my husband is a big fan of cookies & cream cakes. I asked him what type of birthday cake he wanted for his birthday this week and it was cookies & cream, naturally. I decided to use a grocery store shortcut and add naturally-sweetened frosting. I also added a cookie addition to make the cake special. this semi-homemade paleo cookies & cream cake is luscious, moist and decadent- hard to believe it’s gluten-free, refined sugar-free and paleo.
the inspiration:
this recipe idea was a nostalgic throwback to my husband’s groom’s cake for our wedding almost 9 years ago. it was made by local Fort Worth bakery, stir crazy baked goods, and everyone loved it! I chose a brown sugar sage cake with browned butter buttercream for my bride’s cake and it was simply fabulous. owner Robbie put in so much detail and love into the scratch-made cakes. they were massive!
cookies & cream cake ingredients:
- simple mills vanilla boxed cake mix: you can find this mix online at thrive market, Whole Foods, central market, target and more! it is a wonderfully moist cake mix made with simple ingredients like almond flour, coconut sugar, arrowroot, sea salt and vanilla bean.
- simple mills Cocoa & cashew butter cookies: you can also find these chocolate sandwich cookies at most retailers and they also contain simple and nourishing ingredients. buckwheat, (surprisingly comes from a seed, not a grain), cashews, coconut sugar, palm shortening, dutch cocoa powder and arrowroot are the main ingredients.
- pastured eggs
- real vanilla: you can use either pure vanilla bean extract or vanilla bean paste.
- liquid coconut oil or avocado oil: makes the cake extra moist.
- pastured butter: one of the main cookies & cream frosting components. you can also use room temperature solid coconut oil, (not liquid), to keep it dairy-free.
- coconut or palm oil shortening: make sure the shortening ingredients only contain coconut or palm oil– I found mine at central market.
- tapioca flour: helps thicken and bind the frosting.
- fine mineral salt: a necessity in the frosting- always add salt to bring out the flavors of sweet things.
- honey: naturally sweetens the cookies & cream frosting.
how to make:
I made more of a traditional naked layer cake but you could also bake this in a square 9×9 brownie pan and top it with mounds of frosting for more of a low maintenance snacking cake. If you want to go more of the traditional route, you will grease an 8×8 cake or springform pan and line it with parchment paper. the batter is simple to whip up and the cake bakes in about 30 minutes.
while the cake is baking, you will whip up the cookies & cream frosting with a hand mixer or stand mixer. chill both the cake and frosting completely and then it’s ready to ice! I cut my cake evenly horizontally to create two layers and divide the frosting in half. you can then assemble the cake.
make sure to store any leftovers in the refrigerator overnight as the cake doesn’t contain preservatives and could spoil. it’s absolutely delicious cold, too! enjoy.
how to serve:
serve this semi-homemade paleo cookies & cream cake room temperature with an afternoon coffee or some raw milk. you will be having a major moment- pure bliss! I hope you enjoy it and let me know if you make it. x0x0- Callie
love nourishing treats?
try some more of my sweet & simple baked goods:
Semi-Homemade Paleo Cookies & Cream Cake
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup filtered water
- ⅓ cup coconut or avocado oil
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 boxed Simple Mills Vanilla Cake Mix
- 1/2 cup Simple Mills Cocoa & Cashew Butter cookies chopped
Cookies & Cream Frosting*
- 1 cup pastured butter or solid coconut oil room temperature
- 1 cup coconut or palm oil shortening room temperature
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 teaspoon fine mineral salt do not skip this
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup Simple Mills Cocoa & Cashew Butter cookies chopped finely (use remaining cookies to garnish the cake)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease an 8-inch cake or springform fan. Set butter and coconut or palm oil shortening out on counter to come to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, water, oil and vanilla. Fold in cake mix until well combined then fold in chopped cookies.
- Transfer to greased pan with a spatula, smoothing top. Bake atop a sheet pan for 30-35 minutes, rotating once 180 degrees halfway through cooking, until the cake bounces back when pressed.
- Cool for 10 minutes then loosen cake from sides of pan and invert on a wire cooling rack. Cool completely in the refrigerator before slicing and icing.
- While cake is baking, make the Cookies & Cream Frosting. In a large bowl, add softened butter, coconut or palm oil shortening, honey, salt and vanilla. Begin on low and working up to high, beat ingredients until fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
- Gently fold in tapioca flour and repeat the process until flour is very well combined and frosting is fluffy. Fold in chopped cookies, reserving any remaining to top the cake. Chill frosting until cake is completely cooled.
- To assemble cake, begin by using a serrated knife to gently cut the cake in equal halves horizontally. On a cake stand, add bottom cake layer.
- Add a little less than half of the frosting, smoothing evenly. Top with second layer of cake, (rounded end facing down). Add remaining frosting on top, smoothing evenly. Top with any remaining chopped cookies, slice and serve.
- Make sure to store leftovers in the refrigerator overnight as this cake recipes contains no preservatives. *Frosting recipe adapted from Paleo Running Momma's Vanilla Cupcake frosting.
