It’s June, school is out, graduations have commenced, summer vacation has started! For the kids that is. Speaking of graduations, my nephew graduated from middle school! He will be off to high school in the fall! How did this happen so fast, seems like just yesterday he was in diapers! Any who, I was making his graduation cake for him. So, I thought, how about a rich, moist chocolate layer cake with cookie dough chunks baked in and wrapped in a caramel Swiss meringue buttercream and topped with a ganache glaze. Take a breath, yes, the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cake is a mouthful, but what a delicious mouthful it is!
What kid doesn’t love chocolate cake? What kid doesn’t love chocolate chip cookie dough? No kid, or possibly no human for that matter! So why not combine them for the ultimate treat! Not to mention topped off with some cookie dough truffles! 
I remember for my 8th grade graduation we had the whole cap and gown thing. I guess nowadays, a lot of the kids don’t have the get up. My nephew had the gown but no cap? Is it because they are worried about them throwing them in the air and causing someone to lose an eye or cap fights? Reminds me of one of those old John Cusack movies from the 80’s, I think it was One Crazy Summer, they graduated high school and threw their caps in the air and then they cut to a poor soul impaled in the back with the deadly cap! Ha-ha, that must be their thinking behind it. Hopefully he’ll get the full ensemble in high school, danger of impalement and all. It’s a right of passage. Not the impalement, but the cap.
Any who, back to this delicious, decadent, darling, divine…can’t think of any more D descriptors cake! The cake part is a moist, somewhat dense, rich crumb, oozing with chocolate flavor. The cookie dough balls were a recipe from the cooking channel cookie dough truffles, super simple and delicious. Then my all time favorite buttercream is the Swiss meringue buttercream. It is so light and smooth and creamy, which goes perfectly with chocolate cake. Then to make things even more over the top, I literally poured ganache over the top of the entire cake. Be sure when you do this that you have the cake on an 8-inch round cake board with no over-hang. Then make sure you have a sheet pan under an upside-down bowl that you can place the cake on. That way all the ganache will drip off onto the sheet pan and not your counter. I may or may not have made a big mess.
What you are left with is this triple layer beauty with all flavors, textures and components working harmoniously to give you that perfect bite!
I hope you will give this lovely a try for your next celebration! Birthday, graduation, shower, Friday…you name it. You won’t be sorry!
Enjoy!
Diane
- Cookie dough truffles
- Cake:
- 2 cups ap flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ¾ Dutch processed cocoa powder
- ¾ cup butter room temp
- ¼ brown rice syrup
- 4 eggs room temp
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup buttermilk room temp
- ¼ mascarpone
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
- 1 cup whole milk room temp
- 1tsp instant espresso
- Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 7 egg whites
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- 4½ sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temp
- ⅓ cup + 2 to 3 tbsp. salted caramel sauce
- Ganache:
- 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate bar
- 4 oz. dark chocolate bar
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- Make the cookie dough and roll into small rounds. Place in the freezer as you prepare the cake.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line three 8-inch round cake with parchment rounds and spray with non-stick baking spray.
- In a medium bowl combine the flower, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder, espresso and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine, the milk, buttermilk and vanilla extract and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy about 3 minutes.
- Slowly add the sugar and beat to combine, about five minutes. Scrap down side of bowl as needed.
- Add the mascarpone then add the brown rice syrup and combine until incorporated.
- Next add the eggs one at a time and beat until fully combined.
- Add one third of the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Next add half of the liquid mixture and beat until combined.
- Add another third of the dry and beat until combined.
- Next pour in the rest of the liquid and beat until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Fill each cake pans equally with batter. Equally distribute the cookie dough balls in the batter in each of the cake pans.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out with an only a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool in pan on wire rack for about 5 minutes then turn out to cool completely on rack.
- For the ganache:
- Chop the chocolate into pieces and place in heat proof bowl.
- Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer, don't let it boil. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Gently whisk the chocolate cream mixture, starting from the center out until the chocolate is completely melted. Allow to cool at room temp.
- For the buttercream:
- Separate whites from yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Pour sugar and salt in the bowl of stand mixer with the egg whites.
- Place bowl over, not touching, a pot with simmering water.
- Whisk constantly until sugar has completely dissolved around 160 degrees. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can tell it’s done when you rub a little of the mixture between your fingers and it is completely smooth with no graininess. Should take about 10 minutes.
- Then return bowl to stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Begin beating the eggs and sugar until whites are glossy and stiff peaks have formed. The bowl should be cool to the touch, this will take around 10 minutes.
- Next switch to the paddle attachment and beat on medium high speed.
- Add the butter slowly one piece at a time to incorporate. The mixture will look like it’s curdled, keep mixing, that is normal. Mix until frosting is smooth and shiny.
- Add in the vanilla extract and salted caramel and mix to combine.
- Ice the cake with the buttercream, placing about a cup in between each cake layer. Frost sides and top of cake with a crumb coat. Place in fridge for about 10 minutes. Continue to frost cake to get a smooth completely covered layer of frosting.
- Place a bowl turned upside down over a baking sheet. Place cake on top of the bowl so the cake hangs over. Pour the ganache over the cake and allow to cover and drip down the entire cake. Allow ganache to set for about 10 minutes.
- Store cake covered at room temp for one day or covered in the fridge for up to 3. Serve at room temp.
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