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Studded with white chocolate chips and topped with a velvety cream cheese frosting, this soft and chewy Red Velvet Cookie Cake is a gorgeous treat that no one can resist!
If you’re a fan of red velvet flavor, then you know that it’s so much more than just chocolate with red food coloring. It’s a decadent, tangy delight all its own. If that’s news to you, this easy cookie recipe is here to show you what red velvet is all about.
The dense, soft and chewy cookie is full of classic red velvet tang, and the cream cheese frosting complements it perfectly. With chunks of white chocolate in every bite, you won’t be able to put your fork down until your plate is empty! This quintessential treat is guaranteed to turn any non-believer into a red velvet fanatic as soon as they take their first taste.
A cookie cake is basically just a giant cookie that’s cut and served like a cake. It bakes inside of a circular cake pan and typically includes a ring of frosting on top. Not any cookie can be turned into a cookie cake – you need a recipe like this one that ensures the cookie won’t over-bake on the outside or under-bake on the inside or fall too much in the middle and crack all over. This indulgent red velvet version has the ultimate cookie texture through and through!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This cookie cake is made up of kitchen staples that you likely have stocked in your pantry and fridge. Let’s dive in!
For the Cookie Cake
- All-Purpose Flour: It’s always best to measure with a food scale.
- Baking Soda: Not baking powder.
- Cocoa Powder: I like to use just a tablespoon so the red velvet flavor really shines through, but you can add some extra cocoa powder if you prefer a more chocolatey taste.
- Salt: This enhances the other flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: Brought to room temperature.
- Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Vinegar: This gives the cookie its tangy red velvet flavor – it will not make it taste like vinegar!
- Red Food Coloring: You can leave this out if you’d like, but I like to add it to enhance the red color of my cake.
- White Chocolate Chips: These could be left out, but I love the flavor and texture they add.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese: At room temperature.
- Butter: Also at room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar: For volume and consistency.
- Vanilla Extract
- Sprinkles: To decorate the cake.
The recipe for this red velvet cookie cake really couldn’t be simpler. You don’t even have to chill the dough!
Make the Cake
- Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place parchment paper in the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan and grease the sides.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set the mixture aside.
- Beat Butter & Sugar: Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Egg: Add the egg and mix until well combined.
- Add Vanilla, Vinegar & Food Coloring: Add the vanilla extract, vinegar and red food coloring and mix until well combined.
- Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the combined wet ingredients and mix just until well combined.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Stir in the white chocolate chips. If desired, set some aside to press into the top of the cookie dough once it’s in the pan.
- Bake: Press the dough evenly into the prepared cake pan and bake the cake for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center looks just matte.
- Let Cool: Remove your cookie cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the cake pan, then transfer it to a serving plate.
Make the Frosting
- Beat Cream Cheese & Butter: Beat the cream cheese with the butter until the mixture is smooth.
- Start Adding Powdered Sugar: Slowly add 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Add Vanilla: Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Finish Adding Powdered Sugar: Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Pipe Onto Cake: Pipe the frosting onto the outer edge of the cookie cake and add some sprinkles, if desired. Store the cake in an airtight container until you’re ready to cut and serve it.
Tips for Success
The tips and tricks below will come in handy when you’re making this cookie cake. Don’t forget to check them out before you get started!
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Be sure to let your butter come to room temperature before you use it in the cookie batter. Otherwise, your ingredients won’t combine properly. The same goes for the butter and the cream cheese in the frosting.
- Don’t Over-Mix the Dough: Over-mixed cookie dough makes for a less soft and chewy end result. As soon as the wet and dry ingredient mixtures are well combined, fold in the white chocolate chips.
- Use an Offset Spatula to Fill the Cake Pan: This cookie dough can be a little sticky, so I like to use my offset spatula to press it into the cake pan and smooth it out.
- Let the Cookie Cake Cool Before Adding Frosting: You don’t want to pipe on your frosting until the cookie cake has cooled completely. If the cake is still warm, it can melt the frosting.
Variation Ideas
Feel free to alter this recipe according to your cookie cake desires. Here are some yummy variations to try!
- Use Different Chocolate Chips: Not everyone is a fan of white chocolate, and this cookie cake also tastes great with milk, dark or semisweet chocolate chips. Use what you’re craving!
- Make Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting: Want to add chocolate to your cream cheese frosting? Simply mix in 1/4 cup of natural, unsweetened cocoa powder when you add the vanilla extract.
- Make a Heart-Shaped Cake for Valentine’s Day: The red color of this cake lends itself perfectly to Valentine’s Day. It’s even more festive if you bake it in a heart-shaped cake pan!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Because of the cream cheese frosting, this cookie cake should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. You could also keep it in the freezer if you’d like to store it for longer.
It’s best to freeze the frosting separately from the cake. Once the cake has cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in a large freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. The frosting can be frozen in a freezer bag with all of the air squeezed out for up to 3 months. Thaw out the cake and the frosting before assembling and serving your dessert.
Print
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes
- Yield: 10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
It’s time to give your go-to red velvet cookie recipe a rest – there’s a new chief in town! Studded with white chocolate chips and topped with a velvety cream cheese frosting, this soft and chewy Red Velvet Cookie Cake is a gorgeous goodie that no one can resist.
Ingredients
For the Red Velvet Cookie Cake
- 2 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp (309g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp red food coloring (less than 1 ounce)
- 1 cup (169g) white chocolate chips
For the Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (230g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper in the bottom of a 9 inch cake pan and grease the sides.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and mix until well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract, vinegar and red food color and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix just until well combined.
