Sugar Cookie Cake

Our sugar cookie cake recipe has all the flavors of a sugar cookie in cake form! Sour cream is the secret ingredient in this simple recipe; it makes the cake light, fluffy, and just as wonderful as the perfect sugar cookie.

Ingredients for Sugar Cookie Cake

• Butter: Soften the butter a little before using it in this recipe .
• Sugar: Sugar helps make the cake moist and soft.
• Eggs: The eggs should be room temperature for this recipe. They help the batter become a fluffy cake.
• Vanilla extract: This adds just a hint of vanilla fragrance and flavor to the cake.
• All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour does the job in this cake recipe.
• Baking powder and baking soda: Both of these ingredients help the cake rise. The sour cream activates the baking soda and helps create a fluffy cake.
• Sour cream: Sour cream balances out the sweet ingredients; it also helps make the cake moist, with a lovely texture.
• Vanilla frosting: This recipe calls for canned vanilla frosting to save time but you can make your own with only four ingredients.
• Coarse sugar, sprinkles and additional frosting: These optional add-ons make the cake a little more special.

Directions 

Step 1: Make the cake batter

Julia Hartbeck for Taste Recipes

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about five to seven minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; add the dry blend to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating after each addition just until the ingredients are combined. Spread the batter into a greased 13×9-inch baking pan.

Step 2: Bake and frost the cake

Julia Hartbeck for Taste Recipes

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or about 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. Spread frosting over the top. Decorate the cake with the optional toppings as desired.

Julia Hartbeck for Taste Recipes

Sugar Cookie Cake Variations

• Add citrus zest: A little lemon or orange zest added to the batter brings a light citrusy fragrance to the cake.
• Go a little nutty: Add 1 cup or so of sliced almonds or chopped walnuts to the batter for a little textural variation. Sprinkle additional nuts on top after frosting the cake.
• Get spicy: Add a little chai spice or pumpkin pie spice for a touch of autumnal flavor.

How to Store a Sugar Cookie Cake

Store the sugar cookie cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container where it will last for about five days.

Can you freeze sugar cookie cake? 

Yes; freeze the entire cake on a baking tray until the frosting firms up a bit; this prevents the frosting from sticking to the plastic wrap later. Wrap the cake in two layers of plastic and then foil or place smaller servings in airtight freezer containers. This cake keeps for two months in the freezer. Thaw the cake on the counter or in the refrigerator overnight.

Sugar Cookie Cake Tips

Julia Hartbeck for Taste Recipes

What else could I bake using sour cream?

Sour cream makes baked goods moist. It’s an excellent addition to many recipes. Try our  sour cream spice cake which has a brown sugar-flavored filling between layers or our  sour cream banana coffee cake recipe. Sour cream also makes a chocolate cake even better.

Could I use some type of yogurt instead of sour cream?

Yes. Using a full-fat plain Greek yogurt may be used 1:1 in place of sour cream. The full-fat version is necessary because low-fat versions might not work as well. The fat in sour cream benefits this recipe.

Could I make this taste like snickerdoodles instead of sugar cookies?

Yes! Add a little cinnamon to the cake batter and sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (or cinnamon and brown sugar) atop the cake once you remove it from the oven. The same cinnamon-sugar mixture could also be mixed into frosting, such as a buttercream, to use on this cake.