Funfetti cheesecake cake layers baked right into a graham cracker crust, an eggless cookie dough filling, wrapped in an almond cream cheese buttercream, and topped with more cookie dough. This cake is perfect for making any celebration extra special!

As I was planning out my cakes for 2021, I knew I needed a fun cake to start everything off! After all, everyone has a birthday, and funfetti fits just about every birthday cake wish I can think of! It’s bright, cheery, and brings an element of celebration to the birthday table.

This cake is SO FUN! I loved creating it, and even more… eating it! I combined two of my favorite cakes into my new Funfetti Cookie Dough Cheesecake Cake (whew, that’s kind of a mouthful, but so is each bite of this cake ๐Ÿ˜‰ ). Cheesy jokes aside, I used elements from my Strawberry Cheesecake Cake, and my Funfetti Cookie Dough Cake from my cookbook Cake Confidence, to create this cake that just screams Let’s Celebrate!

Break it down

Each layer of this cake is something really special on it’s own, but put it all together and you have one really spectacular cake!

Funfetti Cheesecake Cake: I started with my cheesecake cake base (meaning, my white cake with cream cheese and cream cheese emulsion added right into the batter to make it taste like a cheesecake). Next, I added in the funfetti sprinkle element (always use rainbow jimmies, anything else will not give the cake that true funfetti look & flavor). I also tossed in a few mini chocolate chips for fun :).

Graham Cracker Crust: I LOVE adding crusts to my cake layers. I’ve done it with my S’mores Cake, Key Lime Pie Cake, Dirt Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake Cake, and so many others! For this one, I used graham crackers, brown sugar, and melted butter. The main tip for the crust is that you want it to be thick, but not super difficult to cut through. I think I’ve found a happy middle ground! The cake batter bakes right onto the graham cracker crust, so no need for a pre-bake!

TIP: Use the back of a flat measuring cup or bottom of a glass to get a flat even layer.

Eggless cookie dough: This recipe is a sneak from my cookbook! It uses zero eggs, and heat-treated flour for “Safety” (I put that in quotes because yall know darn well this gal will have herself some cookie dough with raw eggs & flour and all! ๐Ÿ™‚ For the balls on top, I just scooped them with my smallest cookie scoop, rolled them out, and then placed them on top. Next, for the filling, I used my 6″ cake pans and plastic wrap to shape the cookie dough discs into the perfect shape. Make sure to make the cookie dough discs smaller than your cake rounds. I did this by circling the discs in my cake pan (in a circular motion on my counter) to make them about 1/2 inch smaller on all sides. You can see the shape in the video below for more of a visual of what it’s supposed to look like.

Almond Cream Cheese Buttercream: OH man, what to say about this one…. it’s the BEST! I’ve used it on so many different cakes of mine and anyone who tries it says it’s their new favorite! The cream cheese and almond flavors were made for each other.

This buttercream is more of a soft buttercream (medium to soft consistency), so it’s not necessarily the best choice for piping, but it’s perfect for smooth sides and cakes like this one.

I left the edges more unfinished on top to keep with today’s trends, but you can always make them sharp with your cake scraper, cake knife, or discs on top.

Aaaaaaaaand I’d like to see you try to not eat these eggless cookie dough balls while making this cake. I feel like that was the hardest part! ๐Ÿ™‚

Here’s a little video to help with the assembly.

That’s it! I hope you enjoy all the fun elements of this cake! It was so fun to eat through the graham cracker crust, the soft funfetti cake, the thick cookie dough, and the gorgeous cream cheese buttercream! This cake is perfect for any kid’s birthday, or anyone who is still a kid at heart ๐Ÿ™‚ .

As always, if you loved making my cake, I’d love to hear about it! Make sure to tag me on @bakingwithblondie on Instagram or #bakingwithblondie so I can join in on the fun!

Happy Baking!

xo,

Mandy

Get the Recipe: Funfetti Cookie Dough Cheesecake Cake

Funfetti Cheesecake Cake Layers Baked into a Graham Cracker Crust, Cookie Dough Filling, Almond Cream Cheese Buttercream, Graham Cracker Crumble, and Cookie Dough Balls on Top!
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Ingredients
 

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 9 whole (large rectangle) graham crackers
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 9 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Funfetti Cheesecake Cake

  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 4 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
  • 1/4 cup rainbow jimmies
  • 1/8 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
  • 1 Tablespoon cream cheese emulsion, optional for even more cream cheese flavor
  • 1 box white cake mix, Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker will do

Eggless Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons milk
  • 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla
  • 2 cups heat-treated all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Almond Cream Cheese Buttercream

  • 2 sticks (or 1 cup) unsalted butter, left at room temp for 15 minutes
  • 1 brick (8 oz) cream cheese
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 6-8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream, optional – use only if needed for thinning consistency

Garnish

  • graham cracker crumbles for sides
  • rainbow jimmies for sides

Instructions
 

For the Graham Cracker Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees on convection bake, and prep three 6" cake rounds with a swipe of shortening and a dust of flour. Set aside.
  • In a food processor, pulse together the graham crackers, brown sugar, and melted butter until a crust forms. Split the crust between the prepared pans and press firm with the back of a flat measuring cup or a drinking glass bottom. Do not pre-bake. Set aside.

For the Funfetti Cheesecake Cake

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined and the cream cheese is dispersed evenly. Sift in the cake mix, then gently fold in the jimmies and chocolate chips.
  • Split batter evenly between the graham cracker cake rounds. Bake for 30-35 minutes until center is baked through.
  • Let cool in pan for 2 minutes, then flip out gently onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours before assembly.

Eggless Cookie Dough

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the milk, vanilla, and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
  • Add in the flour, chocolate chips, and jimmies and mix until just combined.
  • Split dough into two parts. With one half of the dough, make dough balls for the top of your cake. With the other half of the dough, form the dough into two disks that are smaller than your cake rounds. Depending on how thick you want your dough, press to that thickness. I used plastic wrap and a cake pan to help with this step. Place into the fridge to chill while baking your cake.

For the Almond Cream Cheese Buttercream

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter until it's light and fluffy. Add in the cream cheese and whip up again.
  • Add in the extracts and salt, then slowly add in the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time. This buttercream is naturally more loose than my regular ABC, so you may not need to add in the heavy cream to thin it out. If you do, add a teaspoon at a time and whip up. Whip up on high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Assembly

  • On a cardboard cake round on a cake turntable, add on a touch of buttercream to the center to act as glue for the cake round. Place down the first cake round. Add on the cookie dough layer, leaving space around the edge. Add on a buttercream rim and some on top. Repeat with remaining two cake layers. Crumb coat, freeze 5 minutes.
  • Add on a layer of buttercream and smooth the sides with a cake scraper. Add on some graham cracker crumbles on the bottom, and hand place on the cookie dough and sprinkles.
    Slice with a hot sharp knife when the cake is cold for clean slices. Enjoy!