- Stir in the white chocolate chips. Keep some aside to press into the top of the cookie once in the pan, if desired.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared cake pan. It can be a little sticky so I use my offset spatula to press it in and smooth it.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are set and the center looks just matte.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the cake pan, then transfer to serving plate.
Make the Frosting
- To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Slowly add 1 cup of powdered sugar. Mix until combined.
- Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Pipe the frosting onto the edges of the cookie cake and add some sprinkles, if desired, then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Notes
- Makes 8-10 servings.
- To Store: Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days with frosting or up to a week without frosting.
- To Freeze: Once cake has cooled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Freeze frosting in a freezer bag with all the air squeezed out for up to 1 month. Thaw out cake and frosting before assembling and serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 567
- Sugar: 54.1 g
- Sodium: 330.6 mg
- Fat: 27.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 76.5 g
- Protein: 5.5 g
- Cholesterol: 79.4 mg
More Must-Make Red Velvet Cookie Recipes
If you love this cookie cake, you’re sure to enjoy the following red velvet cookies just as much. I know I do!
I made this for my husband’s birthday and everyone loved it. I did need to bake mine a little longer to get the center to look matte. I even impressed myself with the finished product. It’s delicious but rich so don’t cut your slices too large.
Good morning.
I am going to make the red velvet cookie cake for my daughter…for vinegar should you use white vinegar or apple cider or does it matter? Thanks
I use white vinegar.
I love love love all your amazing recipes! Thank you! I am wanting to make a cheesecake with a red velvet base/crust. Would this red velvet cookie cake be a good choice? Or would your red velvet cheesecake swirl brownies be a better, and replace the cheesecake swirl with white chocolate chips? Any other suggestions? Thanks so much!!
Are you looking for a thick bottom layer or something thin like a crust? I’m thinking the brownie might be nice because it would be softer if you want it thick. You could even use a cake layer. But if you want something thin like a more typical crust, then you could use the cookie cake. I just might cut the recipe in half so it’s not so thick.
I make your Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake (double recipe in a 12″ cake pan, bake 25 minutes) and it is always a hit. I have a request for a 12″ Red Velvet Cookie Cake, but it seems to be a lot more batter, even more so when doubled. I haven’t made the 9″ recipe so I was wondering, is the Red Velvet a thicker cookie?
Gosh, I’ve never made those 2 side by side, but judging from the pictures, it does look like this one is a little thicker.
I will definitely make this for Valentine’s day! I want to make chocolate frosting instead vanilla frosting. So, how much tbsp for cocoa to put in?
I’d add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder.
Absolutely delicious! I made this for my husband’s 37th birthday and it was a hit.
Minor adjustments:
1. I added an extra tbsp of cocoa powder which made it quite chocolatey but still dark red. I’ll probably do 1.5 tbsps next time.
2. I did half and half white choc chips with semi sweet.
3. I accidentally put in about 2 tbsps shy of 1/2 a cup of butter instead of 3/4 of a cup and it came out SO gooey. You definitely don’t need the extra butter, but make sure you cream it like crazy.
Hi Lindsay, I made this cookie cake today but it turned out higher and more cakey in texture than expected. I used a 22cm (about 8.66″) pan. It looked great before baking, but it rose quite a lot in the oven. Could this perhaps be the flour I’m using?
I might have made a mistake when translating the ingredients (I’m in Europe). I used self-raising flour, which I thought was the same as all-purpose. Well, it’s not. After a quick google search that seems to be the problem.
Gonna try it again soon with the right type, so I can try your recipe the way it was intended. After 12+ years of baking experience I still make mistakes, haha.
Also, props to you for including metric measurements, really helpful!
Self rising flour is definitely not the same thing and it is most likely the reason your cake rose more than it should. Self rising flour already has leavening in it, which makes your cake rise. Which means you added twice the amount of leaving you needed if you added additional leavening per the recipe. Hence a cake that rose more than you expected. I hope that helps and that it works out better the second time.
Am looking forward to baking this this weekend, but only have 8″ or 10″ pan. Which do you think would be the best choice without sacrificing the texture of the cake/cookie? Thanks in advance!
The cookie will either be a little thicker or thinner. Either way would work, you’ll just need to adjust the baking time.
Hi Lindsay, thank you again for another beautiful, reliable recipe! I was hoping to make individual cookie cakes from this recipe, but was wondering if the batter could be shaped and baked as individual cookies or whether it would spread too much and needs to be ‘contained’ and baked in a pan? Keen to get your opinion. With thanks, from Perth, Western Australia.
Glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t tried baking them that way but I’m guessing they will spread. One thing you could try is baking them in a regular cake pan and using a cookie cutter to cut it into the shapes you want.
Hi! Should I use 293g or 309g flour?
It should be 309g. Sorry!! It’s updated.
Hi! I made the cookie cake yesterday (heart shaped for Valentine’s Day) and I absolutely LOVE it! It’s so delicious and buttery, the texture is perfect and I can’t help but go back for more and more and more!! Thank you so much for this incredible recipe. I’m gonna use it as a base for other cookie cake experiments 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks. Wonderful recipe
This looks good not sure about the cream cheese frosting cuz don’t like it but will make stuff with it for dessert for people
I see in the instructions that when mixing the ingredients that it calling for cornstarch but I don’t see cornstarch in the ingredients list! How much does it call for?
There’s no cornstarch. I’ve removed it from the instructions. Thank you!