Obsessed Cakes
Cookie Dough Lava Cake
A three-layer vanilla cake filled with warm chocolate chip cookie dough lava, vanilla buttercream, and soft cookie dough pieces.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Bake
- 22-25 min
- Total
- 2 hr 30 min
- Yield
- One 8-inch three-layer cake
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Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 375 g (about 3 cups + 2 tablespoons) cake flour, sifted
- 8 g (about 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon) cornstarch
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 300 g (about 1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
- 360 g (about 1 1/2 cups) milk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 120 g (about 7 tablespoons + 2 1/2 teaspoons) plain unsweetened yogurt, room temperature
- 240 g (about 1 cup + 1 tablespoon) neutral oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Lava
- 120 g (about 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) light brown sugar, packed
- 40 g (about 3 tablespoons + 3/4 teaspoon) granulated sugar
- 70 g (about 5 tablespoons) butter
- 80 g (about 2/3 cup) all-purpose flour
- 60 g (about 1/4 cup) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 70 g (about 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) mini chocolate chips
- Milk, as needed to loosen
Cookie Dough
- 70 g (about 5 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
- 75 g (about 1/3 cup + 1 teaspoon) light brown sugar, packed
- 35 g (about 2 tablespoons + 2 1/2 teaspoons) granulated sugar
- 120 g (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream, as needed
- 70 g (about 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) mini chocolate chips
Vanilla Buttercream
- 340 g (about 1 1/2 cups) butter, room temperature (3 sticks)
- 520 g (about 4 1/3 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- Up to 100 g (about 6 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) heavy cream, just above room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 335°F (168°C). Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans.
- Make the vanilla cake. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, apple cider vinegar, yogurt, oil, and vanilla bean paste until smooth and emulsified.
- Add the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the tops spring back and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the layers in the pans for 10-15 minutes, then turn them onto wire racks and cool completely. Once fully cool, wrap and refrigerate the layers until assembly.
- Make the cookie dough lava. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until glossy.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour.
- Stream in the heavy cream gradually until the mixture is molten but still thick.
- Stir in the vanilla bean paste and salt. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then continue cooling until close to room temperature.
- Fold in the mini chocolate chips. If the lava thickens more than you want, add milk a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Make the cookie dough. In a bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt, vanilla bean paste, and enough heavy cream to make a soft dough. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Make the buttercream. Beat the butter for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla bean paste. Beat on low until combined, then whip on high until airy.
- Stream in the heavy cream on low until the buttercream is smooth and silky.
- Assemble the cake. Place the first chilled cake layer on a cake board or serving plate. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the top, then pipe a tall buttercream dam around the edge.
- Spoon cookie dough lava inside the dam and scatter pieces of cookie dough over the filling.
- Repeat with the second cake layer, another thin layer of buttercream, a tall dam, cookie dough lava, and cookie dough pieces.
- Top with the final cake layer and coat the cake with vanilla buttercream.
- Finish the cake with more cookie dough lava and cookie dough pieces on top.
- After the cake has been refrigerated, microwave individual slices for about 10 seconds to bring back the soft lava texture.