Sugar cookie cake is one of my favorite desserts for celebrations because it’s simple, nostalgic, and endlessly customizable. For New Year’s, we are elevating it with a black-and-gold color palette that feels festive, modern, and timeless all at once.

This sugar cookie cake bakes up soft and buttery, with just enough structure to hold decorative piping and statement cookies, on top making it perfect for ringing in the New Year.

Whether you’re serving it as a single-layer celebration cake with piped buttercream details or styling it with cookies on top, this sugar cookie cake is reliable and crowd-pleasing.

Yield: 1 – 9” cookie cake

Ingredients:

Sugar Cookie Cake:
1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened (224g)
1 Large Egg
½ tsp Salt
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1½ tsp Baking Powder
2½ tsp Vanilla Extract
½ tsp Almond Extract
2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
¼ tsp Baking Soda

Buttercream Frosting:
1 Cup (2 Sticks) Salted Butter, Room Temperature
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
½ tsp Lemon Juice (optional but recommended to reduce some sweetness!)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Warm Water, Milk or Heavy Cream (add more if needed for consistency)

Decorations:
Decorated sugar cookies (or cake topper and decorations of your choice)
Gold sprinkles or sugar dragées


Tools & Utensils
Kitchen Scale
Measuring Cups & Spoons
Stand Mixer with Whisk + Paddle
9” cake pan + parchment liner (or paper)
Piping Bags
Piping Tips: large star or rosette
Bowls
Spatulas

Preparation

Sugar Cookie Cake Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line your round 9” pan with parchment paper or lightly grease.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until fully combined.
4. Next, add your salt, baking powder, baking soda, and all-purpose flour into your wet ingredients.
5. Mix just until combined and a dough has formed.
6. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
7. Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the center is just set.
   •    Tip: Do not overbake. The center will continue to set as it cools, keeping the texture soft and chewy
8. Allow the cookie cake to cool completely before decorating.

Buttercream Preparation

1. Using a whisk attachment, beat your room-temperature butter on medium-high speed for 5–10 minutes, or until it becomes very light and fluffy. The butter should turn white before moving to the next step—this is key for the best texture.
2. With the mixer on low, gradually add about ½ - 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time. Mix just until each addition is fully incorporated; avoid overmixing at this stage.
3. Add in the vanilla extract and lemon juice, then mix briefly to combine.
4. Increase the mixer to medium speed. We like to keep it at Speed 4. Slowly drizzle in your warm water or cream while it whips.
5. Switch to the paddle attachment and let your mixer run on low or stir speed for 10–15 minutes. This will remove air bubbles and give you a silky, spreadable texture.
6. Divide into bowls for coloring or leave white like we did!

Decorating the Sugar Cookie Cake

This sugar cookie cake is sturdy enough to support decorative elements while still remaining tender. For this design, we topped the cake with decorated cookies colored using Chefmaster Natural Black and Brown, Gold Luster and sprinkles, creating rich tones and a pop of New Years color without artificial dyes.

1. Attach a large star or rosette piping tip to your pastry bag. Fill your bag with buttercream frosting. Pipe a swirly border around the outer edge of the cookie cake. 
   •    Tip: Feel free to use full creativity and decorate to your liking!
2. Add gold or other sprinkles for a pop of color and true New Year’s look.
3. Pipe a small dollop of frosting in the back of your cake topper or cookie sign and carefully place in the center of your cake. 
   •    Tip: You can also color a portion of your buttercream frosting with Chefmaster Natural Black Liqua-gel© food coloring and pipe a message if you prefer).
4. Place your decorated cookies (or any other decorations) on the buttercream border around the edge of your sugar cookie cake. 
   •    Tip: check out our Holiday Vanilla Sugar Cookies recipe to make delicious cutout sugar cookies that hold their shape during baking. Use Chefmaster Royal Icing Mix, Chefmaster Natural Black liqua-gel© food coloring, Chefmaster Natural Brown liqua-gel© food coloring and Chefmaster Metallic Gold Airbrush food coloring to decorate your cookies as on the inspiration photo for this recipe.

Decorating Tips 

• Fully cool the cookie cake before adding any toppings.
• Use a firm buttercream or frosting base to secure cookies.
• Keep heavier cookie toppers toward the center for stability.
• Natural colors deepen slightly as they dry, so plan accordingly.