Pinterest and this is my first visit to your blog. This cake looks amazingly perfect and I can’t wait to try it.
Olivia says
Thanks Jennifer! I hope you like it 🙂
lynn @ the actor's diet says
Love me a drippy ganache cake as well!
Olivia says
It’s the best!! Such an easy way to jazz up a cake 🙂
Jennine says
P.S. What is crumb coat??
Olivia says
It’s a very thin coat of frosting all over to seal in the crumbs 🙂
Jennine says
Omg not a milk or chocolate chip fan lol but I’m going to make this! Your presentation is simply elegant and perfect.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Jennine!! 🙂
Natasha @ Salt & Lavender says
Wow, this cake is gorgeous! I bet it tastes as good as it looks.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Natasha! 🙂
Cathy | whatshouldimakefor.com says
Another stunner! Your cakes always impress and inspire.
Olivia says
Thank you so much Cathy! 🙂
Tara says
I’m with you on the naked slightly nuked cookies. 8 can’t begin to describe my fear of dipping cookies in milk and the cookie breaking…ah.
This cake looks soooo good and I should make it for my
Cookies and milk loving siblings! Thank you!!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Tara! I hope you like it 🙂
sibel says
This looks amazing and so mouthwatering!! Thank you for the post Olivia.
Olivia says
Thank you Sibel! 🙂
Lyca says
Cake was amazing!! But my chocolate chips sank to the bottom and sides. I mixed flour to chips thoroughly and mixed it gently in the batter. What wrong am I doing? Please suggest.
Olivia says
Hi Lyca! I’m so glad you liked this! Weird about the chocolate chips…. did you use mini or regular? If mini the only thing I can think of is that maybe something was off in the measurements or your butter was too warm, or perhaps your oven runs a little hot? :\
Nila @ The Tough Cookie says
Have to make this! I usually have my cookies with a cup of tea, but this cake looks delicious! I’ve been wanting to make a chocolate chip cake, and I think pairing it with a vanilla buttercream is a great idea. Chocolate would probably just overwhelm the chocolate chip cake 😉
Olivia says
Thanks Nila! I hope you like it! 😀
Nila @ The Tough Cookie says
I made it! It was absolutely delicious! I adjusted the recipe a tiny bit (used a milk soak instead of a sugar syrup and used my own recipe for Swiss buttercream) but I loved the flavors together. The cake recipe is awesome! Too bad mine wasn’t as pretty as yours. I guess I have to work on my decorating skills 😉
Olivia says
Ohhh I’m going to need to try a milk soak — been ages since I did one. Good call. And I am certain yours was just as pretty. So glad you liked it! 🙂
Meg | Meg is Well says
I love dunking crunchy cookies into milk but soft cookies need to be kept separate in my opinion! Love how you made a cake out of it and it’s a nice break from the pumpkin (even though I love it).
Olivia says
Thanks so much Meg! And you’re right, crunchy cookies need dunking ;).
Kristen Chidsey says
I love that this cake is not super sweet–I am all about balance in desserts. And your presentation is stunning!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Kristen! 🙂