Gluten Free Cookie Cake for Every Celebration

This gluten free cookie cake bakes up crisp on the edges, chewy in the center, and never gets stuck in the pan—thanks to a few smart tricks.

Easier than a traditional cake, just as festive, and a whole lot more portable, this is your go-to dessert for birthdays, class parties, or any day that calls for a chocolate chip celebration. Bake it in any round pan, decorate it simply or extravagantly, and slice it like cake—but serve it easily like a cookie!

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Ingredients explained

Each ingredient in this cookie cake plays a specific role in texture, flavor, or structure—here’s what to know before you bake:

• Gluten free flour blend – The right blend gives the cake structure and that perfect crispy-chewy texture. I recommend Better Batter’s original blend or Nicole’s Best multipurpose (with ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum). If you're using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, add another ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum for best results. Avoid gritty blends—they’ll ruin the texture.
• Granulated sugar + light brown sugar – A mix of both gives the best balance: crisp edges from the white sugar, moisture, depth of flavor, and chew from the brown.
• Butter – Adds flavor and richness. Creaming it with the sugars builds structure to help the cake rise in the oven, and keeps the crumb tender.
• Pure vanilla extract – A full tablespoon adds depth and gives the cake that classic cookie flavor.
• Egg + egg yolks – The whole egg gives structure; the yolks add richness and a soft, chewy center.
• Baking soda – Helps the cake brown and gives a bit of lift.
• Salt – Balances the sweetness and sharpens all the other flavors.
• Chocolate chips – Add the only chocolate flavor, plus texture and some bitterness if you choose dark chocolate. Use your favorite type.

How to make a gluten free cookie cake

1. Cream the butter and sugars.
Start with room temperature butter and beat it with the brown and white sugars for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is creamy but not quite fluffy. This helps dissolve the sugar and incorporates just enough air for a slightly higher rise—without turning it into a traditional cake.

2. Add the egg, yolks, baking soda and salt.
Beat until the mixture is smooth and well combined. This step helps build structure and creates the signature crackly cookie top as the cake bakes.

3. Add the flour and chips.
Toss the chocolate chips with the flour blend, then add everything to the mixing bowl. Mixing the chips with flour first helps keep them from sinking so they stay evenly distributed throughout the cake.

4. Transfer the dough to the pan.
Scrape the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread it into an even layer. A small, moistened offset spatula makes this easier. For a nicely defined crust, press the dough slightly higher around the edges.

5. Bake low and slow.
Bake at 325°F for about 30 minutes. That lower temperature helps the cake bake evenly to the center without drying out. If the top is browning too much before the center is set, reduce the oven to 300°F, tent with foil, and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs but no raw batter.

6. Cool completely, then chill.
Let the cake cool in the pan at room temperature—don’t rush this part. Once it’s fully cool (after about an hour), place the whole pan in the refrigerator and chill until very firm. This helps the cake set fully so it doesn’t crack or break when you remove it.

7. Decorate the cake.
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip—or use a sealed zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe frosting just inside the edge of the cake, slightly overlapping the crust. Add sprinkles or other decorations right away, before the frosting sets.

You can also use the same frosting, thinned with a bit more milk, with a small piping tip to pipe a custom message in the center. Let the frosting firm up at room temperature before slicing and serving.

Tips for a perfect cookie cake

This is an easy, classic recipe—just cream the butter and sugars, add the eggs, then the dry ingredients. But a few small details from my experience in the kitchen can make the difference between good and great:

Watch the bake time

Too long in the oven (or too high a temp), and you’ll end up with crisp edges and a dry center. Aim for a gentle bake that puffs up in the center and then settles slightly into a crackled top as it cools, similar to my regular gluten free chocolate chip cookies.

Cool, then chill the cake

Let the cake cool completely at room temperature in the pan, then chill it until very firm. That’s the key to removing it cleanly—either by lifting the parchment or inverting it onto your open hand and flipping again onto a platter.

Choosing your pan

A 9-inch round cake pan makes a thick, classic cookie cake that unmolds beautifully. But you can also use:

• Springform pan: pringform pan – Easiest to release after chilling. Line bottom and sides with parchment.
• 9-inch square pan: Easier to line, bakes thinner and a bit faster. Check for doneness at 25 minutes.
• Specialty cookie cake pan: Usually 11 or 12 inches wide with low sides, for a thinner cake. Also bakes faster.

