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Sugar cookie sprinkle cake on a white cake stand, with colorful birthday candles and dancing ballerinas.

High Altitude Frosted Sugar Cookie Cake

Heather Smoke
This frosted sugar cookie cake features a layer of soft, frosted, bakery sugar cookies, sandwiched between two layers of fluffy vanilla cake, covered in pink vanilla buttercream and rainbow sprinkles.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings16

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment (for the buttercream)
  • 9 Inch Round Cake Pan (x2)

Ingredients
 

Cake

  • 3 cups cake flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ + ⅛ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 9 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup whole milk, room temperature
  • ¾ cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 6 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream and Cookie Layer

  • 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp meringue powder, optional
  • ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 7 frosted bakery sugar cookies (3-inch diameter)
  • rainbow sprinkles

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray, and line the pans with circles of parchment paper.
  • In large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  • Separately, whisk together the melted butter, milk, sour cream, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until well combined, about 10-15 seconds. Divide the batter between the cake pans.
  • Bake the cakes for about 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the tops spring back when gently touched.
  • Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream

  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter for one minute, until smooth.
  • In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the sugar mixture by spoonfuls, then add the vanilla. To color your buttercream a vivid pink, add several drops of "electric pink" or "super red" gel food coloring.
  • Increase the speed to medium and whip the buttercream for 4-5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl several times, until very light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to "stir", and mix for one more minute.

Assembly

  • Place one of the cooled cake layers on a cake plate or serving pedestal. Frost the cake with a layer of buttercream.
  • Arrange the cookies over the buttercream. I left the cookies whole, since they're soft and easy to slice through, but you could also crumble them.
  • Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the cookies, to fill in the gaps between the cookies, and to help adhere the top layer of cake.
  • Place the second layer of cake on top, and frost the cake all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream. Refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat, then frost the cake all over with a final coat of buttercream.
  • Before the buttercream crusts over, scatter rainbow sprinkles over the sides and top of the cake.

Notes

Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Keyword Cookie Cake, Frosted Cookies, High Altitude, Sprinkle Cake, Sugar Cookies
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