A light and super moist cake featuring a delicious combination of cookie butter and spices. Topped with a smooth & creamy Biscoff Swiss meringue buttercream, this cake is a cookie butter lover’s dream!
It’s officially the day after Thanksgiving, which means I can now wish you a Merry Christmas! Gah, that feels good. Christmas music is playing in my home, we’re going to get the tree after the babies wake up from their naps, and I’m breaking out the Spode Christmas China later this afternoon. Full of cheer over here, y’all.
And to kick off the Christmas baking season, I’m bringing you a cake that will make all your yuletide dreams come true. Cookie Butter Cake with a Biscoff Swiss meringue buttercream. Oh. My. Stars.
Everyone knows what cookie butter is, right? Cookie butter is a sweet, creamy spread made from pulverized spiced cookies. It’s flavor is reminiscent of gingerbread, which makes it great for holiday baking. If you’ve never tried cookie butter, I implore (yes, implore) you, to get to your grocery store and buy some. Put it on graham crackers, apples, waffles, an empty spoon, your finger, or better yet, put it in cake batter. Then bake that cake and cover that cake with cookie butter-infused buttercream.
And then die a little because you’ve tasted heaven.
Am I being dramatic? Maybe. But this cake is just so good. And it has all the warm flavors of Christmas to make you feel all cozy inside.
This cake perfectly balances a light crumb but maintains a really moist texture. It’s velvety soft thanks to the use of butter, cookie butter, and vegetable oil. The cookie butter in the cake batter flavors the cake beautifully, but I added some extra cinnamon and nutmeg to really amp up the warm & cozy factor. I put cookie butter in the Swiss meringue buttercream, too, just to drive home that cookie butter flavor. I’m tell you guys, there’s no such thing as too much cookie butter. The buttercream is smooth, silky, and a perfect pairing with this cake!
Alright, let’s get to baking! Grab someone you love & make this cake together. Merry Christmas, friends!
What you’ll need to bake this cake:
Butter: For flavor, moisture, and richness.
Cookie butter: For that wonderful cookie butter flavor! Be sure to use creamy, not crunchy, cookie butter.
Vegetable oil: Using vegetable oil in this cake keeps it extra moist. Vegetable oil stays liquid at room temperature, which is why this cake stays moist long after it comes out of the oven!
Sugar: Gives the cake flavor and a tender crumb.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture to the cake. The molasses in the brown sugar complements the flavor of the cookie butter and spices.
Eggs: For structure and moisture.
Sour cream: Sour cream adds moisture & richness due to its high fat content, making for a super moist cake. Also, the acidity of the sour cream helps create a tender crumb. Be sure to use full-fat sour cream!
Vanilla: For added flavor.
Flour: For structure.
Baking soda & baking powder: For leavening.
Kosher salt: To balance out all the sweetness. TIP: While I recommend using kosher salt, if you don’t have it on hand, use ½ the amount of table salt.
Ground cinnamon & nutmeg: The added spices in this cake enhance the flavor of the cookie butter.
Whole buttermilk: Like the sour cream, buttermilk brings moisture to the cake, and the acidity of the buttermilk creates a tender crumb.
Egg whites, sugar, kosher salt, butter, vanilla, and creamy cookie butter for the Swiss meringue buttercream.
FAQs:
Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!
Can I use crunchy cookie butter? I recommend using creamy cookie butter in this recipe to keep the cake nice & soft.
Why do my ingredients need to be room temperature? Baking is a science, so yes, there is a reason for this! When the ingredients are at room temperature, this allows the batter to come together seamlessly into a smooth, homogenous, velvety mixture. This ultimately results in a lighter, more tender crumb. Cold ingredients will make your batter lumpy and irregular, resulting in a dense, potentially tough cake.
What if I don’t have buttermilk on hand? No problem. You can easily make buttermilk at home! For every 1 cup of whole milk, add 1 tablespoon of either white distilled vinegar or lemon juice, and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. The milk will curdle, but that’s a good thing.
A few notes before you bake:
How to decorate this cake? You can keep things easy by simply stacking and frosting with the Swiss meringue buttercream, or you can play around with some fun decorations! Here are some ideas:
- Sprinkle the top and/or edges of the cake with crushed up Biscoff cookies
- Decorate with chocolate sprinkles or chocolate shavings
- Get fancy and pipe some extra buttercream around the top and/or bottom of the cake
- Make some pretty chocolate designs (I made Christmas trees!) with tempered chocolate
Cookie Butter Cake with Biscoff Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Yield: 1, 9″ two-layer cake 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
A light and super moist cake featuring a delicious combination of cookie butter and spices. Topped with a smooth & creamy Biscoff Swiss meringue buttercream, this cake is a cookie butter lover’s dream!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 56 gm (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened*
- 60 gm (1/4 cup) creamy cookie butter
- 112 gm (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
- 200 gm (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 120 gm (1/2 cup packed) light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 120 gm (1/2 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 281 gm (2 1/4 cups, spoon & leveled) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 240 gm (1 cup) whole buttermilk, at room temperature
For the Swiss meringue buttercream:
- 4 large egg whites
- 200 gm (1 cup) granulated sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
- 226 gm (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 180 gm (3/4 cup) creamy cookie butter
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9″ cake pans with baking spray and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and cookie butter on medium speed until fully combined and creamy.
- Add vegetable oil, sugar, and brown sugar, and mix on medium speed until combined and light in color, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in eggs, one at a time, making sure that each is incorporated into the batter before adding the next. Mix in sour cream and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk to the batter, mixing on low speed until just incorporated after each addition. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 32-38 minutes, until the tops of the cakes spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Frost and assemble once cakes have cooled completely.
For the Swiss meringue buttercream:
- Combine egg whites, sugar, and kosher salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (make sure that the water does not touch the bowl). Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the temperature reaches 160°F, about 7-9 minutes.
- Carefully transfer egg white mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until light and fluffy, 6-7 minutes.
- Reduce speed to medium-low. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, making sure each portion of butter is incorporated before adding the next. Once all the butter has been incorporated, increase mixer to high speed & whip for 7 minutes. Add vanilla and cookie butter and mix on high speed until fully combined.
- Switch to paddle attachment and beat on low speed for 1 minute to remove excess air.
Notes
*Softened butter: The right consistency for softened butter is soft, but still firm. When you press your finger into the butter, it should leave an indentation, but shouldn’t be shiny or greasy. If you really want to get technical, use an instant read thermometer: your butter should be between 65-67°F.
Keywords: cookie butter, biscoff, cake, layer cake, dessert, swiss meringue buttercream
