The best soft and chewy Birthday Cake Cookies. Beautiful sugar cookies rolled and baked and then frosted with a sweet vanilla cream cheese frosting. The perfect cookie for birthdays or celebrations!
Quick Look Birthday Cake Cookies
- ⏱ Prep time: 45 minutes
- 🔥 Cook time: 13 minutes
- ⏳ Total time: 58 minutes
- 🍪 Serving: 14-15 cookies
- 🍂 Flavour profile: These soft and chewy cookies taste just like your favourite vanilla birthday cake.
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy
- ❤️ Why I love it: They’re quick to make but look so impressive – and they taste just like birthday cake!
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I love these Birthday Cake Cookies ❤️ They’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a cookie. Let me talk you through the wonderful elements. First, there’s my buttery, sweet sugar cookie that spreads just the right amount in the oven. These cookies are perfect on their own – soft and chewy and filled with vanilla.
Then you will make a simple cream cheese frosting – also laden with vanilla – that will make these cookies reminiscent of your favourite Vanilla Cake. And the final touch is, of course, plenty of colourful sprinkles.
Just like my popular Tiramisu Cookies, these frosted cookies are a favourite for adults and kids alike!
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make: You don’t need any fancy equipment or fancy ingredients to make a batch.
- No chill time: These cookies can be made and baked straight away without chilling the dough.
- Perfect spreading: This recipe has been carefully designed to create cookies that flatten out naturally in the oven.
- Taste like cake: With plenty of vanilla and oodles of frosting, these Birthday Cake Cookies really do taste like, well, a birthday cake!
Recipe testing
If you’ve been following me for long, you’ll know that cookies have my heart. My new cookbook has two entire chapters dedicated to cookies in all shapes and sizes.
And one new things that I love doing to my cookies is adding frosting. I’ve done it recently for my Tiramisu Cookies and my lovely Strawberries and Cream Cookies. So this time, I wanted to do it again but replicate the wonderfully sweet and buttery flavours of classic Vanilla Cake.
So I went about testing a sweet sugar cookie that would be soft and chewy – and would flatten out naturally in the oven. I didn’t want to faff about with chill times so getting the perfect amount of flour was key.
I also tested two versions, one using baking powder and one using baking soda. It was interesting to see how the baking powder version (left) was taller, puffy and cakey. Whereas the all baking soda one (right), spread more and was chewier and more golden. I preferred the texture and spreading of the baking soda one.
A few more attempts and I finally got there – buttery cookies that flattened naturally in the oven with a chewy texture. They might look plain but honestly, they are just lovely all on their own.
But to make them more festive like a birthday cake, I decided to use a cream cheese frosting over a traditional Vanilla Buttercream. It makes them taste a little less sweet and lets the vanilla flavour really shine.
A few sprinkles and you all the perfect quick and easy alternative to a fancy layer cake. And in my opnion – something just as tasty and festive!
Ingredients
Despite the fact that these Birthday Cake Frosted Cookies taste like they stepped out of a gourmet bakery, you only actually need basic pantry ingredients to make a batch. Here are the key ingredients to make sure they taste like cake, including any substitutions you can make.
- Caster sugar: Since we want this cake to taste like vanilla cake, I’ve used only caster sugar in this recipe – no brown sugar. I recommend doing the same for the best results. You can use granulated sugar if you can’t get hold of caster sugar.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla is one of the most important ingredients in these cookies. I love to use a high quality vanilla and be quite generous with the portions! You can also use vanilla bean paste if you prefer.
- Almond extract: Just a small amount of almond extract enhances the ‘birthday cake’ flavour in these cookies. However, if you are in a pinch, you can leave it out if you don’t have any.
- Baking soda: While many cookie recipes using baking powder, I’ve chosen to use baking powder for this cookie. It produces a more chewy cookie that spreads just the right amount. But I’ve halved the amount I usually use in a batch of cookies to ensure the cookies are a little flatter than normal.
- Cream cheese: I recommend using a block or brick-style cream cheese for the frosting – full fat if you can!
How to make Birthday Cake Cookies
These Birthday Cake Cookies are surprisingly easy to make. You will need a hand mixer or a stand mixer – but no other special equipment. Here’s a step-by-step photo guide on how to make them.
