Ultimate Sugar Cookie Layer Cake with Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting: Your Go-To Celebration Dessert
Imagine sinking your teeth into the softest, most buttery sugar cookies, perfectly baked and generously layered with fluffy, sweet vanilla buttercream frosting. This isn’t just a dream; it’s exactly what this incredible sugar cookie cake delivers! It’s an irresistibly fun and surprisingly simple treat, ideally suited for any and every celebration, from birthdays to holidays, or simply for making an ordinary day feel extraordinary.
There’s something truly special about indulging in a homemade dessert that evokes childhood memories and brings smiles all around. While a traditional birthday cake holds a special place in my heart, I recently found myself craving the comforting familiarity of a classic sugar cookie, piled high with rich, creamy frosting. That’s when inspiration struck: why not combine the best of both worlds? The result is this magnificent sugar cookie layer cake – a delightful fusion that offers the festive presence of a grand layer cake with the beloved flavor and tender texture of your favorite sugar cookies.
This recipe transforms simple ingredients into a show-stopping dessert that’s both impressive to look at and incredibly satisfying to eat. Forget the hassle of intricate cake decorating or delicate handling; this sugar cookie cake is robust, forgiving, and an absolute joy to assemble. It’s designed for ease without compromising on flavor or that ‘wow’ factor. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting your culinary journey, you’ll find this recipe straightforward and incredibly rewarding.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookie Layer Cake
- Ingredients You’ll Need for the Perfect Cookie Cake
- How to Make a Delicious Sugar Cookie Layer Cake
- Expert Baking and Decorating Tips
- Creative Variations for Your Sugar Cookie Cake
- More Irresistible Sugar Cookie Recipes
- Get This Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookie Layer Cake
- It’s a Refreshing and Fun Twist on Tradition: Move over, classic sponge cakes! This sugar cookie layer cake offers a delightful departure from typical celebratory desserts. It combines the familiar comfort of a soft-baked sugar cookie with the grandeur and festive presentation of a stacked cake. It’s a guaranteed conversation starter and a unique centerpiece for any party, perfect for impressing guests with something truly different yet universally loved.
- All Your Frosted Sugar Cookie Dreams Come True, in Cake Form: Imagine the tender, slightly chewy texture of your favorite frosted sugar cookies, but scaled up into generous, impressive layers. This cake delivers that exact experience, offering rich buttery flavor in every bite, beautifully complemented by sweet, airy vanilla buttercream. It’s like eating the best-frosted sugar cookie you’ve ever had, but magnified into a truly indulgent dessert.
- Surprisingly Simpler Than Traditional Layer Cakes: Don’t be intimidated by the ‘layer cake’ in the name. This sugar cookie cake is genuinely easier to make than most traditional flour-based layer cakes. The cookie dough is more forgiving to handle and bake, requiring less precision than delicate cake batters. The layers are sturdy, making stacking and frosting a breeze, even for beginners. You get all the visual appeal with significantly less stress!
- Versatile Baking Options for Your Convenience: Whether you prefer a dramatic, taller dessert or a more substantial single layer, this recipe adapts to your needs. You can bake it as an impressive 8-inch layered cookie cake, creating two thick, tender cookie rounds. Alternatively, for an even quicker and simpler approach, bake it as a single, thicker 9-inch cookie cake. Both options yield delicious results, allowing you to choose what best fits your occasion and baking comfort level.
- Perfect for Any Celebration: From festive birthday parties to cozy family gatherings, or even as a cheerful treat for a potluck, this sugar cookie layer cake fits right in. Its cheerful appearance and universally loved flavors make it a crowd-pleaser that appeals to all ages. It’s a dessert that not only tastes good but also brings joy and a sense of playful celebration.
Ingredients You’ll Need for the Perfect Cookie Cake
Crafting this delightful sugar cookie layer cake requires a few pantry staples, but paying attention to their quality and preparation is key to achieving that signature soft, buttery texture and rich flavor. Below is a detailed look at the components for both the cookie layers and the irresistible buttercream frosting.
Key Ingredients for the Cookie Layers:
- Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature): The foundation of any good cookie. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content. Ensuring it’s at room temperature is crucial for proper creaming with sugar, leading to a light and fluffy dough.
- Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps create that desirable crisp-chewy edge while keeping the interior soft.
- Large Eggs: Act as a binder, adding moisture and richness, and contributing to the structure of the cookies. Always use eggs at room temperature for better emulsification.
