Chocolate chip Cookie Cake

So I was a bad wife two years in a row and forgot my husbands birthday..... I know men everywhere are screaming in outrage :) Yes women forget too. So this year I was on the ball and decided to try and incorporate something my husband LOVES into a cake :) First off he LOVES Cookie dough. In ice cream, on a spoon from the bowl, you name it. So I thought ok how can I make a cake and incorporate cookies. So bam this is what I came up with.

Ingredients needed- 1 box Duncan Hines Yellow cake mix, (all ingredients on the box-Vegetable oil, 3 eggs and water) Cooking oil spray(or just oil to grease the pans) 1/2 bag mini chocolate chips, 1 32 oz bag confectioners sugar, 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, 1 cup  shortening, 1 tablespoon butter extract, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/4 c milk or cream(you may need more or less, add until consistency is right), couple tablespoons flour for dusting the pans, One batch of cookie dough or one large tube of store bought cookie dough. I always just use the recipe on the back of tollhouse cookies. You will also need wax or parchment paper and 2 8" pans(I have non stick)

Frosting- In my opinion Wilton has one of the BEST recipes for butter cream, My aunt has used it for years and I continue to use it.

Mix 1 cup solid vegetable shortening  in stand mixer, add 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.), 1 tablespoon butter and vanilla extract and 2-4 tablespoons milk. Mix until frosting is thick and all mixed together, Add more milk if you need it thinner to frost with. Cover and set aside.( You can find this recipe @ http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Buttercream-Icing)

 

Cake- Mix cake as instructed on the pox and pour 1/4 into a each of the greased(add parchment circles to the very bottom, make sure they do not come up the sides just the bottom) roll out 1 tablespoon balls of cookie dough(you will need about 6 per cake) and flatten evenly. Place them on the batter that has been poured into the pan in a circle and then one in the middle and pour the second half of the cake batter into each pan(You should have 2 pans so 1/4 into each pan firstly is half then after cookie dough is added pour remaining on top evenly between cakes to cover the cookie dough.)

 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 33 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Set aside for 20 minutes then remove from pans and let cool all the way.

 

Chocolate Ganache- 1 cup mini chocolate chips 3 tablespoons milk or cream, dash of salt.

 

 

Heat over a double boiler(or a sauce pan with a heat resistant bowl that sits on top with no gaps) You will make this when you are ready to put it in the middle. This way it doesn't harden or crust up.

 

Bake the remainder of your cookies around the same size because you will use them as the border.

 

Once your cakes are cooled flatten the tops by cutting off the excess. Place on surface(either where you or going to decorate or the cake plate)

Put the bottom layer down. Using a piping bag(either with or with out a tip) make a ring around the inner edge so that the ganache does not leak out.  Spread the ganache evenly inside. Place second layer cut side down onto the ganache. Gently push down to make a seal. Frost outer cake. It does not have to be pretty just evenly coated. Push the cooled cookies onto the side.(side note I thought about this after the fact but you could crunch the cookies up and make them a crumble and put that on the edge. Whatever works best for you)  Decorate the top as you like. I used the frosting to make little peaks and then placed a little cookie in the middle I cut out and sprinkled with a handful of mini chocolate chips. It turned out Amazing!