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A Birthday Cake Cookie Cake is a fun and festive way to celebrate—because who doesn’t love a giant, sprinkle-filled sugar cookie? It’s soft, chewy, and bakes up golden and delicious. Plus, it’s easy to make at home and cheaper than buying a giant cookie cake, making it the perfect treat to slice and share for any special occasion!

If you’re ready to keep the baking going, be sure to check out my other dessert recipes like, Sugar Cookie Bars, M&M Peanut Butter Cookie Cake, and Lofthouse Style Frosted Sugar Cookies.

slice of cookie cake with ice cream and a candle

A cookie cake is basically a giant cookie baked in a round pan, topped with frosting and sprinkles, and sliced like a cake. They became popular in the 1980s, thanks to cookie shops like Great American Cookies, offering a fun twist on birthday cakes and party treats.

  • Fun & Festive – Packed with colorful sprinkles, this cookie cake is a party on a plate!
  • Soft & Chewy – Perfectly crisp edges with a soft, buttery center in every bite.
  • Easy to Make – No rolling or chilling dough—just mix, spread, and bake!
  • Feeds a Crowd – One giant cookie means plenty to go around.
  • Customizable – Swap sprinkles and frosting for different holidays and occasions!

Don’t think you have to limit a giant cookie cake to birthdays!!  How fun would it be to use red, white, and blue sprinkles for Memorial Day or 4th of July parties?  School colors for end of the year class parties, red and green sprinkles for Christmas, Blue or pink sprinkles for a baby shower…..the possibilities are endless.  Everyone loves cookie cakes!

SUGAR COOKIE CAKE full of sprinkles!

For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  • unsalted butter
  • granulated sugar
  • large egg + egg yolk – room temp will mix more evenly into the butter and sugar
  • Milk – room temp
  • vanilla extract
  • butter extract – adds flavor without the fat
  • all-purpose flour – use a kitchen scale to measure accurately (or spoon and level)
  • baking powder
  • corn starch
  • salt
  • rainbow sprinkles
  • white chocolate chips

for Buttercream Frosting:

  • unsalted butter, softened
  • powdered sugar
  • vanilla extract
  • heavy whipping cream
  • salt
  • rainbow sprinkles for garnish

After the cookie cake is baked and cooled, you can decorate with a simple buttercream frosting and more sprinkles!! Thanks to all of the sprinkles you don’t need to decorate the cookie cake with a bunch frosting or need any fancy skills, and it’s just FUN = Funfetti!

Making a funfetti cookie cake is as fun as it looks—mix, bake, and watch those sprinkles turn into a party in every slice!

birthday cookie cake on a plate with a scoop of ice cream and a candle

When you are making this recipe, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

  • Prep: Preheat oven and grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
  • Mix: Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, then mix in egg, egg yolk, milk, and extracts. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients, then slowly mix them into the wet ingredients. Fold in sprinkles and white chocolate chips.
  • Press & Bake: Press dough into the pan and bake until the edges are lightly golden. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting:

  • Beat butter until fluffy, then mix in vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar, whipping cream, and salt, beating until light and fluffy. Adjust consistency as needed.
  • Decorate: Pipe frosting as desired and add extra sprinkles—because more sprinkles are always better!

How To Get This Look:

For this piping look, using a 5M tip and a piping bag with frosting, pipe frosting around the edge of the cookie. Hold the tip straight over the cake, squeeze out frosting until you have enough, release, then move and squeeze again as you go around the cookie cake. To write “Happy Birthday” (or whatever you like), I used a 1M tip. Add sprinkles right away. Easy peasy!

Storage Tips

A cookie cake does not need to be refrigerated. It will stay fresh for 2-3 days at room temperature when covered. If you’re making it a day or two in advance, it’s best to refrigerate the frosting and bring it to room temperature before decorating on the day you’re serving. For optimal taste and freshness, I recommend enjoying your treat the day it’s made!

This giant cookie cake freezes well. Hold off on the frosting, wrap the cooled cookie in plastic wrap and foil (or airtight container), and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then frost before serving.

cookie cake with lots of sprinkles on a party table

Recipe Tips

  • Grease the baking pan well to help the cake come out in one piece. Or, cut a piece of parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan.
  • For best results eggs and milk should be room temperature.
  • Don’t overbake your birthday cake cookie cake. You’re aiming for a lightly browned top that still looks slightly underbaked.
  • Let the cookie cake cool completely in the pan. Loosen the edges with a knife, place a platter on top, and flip it out. If you used parchment, it should come out easily. Flip it again, then decorate however you like!

You will LOVE the look on their faces when you bake them a big birthday cake cookie cake.  Imagine their surprise if you serve this cookie cake with a Birthday Cake Martini

Happy Birthday cookie cake with sprinkles
What is a birthday cake cookie cake?

A cookie cake is a giant, cookie usually baked in a round pan and decorated like a cake. It has the soft, chewy texture of a cookie but is served in slices, making it perfect for birthdays, parties, or any celebration.

Is this a cake or a cookie?

It might be called a cookie cake, but it’s really just a giant cookie dressed up with frosting and sprinkles, then sliced like a cake. Call it what you want—it’s pure deliciousness!

What if I don’t have a 9-inch cookie pan?

No 9-inch round cookie pan? No worries! You can use a 9-inch round cake pan, 8 or 9 inch square cake pans, a cast iron skillet, or even a pizza pan. Just make sure to grease it well, and keep an eye on the baking time—different pans might bake a little faster or slower.

slice of cookie cake with ice cream and a candle

Birthday Sugar Cookie Cake

Yield: one 9-inch cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes
Chill time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 38 minutes

Birthday Sugar Cookie Cake from scratch. No cake mix, and lots of sprinkles, just like a funfetti cake!

Ingredients

for Sugar Cookie Cake

  • ½ cup butter
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 1 Tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
  • ¼ teaspoon butter extract
  • 1½ cups of flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½+ cup rainbow sprinkles
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips

for Buttercream Frosting:

  • ½ cup softened butter, unsalted
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • pinch of salt
  • rainbow sprinkles for garnish

Instructions

For Cookie Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x2-inch round cake pan. 
  2. Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3–5 minutes). Mix in the egg, egg yolk, milk, and extracts until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until just combined. Fold in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips.
  4. Press the dough evenly into the pan.
  5. Bake in the center of the oven for 23–25 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the cookie cool completely in the pan.
  6. Remove the cooled cookie from the pan and decorate with frosting.

For Buttercream Frosting:

  1. Beat the butter with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla.
  2. With the mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the whipping cream and salt, then beat on medium-high for 3–5 minutes until light and fluffy. Adjust consistency by adding more cream if too thick or more sugar if too thin.
  3. Decorate as desired! I used a piping bag with a Wilton #5 tip to write "Happy Birthday" and a Wilton 1M tip for the edges. Finish with extra sprinkles—because there’s no such thing as too many!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 407Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 173mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 0gSugar: 37gProtein: 3g

Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used and are just estimates. We encourage, especially if these numbers are important to you, to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

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© TidyMom
Cuisine: American / Category: Dessert Recipes

 Originally posted in July 14, 2015. Updated with more information and pictures.

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