- Vanilla Extract: Essential for that classic, comforting sugar cookie flavor. Use good quality pure vanilla extract for the best taste.
- All-Purpose Flour: The primary dry ingredient. Proper measurement is critical (see baking tip below!) to avoid dry, crumbly cookies.
- Cornstarch: A secret weapon for extra soft and tender cookies! It helps to inhibit gluten development, resulting in a more delicate texture.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the other flavors in the cookies.
- Baking Soda & Cream of Tartar: These two work in tandem as leavening agents. Baking soda reacts with the cream of tartar (an acid) to create carbon dioxide, which gives the cookies a slight lift and contributes to their characteristic chewiness and softness. Do not skip the cream of tartar for the signature soft texture!
For the Fluffy Buttercream Frosting:
- Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature): Again, room temperature is vital for whipping into a light, airy consistency.
- Powdered Sugar (Sifted): Provides sweetness and structure to the frosting. Sifting is non-negotiable for a silky-smooth, lump-free buttercream.
- Vanilla Extract: Gives the buttercream its classic, delicious flavor.
- Almond Extract (Optional): A small touch of almond extract can elevate the flavor profile, adding a subtle depth that pairs beautifully with vanilla and the sugar cookie base.
- Heavy Cream: Adds richness and helps achieve the perfect creamy, pipeable consistency. You might need slightly more or less depending on desired thickness.
- Pinch of Salt: Just like in the cookies, salt in the frosting helps to cut through the sweetness and enhance the overall flavor.
- Sprinkles (Optional): For that extra festive touch! Choose colors and shapes to match your celebration.
Essential Baking Equipment:
Having the right tools can make your baking experience smoother and more enjoyable. For this sugar cookie layer cake, you’ll benefit from:
- Electric Mixer: A stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer is indispensable for creaming butter and sugar, and for whipping the buttercream to perfection.
- 8-inch Round Cake Pans: Two pans are needed for the layered version of the cookie cake. Ensure they are the correct size for even baking.
- Parchment Paper: Crucial for lining the bottoms of your cake pans to prevent sticking and ensure easy removal of the baked cookie layers.
- Rubber Spatula: For scraping down the sides of the bowl and gently folding ingredients.
- Wire Cooling Rack: Essential for cooling the baked cookie layers completely, preventing condensation and ensuring a perfect texture.
- Piping Decorator Set (Optional): If you plan to add decorative swirls or borders to your cake, a piping bag and your favorite tips will come in handy.
- Kitchen Scale: Highly recommended for precise flour measurement, as detailed in our baking tip below.
How to Make a Delicious Sugar Cookie Layer Cake
Creating this stunning sugar cookie layer cake is a process that’s both enjoyable and rewarding. Follow these detailed steps to ensure your cake turns out perfectly soft, flavorful, and beautifully frosted.
- Prepare the Soft Sugar Cookie Dough:
Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C) and preparing two 8-inch round cake pans. Lightly grease them and line the bottoms with parchment paper; this step is crucial for easy release later. In a medium bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients: the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set this aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. You want the mixture to be light, fluffy, and pale in color. This creaming process incorporates air, which is essential for a tender cookie. Add the large eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract. Finally, gradually add the dry flour mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; overmixing can develop too much gluten, resulting in tough cookies. The dough will be thick, as expected for sugar cookies.
- Bake the Giant Cookie Layers:
Once your dough is ready, divide it evenly between the two prepared 8-inch cake pans. A cookie scoop can help ensure even portions, or you can eyeball it. Using greased fingers or even the butter wrapper (a clever trick!), gently press the dough into an even layer, making sure it reaches the edges of the pan. This ensures uniform thickness and even baking. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center looks puffed and set. It’s absolutely critical not to overbake these cookies! Overbaking will lead to dry, crumbly layers, losing that signature soft texture we’re aiming for. Once baked, let the cookie layers cool in their pans for about 10 minutes before carefully inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely. They must be completely cool before frosting to prevent the buttercream from melting.
- Prepare the Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
While your cookie layers are cooling, it’s time to whip up the star frosting! In the clean bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened unsalted butter on medium speed until it’s light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, optional almond extract, and a pinch of salt. Start on low speed to avoid a sugar cloud, then increase to medium-high and beat for 3-4 minutes. Continue beating until the frosting is incredibly light, fluffy, and smooth. The longer you beat, the more air is incorporated, resulting in a wonderfully airy texture. Taste and adjust sweetness or flavor if needed.
- Frost and Decorate Your Masterpiece:
Once both cookie layers are completely cool, it’s time for assembly! Place one cookie layer onto your chosen serving plate or cake stand. Spread about one-third to one-half of the vanilla buttercream evenly over the top of this layer. Gently place the second cookie layer on top. Now, use the remaining frosting to cover the entire cake. You can spread it smoothly for a rustic look or use a piping bag with your favorite tip to create beautiful swirls, rosettes, or borders. This is where your creativity shines! Finally, generously scatter colorful sprinkles over the top and sides of the cake for that festive, celebratory finish. The more sprinkles, the better!
- Enjoy and Store Properly:
This sugar cookie layer cake is best enjoyed within 1-2 days of baking. The cookie layers are at their softest and most moist on the day it’s baked, though it remains delicious for a few days. Store the cake at room temperature, ensuring it’s covered tightly with plastic wrap or kept in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out. While it can be refrigerated, bringing it back to room temperature before serving will restore its optimal soft texture and flavor. Slice, serve, and savor every delightful bite!
baking tip:The Importance of Accurate Flour Measurement
Achieving the perfect texture in baked goods, especially delicate cookies and cakes, often hinges on one crucial detail: how you measure your flour. Too much flour is a common culprit behind dry, dense, or crumbly results. Flour, by its nature, compacts over time in its bag or container, meaning that simply scooping it directly with a measuring cup can lead to significantly more flour than the recipe calls for, sometimes by as much as 20-30%!
For the most consistent and best results, especially with a recipe like this sugar cookie cake where softness is key, a kitchen scale is your best friend. Weighing flour in grams is the most accurate method. If you don’t have a scale, the “spoon and sweep” method is the next best thing:
- First, use a spoon or whisk to gently fluff the flour inside its bag or container. This aerates it and loosens any compaction.
- Then, spoon the fluffed flour into your dry measuring cup until it’s overflowing. Do not pack it down or tap the cup.
- Finally, use a flat edge, like the back of a knife or your finger, to sweep away the excess flour from the top of the measuring cup, ensuring a level measure.
This method helps ensure you’re getting the right amount of flour, contributing directly to the soft, tender texture of your sugar cookie layers. For more detailed information and visual guides, check out my full tutorial on How to Measure Flour.
Additional Baking Tips for Success:
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Always ensure your butter and eggs are at proper room temperature. This allows them to cream together effectively, creating a smooth emulsion that traps air, leading to a lighter, more uniform dough and frosting.
- Don’t Overmix: After adding the dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops gluten, which can make your cookie layers tough instead of tender.
- Parchment Paper is Your Friend: Lining your cake pans with parchment paper on the bottom, in addition to greasing the sides, guarantees your cookie layers won’t stick and will release cleanly.
- Cool Completely: Resist the urge to frost warm cookie layers. Warm cookies will melt your buttercream, leading to a messy, unattractive cake. Patience here is key!
- Cornstarch and Cream of Tartar are Non-Negotiable: These ingredients are crucial for achieving the signature soft, slightly chewy texture of these sugar cookies. They prevent them from becoming too crisp or dry.
Creative Variations for Your Sugar Cookie Cake
One of the joys of this sugar cookie layer cake recipe is its incredible adaptability. While the classic vanilla on vanilla is a showstopper, don’t hesitate to experiment and customize it to suit different tastes, holidays, or themes. Here are some ideas to spark your creativity:
- Theme Your Cake for Any Occasion: This sugar cookie cake is a blank canvas for celebration!
- Holiday Fun: For Christmas, tint the frosting red or green, and use festive sprinkles or crushed candy canes. For Easter, use pastel food coloring and top with mini chocolate eggs. For Valentine’s Day, pink frosting and heart-shaped sprinkles are perfect.
- Birthday Extravaganza: Match the frosting and sprinkles to the birthday person’s favorite colors or party theme. Edible glitter or personalized cookie toppers can add an extra special touch.
- Seasonal Delights: Consider adding a touch of lemon zest to the cookie dough for spring, or a hint of pumpkin spice for autumn.
- Explore Different Frosting Flavors: While vanilla buttercream is universally loved, a change of frosting can completely transform the cake’s character.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: For a tangy, rich counterpoint to the sweet cookies, consider a luscious cream cheese frosting. Its slight tartness can balance the sweetness beautifully.
- Chocolate Buttercream: Indulge chocolate lovers with my easy fudge buttercream frosting. This creates a decadent flavor combination that’s hard to resist.
