Yellow Cake Cookies with Chocolate Frosting
These soft and chewy Yellow Cake Cookies with Chocolate Frosting are a classic birthday cake in cookie form. Made with a combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour, they’re soft, tender, buttery, and packed with vanilla flavor, then finished with creamy chocolate frosting and plenty of colorful sprinkles.
They have all the nostalgic flavor of a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, but there’s no cake pan, layering, or decorating required. Even better? The cookie dough doesn’t need to chill, so you can have freshly baked cookies ready in no time.
Why You’ll Love These Yellow Cake Cookies
- Soft and tender: Cake flour gives the cookies that extra-soft, cake-like texture without making them dry.
- No chilling required: Mix, scoop, and bake.
- Classic yellow cake flavor: Butter, vanilla, and egg yolk give these cookies that nostalgic bakery-style yellow cake flavor.
- Chocolate frosting: Because yellow cake and chocolate frosting are simply meant to be together.
- Perfect for celebrations: Add colorful sprinkles for birthdays, holidays, parties, or just because.
Ingredient Notes
Unsalted Butter
Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature so it creams smoothly with the sugar. Butter gives the cookies their rich flavor and soft texture.
Granulated Sugar
Granulated sugar keeps the cookies sweet while helping create lightly crisp edges.
Neutral Oil
A small amount of avocado or vegetable oil keeps the centers extra soft and moist even after the cookies cool.
Egg + Egg Yolk
Using one whole egg plus an additional yolk adds richness and helps give the cookies their classic yellow color and tender texture.
Vanilla Extract
Two teaspoons of vanilla give these simple cookies plenty of flavor. A good-quality vanilla extract makes a noticeable difference here.
All-Purpose Flour + Cake Flour
Using both flours gives you the best of both worlds. All-purpose flour provides enough structure for the cookies to hold their shape, while cake flour keeps them light and tender.
Supernatural Chocolate Frosting
Chocolate frosting turns these into the ultimate yellow-cake-inspired cookie. I love using Supernatural chocolate frosting for an easy finishing touch. And, this frosting is made without any artificial ingredients too! Which is always a bonus.
Colorful Sprinkles
A generous sprinkle of colorful sprinkles gives them that nostalgic birthday cake look. I use Supernatural brand sprinkles since they’re dye-free. They use all natural fruit extracts for their colors. How cool is that?
Ive linked both of the Supernatural brand sprinkles and frosting down below in the ingredient list!
Tips for the Best Yellow Cake Cookies
Use room-temperature ingredients. Room-temperature butter and eggs combine more evenly, creating a smoother cookie dough.
Measure your flour carefully. For the most accurate results, I recommend using a digital kitchen scale. Too much flour can make the cookies dry or cakey.
Don’t overmix the dough. Once you add the flour mixture, mix only until everything is combined.
Don’t overbake them. The cookies should look set around the edges but still soft in the centers when you remove them from the oven. They’ll continue baking slightly on the hot cookie sheet.
Let them cool completely before frosting. Chocolate frosting will melt if the cookies are still warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to chill the cookie dough?
No! These yellow cake cookies are designed to be baked without chilling the dough.
Why are you using both cake flour and all-purpose flour?
Cake flour gives the cookies a softer, more tender crumb, while all-purpose flour provides enough structure so they still feel like cookies rather than mini cakes.
Can I use only all-purpose flour?
You can, but the texture will be slightly different. The cake flour is what gives these cookies their especially soft, bakery-style texture.
How do I know when the cookies are finished baking?
The edges should look set and the centers may still look slightly soft. Avoid waiting for the cookies to become golden brown all over, or they may end up overbaked.
Can I use homemade chocolate frosting?
Absolutely. Homemade chocolate buttercream or chocolate ganache-style frosting would both work well, but store-bought frosting makes these especially quick and easy.
Storage & Freezing
Store frosted yellow cake cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is especially warm, you can refrigerate them and let them come back to room temperature before serving.
For longer storage, freeze the unfrosted cookies in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Allow them to thaw completely at room temperature before frosting and decorating.
You can also freeze portioned cookie dough. Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, then transfer the dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container.
My Favorite Baking Tools
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Digital Kitchen Scale
A kitchen scale is my favorite way to measure flour and other baking ingredients accurately and consistently.
Stand Mixer
Perfect for creaming the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Parchment Paper
Helps prevent sticking and makes cleanup so much easier.
Cooling Rack
Allows air to circulate underneath the cookies so they cool evenly before frosting.
Cookie Sheet
A good-quality cookie sheet helps the cookies bake evenly without overbrowning on the bottom.
Yellow Cake Cookies with Chocolate Frosting
Yield: About 12 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 9–11 minutes
Oven: 350°F
Ingredients
For the Yellow Cake Cookies
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (175 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) neutral oil, such as avocado or vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (60 g) cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
For Finishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for about 2–3 minutes, until lighter and fluffy.
- Add the oil. Mix in the neutral oil until fully combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until a soft cookie dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Scoop the cookies. Scoop the dough into approximately 2-tablespoon portions and place them a few inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Shape the cookies. Gently roll each portion into a ball and lightly press the tops down with your fingertips or palm. They should still remain fairly thick.
- Bake. Bake for about 9–11 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers still look soft. Avoid overbaking.
- Cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Frost. Once completely cooled, spread chocolate frosting over the top of each cookie.
12. Decorate. Immediately finish with colorful sprinkles. Serve and enjoy!
