This gluten-free cookie cake is perfect for birthdays and celebrations! With a soft, chocolatey center, crisp edges, and piped buttercream on top, it’s as beautiful as it is delicious. Finish with sprinkles to make it extra festive.
I will never grow out of my love for this childhood classic! Crispy golden brown edges, loads of chocolate chips, and homemade buttercream topped with colorful sprinkles.
This gluten-free cookie cake recipe is a winner. It's loaded with chocolate, because I don't mess around. And it's absolutely delicious!
If you let it cool properly, it firms up and works great as a handheld treat. Or if you like it warm and melty, that's cool too.
(If you're more into regular-sized cookies, I hear ya. Try my amazing gluten-free brown butter chocolate chip cookies instead!)
Key Ingredients
For the cookie cake:
- Unsalted butter - I use unsalted butter in all my baked goods. Both unsalted or salted works fine, but I like to control the amount of salt. If you use salted butter, omit the salt from this recipe.
- Brown sugar - The molasses in the brown sugar reacts with the baking soda to create rise while it bakes. It also makes the cookie chewy and adds flavor in the best way possible.
- Gluten free all purpose flour - Gluten-free all-purpose flour is a blend of flours, starches, and xanthan gum designed to replicate regular flour and be used as a direct substitute. My favorite brand is Bob's Red Mill's 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour and it's the one I use for most of my recipes. Each brand uses different ingredients and ratios, which can affect the texture and flavor. For best results, choose a blend you trust and enjoy, or the one I recommend.
- Baking soda - To help the cookies rise
- Kosher salt - I always use kosher or sea salt in all my recipes. If you use table salt be sure to half the amount of salt.
- Chocolate Chips - I like a lot of chocolate chips in my cookies and/or cookie cake. If you prefer less you can add ¾ cup instead of a whole cup.
For the buttercream frosting:
- Butter - Make sure the butter is room temperature so it whips up nicely. If you pull it straight from the refrigerator you can microwave it a few seconds to soften it. It's better if it's a little too cold than too soft and melty. Keep this in mind as you microwave it and only do it for a few seconds at a time.
- Powdered sugar - Sweetens the frosting
- Vanilla - Adds vanilla flavor to it
How To Make The Cookie Cake
Before you start, preheat the oven and prepare your pan.
Spray the cake pan with nonstick spray. Cut out a parchment round slightly smaller than the pan and place it in the bottom then spray again. This will make it so the cookie will easily come out of the pan. I do this for cakes as well. It's worth the extra effort.
- Cream the butter and both sugars. Beat it until the butter looks lighter and fluffier in texture!
- Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the dry ingredients. Sometimes I will measure them in a bowl first and stir with a fork then add to the mixer. This just means the baking soda and salt are evenly dispersed throughout and won't get stuck in one part of the cookie dough
- Add the chocolate chips. Turn the mixer on low. Let it go until all the chocolate chips are evenly mixed in.
- Spread in the pan and bake. Use a spatula to scrape the cookie dough into the cake pan and use a spatula to spread it around evenly. Bake for 22 minutes.
How do I remove the cookie cake from the pan?
You may wonder "How am I ever going to get this gluten-free cookie out of this pan without it breaking?". It's actually quite simple.
Let the big cookie cool until it's only slightly warm. Place a large flat cutting board over the top of the cake pan.
While holding the cake pan and the cutting board together flip them over. Remove the cake pan. Now you will have a cookie cake on a cutting board that's upside down.
Place the plate or serving platter you're using on top of the upside down cookie. The bottom of the plate should be facing you. Carefully hold the cutting board and plate together then flip one more time.
You should have a gluten free cookie cake on a plate, ready to frost.
If you prefer to skip this step you can just wait for it to cool inside the pan and then frost it in the pan then slice and serve!
Tips & Substitutions
- Wait until the cookie is completely cool before you frost it. Butter is the main component of buttercream which means if you put it on a hot cookie it will turn into buttercream soup!
- Don't try to remove the cookie while it's hot. A hot cookie hasn't set up yet and will fall apart on you if you try to remove it. It will set up as it cools!
- Make sure you use a gluten free all purpose flour that contains xanthan gum. If you decide to try this recipe with a different brand than Bob's, just make sure you use one that contains xanthan gum. It provides structure and binding in gluten free baked goods.
- Only use as much icing as you like. I used less than half of the below recipe. I like the buttercream on the edges and that's all. If you like more than go ahead and add more. Remember though you don't have to use all the buttercream!
How Do I Decorate it?
The short answer is however you want to! If you want to just spread some icing on there with a spatula, go for it. If you want to go straight up Martha Stewart on this cookie cake, that's great too!
You can find all the supplies you need including piping bags and tips at your local craft store. I prefer to use disposable piping bags because the reusable ones are a hassle to clean.
Honestly even if you're piping is less than desirable once you add lots of colorful sprinkles it will look amazing!
Other Gluten Free Cookie Recipes You Might Like
- Gluten Free Funfetti Sugar Cookies
- Gluten Free M&M Cookies
- Gluten Free Cowboy Cookies
- Gluten Free Snowball Cookies
- Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies
Gluten Free Cookie Cake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with the Paddle Attachment
- 8 inch cake pan
- Medium sized bowl
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Parchment paper
- Piping bag with tips (optional for decorating)
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, unsalted & room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg, large
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free All Purpose Flour or a gluten free all purpose flour that contains xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
For the buttercream:
- ½ cup butter, unsalted & room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8 inch cake pan with nonstick spray then set aside. Cut a circle out of parchment paper slightly smaller than the inside of the pan. Set it in the bottom of the pan and spray with nonstick spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy - about 5 minutes. Add the egg and beat again until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a small whisk or fork then pour the flour mixture into the butter/egg mixture and beat until well combined.
- Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough and turn the mixer on low until the chips are evenly dispersed throughout the batter.
- Scrape the batter into the greased cake pan and spread evenly throughout the pan. Bake for 22 minutes. Let the cookie cool completely before removing or frosting.
- To remove the cookie from the pan: Let the big cookie cool until it's only slightly warm. Place a large flat cutting board over the top of the cake pan.
- While holding the cake pan and the cutting board together flip them over. Remove the cake pan. Now you will have a cookie cake on a cutting board that's upside down.
- Place whatever plate or serving platter you're using on top of the upside down cookie. The bottom of the plate should be facing you. Carefully hold the cutting board and plate together then flip one more time.
For the buttercream:
- Cream the butter and ½ cup of the powdered sugar for 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add 1 ¼ cup more of powdered sugar, the heavy cream, vanilla, and a pinch of kosher salt. Beat for 3 more minutes on medium speed. Stop the mixer halfway through and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything gets incorporated.
- Scrape the buttercream into a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled cookie cake. You don't have to use all of the buttercream on the cake! I typically use half of this recipe and place the rest in the fridge for another use.
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