Line the pan with wings

Trace your pan on parchment, cut out a round but leave two long tabs or “wings” on opposite sides. Secure with binder clips. Once chilled, lift the cake out easily by the wings.

Ingredient swaps & mix-ins

Dairy free
Use 12 tablespoons (168 g) of block-style vegan butter (like Miyoko’s or Melt) or half (84 grams) vegan butter and half (84 grams) vegetable shortening for balance. Be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips and nondairy milk in the frosting.

Egg free
Replace the egg with 1 “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia + 1 to 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, mixed and gelled). Use 2 tablespoons additional butter in place of the two yolks.

Mix-in ideas
Instead of standard chocolate chips, try mini chips, chopped semi-hard nuts (like pecans or walnuts), white chocolate, or any baking chips you love.

Gluten Free Cookie Cake Recipe

4.96 from 24 votes

By Nicole Hunn

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Cooling and chilling time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Yield: 8 servings

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This gluten free cookie cake is crisp at the edges, soft in the center, and packed with chocolate chips. Easy to bake, fun to decorate, and perfect for any celebration.

Equipment

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment or handheld mixer
• 9-inch round cake pan lined with parchment
• Pastry bag with open star piping tip

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Ingredients 

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For the cake

• ▢ 12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 cup (218 g) packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 (50 g, out of shell) egg, at room temperature
• ▢ 2 (50 g) egg yolks, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cups (10 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• ▢ 2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, See Recipe Notes
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)

For the frosting

• ▢ 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) milk, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 2 ¼ cups (260 g) confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed

Instructions 

Make the cookie cake.

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease lightly and line a 9-inch round cake pan with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
• In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, place the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, and beat until creamy (about 2 minutes). Stop beating before the mixture becomes truly light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and yolks, baking soda, and salt, and beat again until well-combined (about another minute).
• Add the chocolate chips to the flour blend, toss the chips in the flour to coat, and then add them both to the bowl.
• Mix until combined. The dough will be thick but soft.
• Scrape the dough into the prepared cake pan, and use a moistened offset or other spatula to spread it into an even layer. Run the spatula from the center to the edges for more batter along the perimeter to create a crusty edge on the baked cake.
• Bake, rotating once, for about 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown all over and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (not wet). If the top is very brown but the cake is not fully baked, reduce the oven temperature to 300°F, tent the pan with foil, and continue to bake for about another 5 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and place the cake, still in the pan, on a wire rack to cool completely at room temperature.
• Place the cooled cake in the pan, uncovered, in the refrigerator until firm (about 30 minutes).
• To remove the cake from the pan, turn the pan over onto the palm of one hand, and remove the pan. Reinvert the cake onto a serving platter. You can also serve the cake right from the pan.

⠀Make the frosting.

• In the clean bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a clean large bowl with a handheld mixer, place the butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
• Add the milk and vanilla, and turn the speed to mix until well-combined.
• Add the salt and about 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Mix slowly until the sugar is incorporated, then turn the mixer up to high and beat until it becomes uniformly thick.
• Add the rest of the confectioners’ sugar if necessary to thicken the frosting.

⠀Decorate the cake.

• Transfer the white frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip or a sealed ziptop bag with the corner snipped off.
• Use the white frosting to make the stars or dollops around the border of the cookie cake, just beyond the crust.
• Allow the frosting to set at room temperature until it hardens a bit. Slice into wedges and serve.

Video

Notes

Flour blend.
Use a high-quality gluten free flour blend for the best texture. I recommend Better Batter original, Nicole’s Best multipurpose (plus 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum), or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 (add an extra 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum). Avoid gritty blends—they’ll spoil the chew and crumble.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 747kcal | Carbohydrates: 124g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 377mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 905IU | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Storage instructions

Room temperature: Store the fully frosted or unfrosted cookie cake, covered, at room temp for up to 2 days. If frosted, keep it in a container that protects the decorations.

Refrigerator: Wrap unfrosted cake tightly in plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 week. For frosted cake, use a container that won’t smudge the frosting.

Freezer: Freeze individual slices or the whole cake, well wrapped, for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge or at room temp. Avoid microwaving any frosted cake—frosting will melt.

Make-ahead frosting: Prepare the frosting ahead and refrigerate. Bring to room temp and beat again until smooth before decorating.

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