Cookie Butter Cake

If you love the combination of vanilla, cinnamon, and cookie butter, this cake brings all three together in a simple layer cake.

This Cookie Butter Cake itself is moist and lightly spiced, made with Amoretti® Vanilla Bean Paste and a little cinnamon powder for added warmth.

Between each layer is a classic American buttercream mixed with Amoretti® Speculoos Cookie Spread, with extra swirls of the spiced cookie spread throughout the frosting. The result is rich and flavorful without being overly sweet, with the cinnamon and speculoos adding just enough spice to balance the vanilla.

What Makes This Cake Different

There’s plenty of cookie butter flavor here, but it doesn’t overpower the cake. The vanilla and cinnamon in the cake create a warm base, while the Speculoos Cookie Spread adds those familiar notes of cinnamon, caramel, and toasted spice to the frosting.

Using vanilla bean paste also gives the cake a deeper vanilla flavor than you’d get from vanilla extract alone, with real vanilla bean specks throughout.

A Few Tips for Making the Cake

Use room-temperature ingredients. This helps the batter come together evenly and gives you a smoother, more consistent cake.

Don’t overdo the cinnamon. A little goes a long way here. The goal is to complement the vanilla and cookie butter rather than overpower them.

Let the cake layers cool completely. Make sure the layers are fully cooled before frosting so the buttercream stays smooth and easy to work with.

Add extra cookie butter between the layers. Swirling Speculoos Cookie Spread into the frosting gives you pockets of that spiced cookie flavor throughout the cake.

Ingredients

Cinnamon-Vanilla Cake

• 3 and 2/3 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
• 1 abd 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups of granulated sugar
  
• 3 large eggs + 2 egg whites, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons Amoretti® Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

Cookie Butter Frosting

• 1 and 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup Amoretti® Creamy Speculoos Cookie Butter + more for filling
• 5 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon Amoretti® Vanilla Bean Paste

Directions

For the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease three 9-inch pans with butter or nonstick cooking spray. For even more nonstick, line the bottom of the greased pans with 8- or 9-inch parchment rounds. Grease the top of the parchment round as well. Set to the side while you prepare the cake.
2. In a seperate bowl, whisk the cake flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon powder together. Set to the side.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (handheld mixer and large bowl works as well), beat the butter and sugar together on a high speed until light, fluffy, and creamy. About 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through and continue mixing.
   
4. Add in the eggs, egg whites, and vanilla bean paste. Beat on high until combined and the batter is a light, almost pale yellow. Be sure to really scrape the entirety of the bowl at this stage. The butter likes to stick to the sides! Mix once more until fully combined.
   
5. With all the wet ingredients combined, add in the flour mixture and mix on low. Follow up with the buttermilk and slowly pour while the mixer is running. The batter will be thick, do not add more buttermilk to thin. You are on the right track!
6. Transfer your batter evenly to the three greased pans. For best results, weigh the pans with the batter in them to ensure even distribution and baking.
   
7. Spread the batter out evenly in each pan and place in the oven for 23-26 minutes. Every oven differs, so start with the lowest time and adjust as needed.
8. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of each cake. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, remove from the oven and cool for 10-15 minutes.
9. While the cake is warm, release from the pan and set each layer on a cooling rack to rest until completely cooled.
10. Once cooled, level each layer with a serrated knife or cake leveler. This will help make decorating the cake that much easier.
    

For the Frosting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cookie spread together on high until creamy and lighter in color. About 3 minutes.
2. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and whole milk.
3. Mix on medium-low until combined.
   
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix until the frosting is light and fluffy. A lower speed at a longer time will result in a less, air-bubble filled frosting. 
   
5. When ready to frost the cake, place the first layer of cake with the level side facing up. Add two scoops of frosting (a 2.4 oz cookie scoop -- we used this one!) and spread over the top of the cake. Optional: follow up with an extra two tablespoons of the cookie spread and swirl into the frosting. 
6. Repeat for each layer (this includes the optional cookie spread add-on).
7. Once the final layer is added, top with the rest of the frosting and some ribbons of cookie spread, swirled into the frosting. 
8. For extra decadance, sprinkle crushed speculoos cookies around the top edge of the cake and add some cookies to one side of the cake (see images above).
9. Slice and enjoy!

Notes:

• Storage: unless serving immediately, store cake in the fridge in a tupperware cake carrier. Consume within 5 days.
• Adjust the spice to taste: The cake uses just enough cinnamon to add warmth without overpowering the vanilla and Speculoos flavors. If you prefer a stronger cinnamon flavor, you can add a little more.
• Cool the cake completely: Make sure the cake layers are fully cooled before assembling. Warm cake can cause the buttercream to soften and make the layers harder to frost.
• For clean frosting: after setting each cake layer with frosting and cookie butter, set the sides of the cake with a "crumb coat," essentially, a thin layer of frosting around the entirety of the cake. Set in the fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for 15 minutes.
• Swirl, don’t fully mix: For the cookie butter swirls between the layers, gently swirl the Speculoos Cookie Spread into the buttercream rather than completely incorporating it. This keeps the cookie butter flavor more distinct throughout the cake.
• Bring it to room temperature before serving: If the cake has been refrigerated, let it sit out before serving. The buttercream will soften and the vanilla, cinnamon, and Speculoos flavors will come through more clearly.