1. In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar, Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
2. Add vanilla, almond extract and egg. Mix on medium speed until combined.
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3. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Stir by hand or mix on low speed until a soft cookie dough forms.
4. Scoop out the cookie dough (roughly 2 tablespoons or 35 grams per cookie) and roll it smooth using your hands.
5. Bake cookies for 12-13 minutes or until they’re spread out and are no longer tacky to the touch.
6. Leave cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
7. In a large mixing bowl, add softened butter and cream cheese. Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
8. Add icing sugar and vanilla. Mix on low speed until creamy and thick.
9. Transfer frosting to a layer piping bag fitted with a large round tip or simply use a teaspoon to frost each cookie.
10. Pipe frosting onto the top of each cookie. Decorate with sprinkles.
Jess’s tips for success
- Use softened butter: Use butter that has been softened at room temperature. If your butter is too warm, your cookies may over-spread in the oven, or if it’s too cold, they may not spread enough.
- Correctly measure your flour: I highly recommend using a baking scale to measure your flour for this cookie recipe. It is very easy to over-measure flour when using cup measurements and a touch more flour could make the cookies thick, dry and floury.
- Weigh the cookie dough: If you want each cookie to look similar in shape and size, I recommend weighing the cookie dough balls as you scoop and roll them. I recommend making each cookie dough ball approximately 35 grams each.
Birthday Cake Cookies faqs
No you can absolutely leave it out. It does give these cookies a little x-factor and make them taste more like a birthday cake, but they are equally delicious without it.
Of course! If you prefer to make these cookies using regular buttercream instead of cream cheese frosting, go ahead!
Keep frosted Birthday Cake Cookies in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy them cold or bring them back to room temperature to serve.
Yes. You can easily make the cookies a day ahead of time and store them in the fridge. Or to make them further in advance, you can make the cookie dough and freeze the balls in an airtight container. Then just bring them back to room temperature and bake as per the below instructions. You can also make the frosting ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature, give it a stir (add a little milk if it’s a little thick) and then just pipe or spoon it on the baked cookies.
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Birthday Cake Cookies Recipe
Buttery, soft vanilla cookies topped with cream cheese frosting and plenty of sprinkles. The perfect celebration cookie.
Ingredients
- 115 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cream cheese frosting
- 60 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) cream cheese, softened
- 125 grams (1 cup) icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Funfetti sprinkles, to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line two large baking trays or cookie sheets with baking paper or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat using an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add the vanilla extract, almond extract and egg and beat on medium speed until combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt beat on low speed just until a soft cookie dough forms.
- Scoop out the cookie dough (roughly 2 tablespoons or 35 grams per cookie) and place on the prepared baking trays. Be sure to leave room for the cookies to spread as they bake.
- Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes or until just golden brown around the edges. Leave the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. Place the butter and cream cheese in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add icing sugar and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined. Then turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix for another 1-2 minutes or until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- To decorate, transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip or just use a spoon to swirl the frosting on top of each cookie. Add sprinkles on top of the frosting.
Notes
Caster sugar: You can use granulated sugar if you don’t have caster sugar.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla is one of the most important ingredients in these cookies. I love to use a high quality vanilla and be quite generous with the portions! You can also use vanilla bean paste if you prefer.
Almond extract: Just a small amount of almond extract enhances the ‘birthday cake’ flavour in these cookies. However, you can leave it out if you don’t have any.
Cream cheese: I recommend using a block or brick-style cream cheese for the frosting – full fat if you can!
Storage: Keep these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.
Make-ahead: You can easily make the cookies a day ahead of time. Or to make them further in advance, you can make the cookie dough and freeze the balls in an airtight container. Then just bring them back to room temperature and bake as per the above instructions. You can also make the frosting ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature, give it a stir (add a little milk if it’s a little thick) and then just pipe or spoon it on the baked cookies.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: Calories: 290 Sugar: 23.5 g Sodium: 112.9 mg Fat: 16.4 g Carbohydrates: 36.8 g Protein: 3 g Cholesterol: 54.9 mg
Hi, I’m Jess, the creator of Sweetest Menu and the author of Something Sweet. A self-taught baker and published recipe writer who can’t stop making easy and delicious baking recipes.
Josh says
We loved these!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad!