This pretty Christmas cookie cake recipe is perfect for the Holiday season. It consists of a large and delicious cookie decorated with an edible buttercream wreath.
This Christmas cookie cake, or Holiday Wreath Cake, will make your kids happy! I mean, really - a huge cookie adorned with colorful buttercream and lots of sugar sprinkles!
Check out more Christmas bakes, such as the Non-Alcoholic Christmas Fruit Cake or the Gingerbread Cookies without Molasses.
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What do you need?
- Chocolate chips: Regular semi-sweet chocolate chips are perfectly fine. This time, I had caramel chocolate chips, and they were delicious as well. Try these Chocolate Chip and White Chocolate Chip Cookies, too.
- Extras for decoration:
- Green and red gel food coloring: I use Wilton Icing Colors (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab); a tiny amount is sufficient, so use it carefully.
- Holiday sprinkles: anything you like. I had white and silver sugar pearls in three different sizes. I left out the golden stars seen in the image of the ingredients; I thought they would be overkill.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make a Christmas cookie cake?
Make the cookie dough:
- Step #1: Cream butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.
- Step #2: Continue to beat with the mixer for about 1 minute.
- Step #3: Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add to the wet ingredients, then mix slowly until incorporated.
- Step #4: Fold in ยพ of the chocolate chips using a spoon.
- Step #5: Transfer the soft dough to the prepared cake pan and sprinkle it with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Step #6: Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.
Make the buttercream:
- Sift the icing sugar in a bowl, set it aside, and whip the softened butter in a separate bowl. Add the sifted sugar in three batches and color the buttercream red and green.
- Decorate the cake with buttercream and sprinkles.
Good to know!
Gel food coloring is stronger than liquid or powdered types. You'll likely find it in bigger supermarkets or online. Use it sparingly - just a bit on a toothpick added to the buttercream. Always use a clean toothpick and handle with care to avoid staining your hands or fabrics.
Piping: You can decorate the cake using two small one-way piping bags. If you don't have star nozzles, any other nozzle will work fine. For the berries, use a plain nozzle to create round shapes.
Recipe FAQ
If you want to make a sugar cookie cake for any other occasion, you can use other colors for the buttercream and sprinkle it with confetti sprinkles. For cocoa buttercream, replace 2 tablespoons of the icing sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days, covered or wrapped in plastic wrap to avoid the frosting from developing a crust. But if it does develop a crust, it's not a major issue; you will still like it.
Freezer: I am not keen on freezing it once baked and decorated. You can freeze the dough, though.
Make the dough and freeze the dough in an airtight container. Defrost in the fridge, press into the springform and bake.
You can also make the buttercream ahead and freeze it in airtight containers. Defrost in the fridge as well and let it soften slightly at room temperature until it is pipable.
More Christmas desserts
Recipe
Christmas Cookie Cake Recipe
Equipment
- springform 10 inch/ 24-25 cm
- Two piping bags
- Two star nozzle, one small, one a bit larger
Ingredients
Cookie cake:
- 1 stick unsalted butter 115 g, softened
- ยฝ cup white sugar 100 g
- โ cup brown sugar 60 g
- 2 eggs large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 g
- ยผ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ยพ teaspoon baking soda
- ยพ cup chocolate chips 100 g, Note 2, divided
Frosting:
- โ cup unsalted butter โ cup, 150 g, softened
- 1ยฝ cup icing sugar 150 g, sifted
- green gel coloring Note 3
- red gel coloring
Decoration:
- holiday sprinkles of choice Note 4
Instructions
Cookie cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/ 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease the bottom of the springform and line it with parchment paper.
- Wet ingredients: In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes.1 stick unsalted butter / 115 g + ยฝ cup white sugar/ 100 g + โ cup brown sugar / 60 g
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Add vanilla. Continue to beat with the mixer for about 1 minute.2 eggs + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Make the cookie dough: In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to your first bowl, then mix slowly until incorporated. Fold in ยพ of the chocolate chips using a spoon. Transfer the dough to the prepared springform. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips.2 cups all-purpose flour / 240 g + ยผ teaspoon fine sea salt + ยพ teaspoon baking soda + ยพ cup chocolate chips/ 100 g
- Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned.
- Cool: Remove the cake from the oven, place on a wire rack and let cool completely in the springform.
Frosting:
- Whip the softened butter until light and fluffy.โ cup unsalted butter / 150 g
- Sift the icing sugar in a bowl. 1ยฝ cup icing sugar / 150 g
- Add icing sugar in three batches, mixing well after each batch. Scrape the walls of the bowl a couple of times in between and whip until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Red buttercream: Remove 2 tablespoons of the buttercream and place them into a smaller bowl. Color this portion with red food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag with a small star nozzle.green gel coloring + red gel coloring
- Green buttercream: Color the rest of the buttercream with green food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag with a larger star nozzle.
Decorate:
- Wreath: Pipe the green buttercream all around the edge of the cake to make the wreath. Pipe some more in the center of the cake. Pipe the red berries on the wreath.
- Sprinkle the cake with sugar pearls.holiday sprinkles of choice
Notes
- Measurements: Always use a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) in baking; it guarantees the best results.
- Chocolate chips: I had caramel chocolate chips, but semi-sweet chocolate chips are perfectly ok.
- I use Wilton Icing Colors (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab). They are very potent; a tiny amount will be enough. Stir well and add a little more if you want a more vivid color.
- Decoration: I used white and silver sugar pearls in three different sizes.
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