Chocolate on chocolate on chocolate!  A sweet tooth's dream!  I made this chocolate cookie cake for Valentine's Day for my husband, topped it with his favourite treats and he loved it.  This chocolate cookie recipe makes a lovely crisp chocolate biscuit layer for this cookie cake.  Print the recipe at the bottom of this page.

To make this recipe you will need:

 - heart (or other preferred shape) cookie cake template.  Our reusable one is available here or if you prefer we have a print at home version here.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

125 grams unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (110 grams) caster (superfine) sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (225g) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

1/4 cup (25 grams) cocoa, sifted

 

METHOD:

 

Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat for 6-8 minutes until pale and creamy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.  Add the flour and cocoa and beat until the mixture just comes together to form a smooth dough.

After the cookie dough is made roll it out on a silicone baking mat or parchment (baking) paper, so you don't have to transfer the large cookie shapes later, to approximately 5mm thick and spread it far enough to cut out the large cookie shapes later.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up the dough to make cutting out easier.

Place your cookie cake template carefully on top of the rolled out dough and cut out the shape using your plastic cookie cutter tool or a blunt butter knife. Take your time and keep the blade as upright as you can so that the edge of the cookie is cut straight.  After cutting around the outer edge and inner edge (if you want the inside removed also for some shapes) carefully lift off the cookie dough away from the cutout shape.  Slide the baking mats with the cookies on top onto a cookie sheet or baking tray and put the cookie cutouts back into the fridge to chill while the oven heats up or at least 15 minutes.  This will help the cookie to keep its shape when baked.

Heat oven to 160°C (325°F) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and firm.  Take the cookies out of the oven and leave the cookies on the trays to cool completely.  Large cookies can be difficult to move without breaking, especially when they are warm. 

COOKIE CAKE TOPPERS

• COOKIES

Using the leftover cookie dough cut out cookie shapes.  You can even stamp the cookies with personalised messages.  Chill the cookies before baking and bake for 10-12 minutes.  For my V-Day themed cookie cake I made some different shapes hearts and stamped them with "Love" and the little hearts with "T" for Trent.  You can use our Message Maker Stamp Set to make your own stamped messages.

 

• MINI CHOCOLATE BLOCKS

Using a mini chocolate block mould I made some mini white chocolate blocks.  

• BOUGHT CHOCOLATE BISCUITS - TIM TAMS
• CHOCOLATE CHIPS in milk, dark and white chocolate
• SPRINKLES!

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

Printable recipe at the bottom of this page.

INGREDIENTS:

250 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

450 grams icing (confectioner's) sugar

50 grams cocoa

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

METHOD:

Place butter into the bowl of an electric mixer.  With mixer on medium speed beat the butter until creamy.  Add the icing sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla extract.  Beat on low speed until it just comes together and then increase to high speed and beat until well combined, smooth and glossy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  If the buttercream is too soft to pipe you can pop it into the fridge to firm up a little or add more icing sugar to the mixture.

I piped this buttercream with a 13mm or 1/2 inch round icing nozzle but you could use a different size or shaped nozzle to create a different effect.

Place your first cookie onto the tray, serving plate or cake board.  Pipe the buttercream onto the cookie and put this in the fridge to firm up for 10-20 minutes.  Then place the second cookie on top of the first very gently and pipe your icing onto this one.  Take your time to create a neat piped effect but don't worry too much as any unruly buttercream can be covered with decorations in the next step.  Refrigerate again for 10-20 minutes and then you are ready to place your cookie cake toppers on.

Carefully place your decorations into and onto the buttercream however you desire.  I try not to be too precise with them because I like the random placing and look.

Chill again before serving to make the cookie cake easy to cut when serving.  If the buttercream is too soft you risk it oozing out the sides when you cut into it.

ENJOY!