inspired by Butternut Bakery
It was my mom’s 60th birthday this past Tuesday, and I was lucky enough to celebrate with her in New Orleans. There are few things she likes more than m&m cookies, so I decided to style her cake after her favorite dessert. I modeled the recipe after Butternut Bakery’s chocolate chip cookie dough cake, replacing the chocolate chips with m&ms. The result? An absolutely decadent cake. It is deliciously sweet, and insanely rich. This is an eat after lunch type of cake with plenty of time to digest :) I wrote a longer description on my tips for how to properly plan and decorate a layer cake here that I would suggest looking at before diving into this recipe. These tips will help achieve a super smooth finish on your cake! One thing I would say is essential is to freeze your cake layers before assembly and use a piping bag to transfer buttercream. This will give you the most control when assembling your cake layers.
(amounts for a two tiered 6-inch cake)
Cream together butter and sugar in an electric mixer. Add milk and vanilla, mix to combine. Mix in flour and water, then fold in m&ms. Scoop 9 1 1/2 - tbsp sized balls onto a parchment lined baking tay. Flatten the cookie dough into disks and refridgerate while you make the cake batter.
Preheat oven to 350°F and line two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. In a liquid measuring cup combine milk and vanilla. In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium high until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, then yogurt until fully incorporated. Add the flour and milk mixtures in three additions, alternating between dry and wet. Combine the chopped m&ms with extra flour and toss to coat (this will keep the m&ms from sinking to the bottom of the pan while baking). Fold in the m&ms by hand.
Add 1/4 of the batter to each prepared pan. Press 3 of the prepared cookie dough disks into each pan. Add the remaining batter to cover the cookie dough in each pan and spread to create an even surface. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool for 20 minutes, remove from pan and allow to cool completely. Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer until assembly.
Heat sugar and egg whites over a double boiler, whisking continuously, until sugar is dissolved and mixture reaches 160°F. Transfer to an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until the mixture has cooled considerably and glossy, marshmallowy peaks have formed. Switch to a paddle attachment and add butter in tablespoon sized pieces. Once all butter has been incorporated, add the vanilla and salt. Mix on high for 5 minutes then low for 10 minutes until completely smooth.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add peanuts, sugar, and water. Heat on medium low until sugar melts then begins to crystallize. Sugar will become sandy and dry around the peanuts. Lower the heat and continue stirring, scraping up syrup that forms during the process to coat the peanuts. Regulate the temperature as you go so as not to burn the sugar or peanuts. Allow the peanuts to get bronze and toasty. Towards the end of the process, add a generous amount of salt to the peanuts (you can add cinnamon and chili powder at this point if you plan on eating these as a snack and not as decoration!). Remove from heat and stir in excess m&ms. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and press down so the mixture cools as one block. Allow the peanuts cool before breaking into clumps.
Remove the cake from the freezer and allow to defrost at room temperature for ~15 minutes before unwrapping the plastic wrap. Place the bottom layer of cake onto a turntable. Pipe a layer of butter cream, smooth with an offset spatula, then sprinkle over a layer of candied peanuts and m&ms. Press the peanuts into the buttercream to create a smooth surface. Add the top layer of cake and ensure cake is level. Lightly crumb coat, then chill the cake for 20 minutes.
Using a piping bag, pipe the outer layer of frosting onto the cake. Use a bench scraper to smooth the buttercream until all (or mostly all) air bubbles are removed. Chill the cake for an additional 20-30 minutes before transferring to a cake stand to finish decorating.
Using two different sized star tips, pipe decoration along the top and bottom of the cake. I used a large star tip to create the decoration. Pipe a large dollop, then pull back to create a ‘bead-like’ effect along the border of the cake. Top the cake with candied peanuts to finish. Slice and enjoy!