- Fruit-Flavored Frostings: Add pureed berries (like raspberries or strawberries) or citrus zest (lemon, orange, lime) to your vanilla buttercream for a fruity twist.
- Nut Butter Frosting: Peanut butter or almond butter buttercream could offer a unique, nutty flavor dimension.
- Single-Layer Convenience: For an easier-to-manage dessert that’s still incredibly delicious, bake this cake in a single 9-inch cake pan.
- The cookie will be wonderfully thicker and chewier, creating a satisfying, substantial slice.
- It’s faster to bake and decorate, as you only have one layer to contend with. Simply follow the recipe instructions for the dough, but adjust the bake time to 25-37 minutes for the single, thicker layer. Remember to check for golden edges and a set center.
- Cookie Dough Flavor Boosts:
- Add a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest to the cookie dough for a bright, citrusy note.
- Mix in mini chocolate chips or sprinkles directly into the dough for a fun “funfetti” cookie base.
- Toppings Beyond Sprinkles:
- Fresh berries, edible flowers, or chocolate shavings can add elegance.
- Crushed candies, chopped nuts, or toasted coconut flakes can add texture and flavor.
No matter how you choose to customize it, this sugar cookie layer cake is bound to be a memorable and much-loved dessert!
More Irresistible Sugar Cookie Recipes
If you’re a fan of the classic sugar cookie and want to explore more delightful variations, here are a couple of other fantastic recipes that celebrate this beloved treat. Each offers a unique spin while retaining the charm of a homemade sugar cookie.
Get This Recipe
Sugar Cookie Layer Cake
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Ingredients
For the cookie layers:
- 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
For the buttercream frosting:
- 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 4 cups (454 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- ¼ cup (56 grams) heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
- Sprinkles (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
To make the sugar cookie layers:
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. This ensures your cookie layers won’t stick and are easy to remove.
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In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Whisk these dry ingredients together thoroughly and set aside.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the room temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, which usually takes about 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition to fully incorporate. Stir in the vanilla extract. Finally, add the prepared flour mixture in 2 additions, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough to keep the cookies tender.
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Divide the thick cookie dough evenly between the two prepared pans. You can use a cookie scoop for precision. Then, using greased fingers or a butter wrapper, press the dough firmly and evenly into an even layer that reaches the edges of the pans.
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Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is puffed and set. Crucially, do not overbake; this will result in dry cookie layers. Let the cookies cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This cooling period in the pan helps them firm up before handling.
To make the frosting:
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the room temperature butter, sifted powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, optional almond extract, and a pinch of salt. Start on low speed to combine the ingredients, then increase speed to high and beat for about 3-4 minutes until the frosting is very light, fluffy, and smooth.
To assemble cake:
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Place one completely cooled sugar cookie layer on your chosen plate or cake stand. Cover it with approximately ⅓ to ½ of the fluffy buttercream frosting, spreading it into an even layer. Gently top with the second cookie layer. Use the remaining frosting to cover the entire cake, decorating as desired with a spatula or a piping bag and tip. Finish with a generous scattering of sprinkles for a festive look.
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The sugar cookie cake is truly best on the day it’s baked, offering the softest and most moist texture. However, it will keep well at room temperature for a few days if covered tightly with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container to prevent drying.
Notes
- Single-Layer Option: For a thicker, equally delicious, and easier-to-decorate cookie cake, you can bake this recipe in a single 9-inch cake pan instead of two 8-inch pans. Follow the recipe as written for the dough preparation, but adjust the bake time to 25-37 minutes. The center should be puffed and set, and the edges lightly golden.
- Accurate Flour Measurement is Key: To ensure soft, tender cookie layers and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly, it is absolutely essential to measure your flour correctly. Utilize a digital kitchen scale for the most accurate results, or strictly follow the “spoon and level” method described in the “Expert Baking and Decorating Tips” section above.
- Don’t Skip Cornstarch and Cream of Tartar: These two ingredients are critical for the desired texture of these sugar cookies. They work in harmony to keep the cookies exceptionally moist, soft, and provide a slight chewiness. Omitting them will significantly alter the final texture, potentially making your cookies too crisp or dense.
- Recipe Evolution: This recipe has been carefully refined and updated from its original 2015 version. Significant changes were made to optimize the ratio of cookie to frosting, enhance the overall flavor, and dramatically improve the softness and delightful texture of the sugar cookie layers. We believe this updated version truly delivers the ultimate sugar cookie layer cake experience.