Candy Corn Cookie Cake

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This Candy Corn Cookie Cake is perfect for a Halloween party or for baking with your kids. It’s easy to make, festive and full of rich chocolate and chewy candy corn!

Why You’ll Love This Candy Corn Cookie Cake

Candy corn is one of the many fun flavors of fall that I look forward to every year. It’s tasty and festive and this cookie cake is full of them! Here are a few more reasons to love this cookie cake.

• Rich chocolate cookie cake. The cookie cake itself is made of a moist, chewy and chocolatey cookie. It’s also filled with chocolate chips!
• Easy to make. If you’re looking for a fun treat to make with the kids or just a quick sugar fix, this is the cookie cake for you! It’s made with basic pantry ingredients and ready in less than an hour.
• Festive. This cookie cake literally screams Halloween. There’s a fantastic contrast between the almost black cookie and the classic colors of candy corn. It’s the perfect cake for Halloween gatherings!

What You’ll Need

You’ll likely have most of what you need to make this cake on hand. Check out these ingredient tips before heading to the store. Full ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Chocolate Cookie Cake

• All-purpose flour. Make sure to measure the flour properly. Adding too much flour will make your cookie cake dry and dense.
• Cocoa powder. To flavor the cookie cake, use natural unsweetened cocoa powder. If you’d like a richer, darker cake, you can also use Dutch process cocoa powder.
• Baking soda. For leavening and and a tender texture.
• Unsalted butter and salt. I like to control the amount of salt when I’m baking. For this recipe I used room temperature, unsalted butter and added salt. If you don’t have unsalted butter, leave out the extra salt.
• Light brown sugar. For sweetness and added moisture. You’ll want to pack the light brown sugar when you measure it.
• Sugar
• Egg. Make sure to use a large egg, not medium or extra large.
• Vanilla extract
• Chocolate chips. I used semi-sweet chocolate but milk chocolate chips or even chocolate chunks would also be fine.
• Candy corn. Use any brand or color combination of candy corn you like best.

Vanilla Buttercream and Toppings

• Unsalted butter. Use room temperature butter to make the buttercream. It will be much easier to blend together.
• Powdered sugar. To sweeten, thicken and add volume to the buttercream.
• Vanilla extract
• Heavy whipping cream. Helps to thin the buttercream to the right consistency. Also adds a little creaminess.
• Gel icing color. I made a two-tone frosting for this cookie cake. For this, you’ll need yellow and orange gel icing color.

How to Make Candy Corn Chocolate Cookie Cake

I bet you’re excited to get started! Read through these step-by-step directions and photos for a quick overview of the recipe. More comprehensive directions can be found in the recipe card below.

Make the Chocolate Cookie Cake

• Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place parchment paper on the bottom of the cake pan and spray the sides with baking spray.
• Mix wet ingredients. Add the butter and sugars to a mixing bowl and cream for about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract.

• Finish dough. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and beat just until combined.
• Fold in mix-ins. Fold the chocolate chips and candy corn into the thick dough.
• Bake. Spread the dough in the prepared cake pan and press a few more chocolate chips and candy corn into the top of the cookie cake. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
• Cool. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the cake pan. Once entirely cool, transfer the cake to a serving plate.

Make the Vanilla Buttercream and Finish the Cake

• Make the frosting. Beat the butter until smooth. Slowly mix in about half of the powdered sugar then mix in the vanilla extract and a tablespoon of heavy cream. Add the rest of the powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and well combined. If needed, add some additional heavy cream to get the right consistency.
• Color buttercream. Divide the buttercream into two bowls. Color one orange and the other yellow.
• Prepare two-toned frosting. Lay a piece of clear wrap out on the counter. Put each color of frosting in a Ziplock bag and trim off one corner of the bag. Pipe each frosting color in a thick line side-by-side on the clear wrap. Fold the clear wrap over the frosting, forming a long plastic-wrapped log of frosting. Twist both ends closed and trim off one end so that the frosting is right at the edge.
• Finish cake. Put the open end of the log into a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe swirls of frosting around the edge of the cake and decorate with additional candy corn and chocolate chips.

Tips for Success

• Measure flour carefully. Too much flour will result in a dry cookie cake. To measure accurately, I recommend using a food scale, but you can also use the spoon and level method if you don’t have one. Read more about measuring flour accurately here.
• Don’t skimp on creaming time. When creaming together the butter and sugars, do so until the mixture has significantly lightened in color and become fluffy. This process incorporates air into the dough which helps prevent an overly dense cookie cake.
• Don’t over-mix. When adding the dry ingredients and the mix-ins into the dough, mix just until everything is incorporated. Over-mixing can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop resulting in a tough, dense cookie cake.
• Don’t over bake. It should still look a little undone in the center and be a little jiggly. As it cools, it’ll continue to firm up, ensuring a soft and chewy cookie with the perfect texture.
• Cool completely before removing from pan. When the cookie cake is done baking, you’ll want to let it cool COMPLETELY in the pan. Removing it from the pan while it’s hot or warm will result in a broken cookie.
• Make a different size. This recipe works well in a 9 or 10-inch cake pan. A 10-inch cake would just be a little thinner and bake for slightly less time.

Storage Information

• Refrigerate. Store cookie cake in an airtight container. Because of the buttercream, it should be refrigerated after about 48 hours and is best eaten within 3-4 days. Serve at room temperature.
• Make ahead. It holds up well for 3-4 days, so you could certainly make it a day or two ahead.
• Freezer. If freezing the full cookie, I’d leave off the frosting and add it just before serving. Wrap it well in a double layer of plastic wrap (you could also add a layer of aluminum foil, for extra protection) and freeze. Thaw it in the fridge when you’re ready to enjoy and add your toppings just before serving. If freezing slices, wrap each slice individually, or place them in an air-tight container and freeze. Again, thaw in the fridge before using. Cookie cake should freeze well for up to 3 months.

More Halloween Recipes

• Halloween Monster Cookies
• Spooky Halloween Marble Cake
• Candy Corn Icebox Cake
• Easy Mummy Rice Krispie Treats
• Mini Candy Corn Cheesecakes
• Bat Oreo Cookie Balls

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Enjoy!