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A homemade giant Sugar Cookie Cake for Easter- this easy sugar cookie recipe is filled with spring M&Ms and sprinkles and baked in a cake pan. Make an easy frosting and you have the perfect spring cookie cake!
BEST Easy Sugar Cookie Cake
This is such an easy sugar cookie recipe. There’s no chilling and it’s made all in one bowl. You can frost it or leave it plain, your choice. Use ANY color candy and sprinkles for ANY holiday or even birthdays – it’s the perfect birthday cake for cookie lovers!
Other than carrot cake, coconut cream pie and brunch, I don’t make that much in the way of typical “Easter” food, probably because we don’t celebrate past the Easter Bunny and his egg hunt. But I love cute Easter desserts and I especially love using all the fun holiday candies and sprinkles.
Then I remembered how much I love sugar cookies, and how much I absolutely love sugar cookies with M&Ms inside. Adding the sprinkles to this Easter sugar cookie cake was just a bonus: An EASTER Sugar Cookie Cake that’s perfect for the kid’s bunny party or a family potluck, or even Easter brunch.
Ingredients in Sugar Cookie Dough
- Butter: Be sure to use a good quality butter, like Challenge. Lower quality products can change the result of your cookie cake.
- Cream of Tartar: Instead of baking powder, I add a bit of cream of tartar with the baking soda to make this soft and chewy, just how I like my cookies to be.
- M&Ms and Sprinkles: Pastel colors are perfect for Easter, but you can use any colors for any time of year or any celebration.
- Frosting: I love using a smaller batch of my vanilla buttercream recipe for the top or you can use a can of frosting, chocolate frosting, or skip it.
How to make a Sugar Cookie Cake
- Cream room temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar together in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add egg, vanilla extract, baking soda, and cream of tartar and mix on medium speed until combined.
- Mix in flour until cookie dough forms.
- Add your candy and pastel rainbow sprinkles.
- There isn’t even any rolling or scooping, because it’s a cookie cake; simply press it into a 9-inch cake pan and bake until slightly golden. I line my pan with foil but you can also use parchment paper.
- Once it cools, you can even add a frosting, or leave it plain. I’ve included a frosting recipe using butter and confectioners’ sugar, but if you’re in a rush, just use a can of icing. To decorate the edges as shown, use a large open star piping tip (Wilton 1M or Ateco 849).
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- I love using good quality butter for sugar cookies. After all, it’s a primary ingredient!
- It’s important to use a 9-inch pan (an 8-inch will be too small for it to bake properly).
- Add 1/2 tsp almond extract for even more flavor.
- Did you know – if your frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salt to temper the sweetness.
- Don’t over bake this cookie cake – it tastes better when it’s not quite done out of the oven.
- Store cookie cake loosely covered at room temperature. You can make this ahead up to 24 hours and store in the refrigerator.
FAQs
This bakes in about 19-25 minutes. I don’t like over baking because I want it soft and it’ll finish baking and set as it cools. But if you want it crunchier you can bake longer.
It’s done when it’s a light golden around the edges and no longer glossy on top.
Freeze the cake for up to 2 months, whole or as slices, in an airtight container.
Sugar Cookie Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cookie Cake:
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted Challenge butter , softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 cups (248g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (220g) M&Ms Use spring colored M&Ms
- ½ cup (78g) Easter sprinkles
For the frosting:
- 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups (170g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons (15ml) heavy whipping cream or milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9” round cake pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the cookie cake: Beat butter and sugar with a hand or a stand mixer until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, then mix in baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. Slowly mix in flour. Stir in M&Ms and sprinkles.
- Press batter into prepared pan, pressing more M&Ms onto the top as desired. Bake for 19-22 minutes or until the edges are just turning a light golden brown. It’s better to under bake this dough than over bake it. The cake will continue cooking a bit as it cools so err on the side of underdone for the best tasting cookie. Let it cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: beat butter until smooth, then slowly beat in powdered sugar until crumbly. Add salt and vanilla, then add 1 teaspoon of heavy whipping cream. Beat until smooth, adding another teaspoon of heavy whipping cream to get a spreadable texture.
- To frost: use a 1M tip and a ziplock or piping bag to decorate the cookie cake. Top with more sprinkles and M&Ms.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Store loosely covered for up to 2 days.
- Cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Works with any color M&Ms and any color sprinkles!
- Add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for more flavor.
- These can also be baked in a 9×13-inch pan for sugar cookie bars.
Recipe Nutrition
Variations
- Chocolate buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting would be good on this too!
- You can make this for any holiday by swapping out the candy and sprinkles. I’ve made it for 4th of July too!
- Skip the candy and use chocolate chips or white chocolate chips.
- Did you know you can make a layer cake with a cookie cake?
can I leave cream of tartar out of sugar cake
No; it is important for the texture and rise.
Oh my goodness! This looks amazing! I have a rather large group for Easter, do you think there is a way to make it work with a 9 x 13 pan?
Yes you totally can. Same recipe, just check after about 18 minutes of cooking time.
You’re a fabulous photographer! And Omgosh brilliant Easter dessert idea! I could eat the whole thing I bet! :0)
Love the pan idea. When I have tried, many, many times, to make cut out sugar cookies, I end up with blobs no matter how many of my friends show me who can make those gorgeous Christmas cut out ones. Cut out sugar cookies and me just are not friends. I was excited to see this post because I can make this! My son loves the bunny butt cakes and this would be a fun canvas to make a little bunny butt scene on with him. 🙂 Plus it has M&M’s which he LOVES, well those and Cadbury Mini Eggs. Win, Win all around for me! Thank you!
I don’t want to sound critical, but your first ingredient appears to be missing the word “butter”.
This is coming from someone who must follow a recipe to a “T”, so forgive me. I just want to make sure the recipe is accurate before I attempt it. : )
Thanks for letting me know! Not sure how I forgot the most important word, lol!
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