Gluten Free Easter Cookie Cake with Cadbury Mini Eggs

My Gluten Free Easter Cookie Cake is a cute addition to any Easter Celebration and a delicious way to use up any leftover Cadbury Mini Eggs you may have. This giant gluten-free cookie is packed with chopped mini eggs and white chocolate and finished with a luscious cream cheese topping and a sprinkle of colorful sprinkles. The cookie is soft and tender with a little crunch from the Cadbury Mini Eggs. This simple dessert is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I tested this Easter Cookie Cake Recipe with my own Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour Blend and Bob’s Red Mill 1 – to 1. Both flours worked very well in this recipe. This does not mean other brands will not work in this recipe. (It's a very forgiving recipe) I just have not tested them in this application. Flour blends used to develop this do contain xanthan gum. If you use a blend without xanthan gum, please add ½ teaspoon.

White Chocolate: I tested this recipe with Ghiradelli Classic White Premium Baking Chip as well as a chopped-up white chocolate bar. Whatever white chocolate you use, make sure it is high-quality white chocolate. If white chocolate isn't your thing, feel free to use dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips instead.

Cadbury Mini Eggs:  I prefer the Milk Chocolate variety of the Cadbury Mini Eggs for this recipe. You will need an entire bag for those cookies. If you do not have Mini Eggs, I recommend using Easter M&M's or whatever gluten-free candy your heart desires. And yes - Cadbury Mini Eggs are gluten-free!

Cream Cheese: I use full-fat cream cheese in the frosting, the block kind. My brand of choice is Philadelphia which is gluten-free according to the Kraft-Heinz website. I always recommend checking the packaging or the manufacturer’s website to ensure the products used are celiac-safe.

How to line a cake pan for a Cookie Cake

I like to use a 9" round cake pan to make this gluten-free cookie cake. You can also use a 9" springform pan which makes the removal of the baked and fully cooled cookie cake a lot easier. While you can purchase specific cake pan liners via Amazon, it's very easy to make them at home. All you need is a piece of parchment paper, a Sharpie, and a ruler.

Step 1: Trace a 9" circle on the piece of parchment paper using the cake pan as a guide. Cut out the circle. You should have some spare parchment paper left which should be wide and long enough to cut a stripe of parchment.

Step 2: Spray the cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and lay the strip of parchment paper across the pan, leaving equal amounts of parchment paper on both sides. Those sides will help remove the cookie cake without having to turn it upside down.

Step 3: Spray the cake pan again with nonstick spray and place the parchment paper circle on the bottom of the cake pan.

How to make an Easter Cookie Cake

Making the dough for the cookie cake is pretty straightforward. I recommend using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to make the dough. Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature which will be making the cookie cake dough so much easier.

Step 1: Line a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and set it aside. In a separate bowl sift together the gluten-free multi purpose flour, baking soda, and kosher salt.

Step 2: To break up the Cadbury Eggs, take your large bladed knife, place the flat side down on top of the Cadbury Mini Eggs, and press it down. The eggs will break up into small pieces perfect for this Gluten Free Easter Cookie Cake. Alternatively, place the Cadbury Mini Eggs in a sturdy plastic bag, ensuring it's sealed properly to avoid any mess. Use a rolling pin to crush or roll over the Mini Eggs inside the bag until you achieve the desired level of chopping.

Step 3: In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the room temperature butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar, and beat at medium speed for 4-5 minutes until fluffy and pale. Halfway through, pause to scrape the bowl and beater with a flexible rubber spatula.

Step 4: With the mixer running on low, add the two eggs and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides.

Step 5: Add the dry ingredients to the butter-egg mixture. Mix until just blended in. Add the chopped easter candy and white chocolate chips and mix until a cookie dough has formed.

Step 5: Transfer the gluten-free cookie dough to the prepared cake pan and press into an even layer. The easiest way to do this is using clean hands. If you like, top the dough with some additional chocolate chips and mini cadbury chocolate eggs.

Step 6: Place the cookie dough in the fridge while the oven preheats to 350F. Allowing the cookie dough to chill for 10-15 minutes gives the gluten-free flour time to hydrate and will give the easter cookie cake a better structure. At this point, the cookie cake can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Step 7: Once the oven is preheated, bake the cookie at 350F for 24-26 minutes until the top is golden brown and feels firm. I prefer a slightly underbaked than an overbaked cookie cake.

Step 8: Remove the gluten-free cookie from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely in the pan before frosting.

Small Batch Cream Cheese Frosting

Make sure the unsalted butter and the cream cheese are at room temperature. Especially the cream cheese or you will end up with lumps of cream cheese in the frosting.

Step 1: In the bowl of the stand mixer or a large bowl combine the unsalted butter, powdered sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt. Mix for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Make sure to start the mixer at a low speed or there will be powdered sugar coating your kitchen counter.

Step 2: Add the room-temperature cream cheese and vanilla extract and beat until you have a smooth, creamy thick cream cheese frosting. Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula to make sure there are no pockets of sugar or butter on the bottoms of the bowl.

Step 3: Transfer the cream cheese frosting to a piping bag fitted with a standard piping tip and decorate the fully cooled Gluten Free Easter Cookie Cake.

Step 4: To decorate the gluten free easter cookie cake, carefully transfer the fully cooled cake from the cake pan to a serving platter. If the cake seems to be soft, a quick chill (10-15 minutes) in the freezer can do wonders. Make sure to remove the parchment on the bottom of the cake.

Step 5: Pipe the cream cheese frosting around the edges of the giant cookie cake - like a circle. Sprinkle them with your favorite gluten-free sprinkles and additional chopped-up mini eggs if you like. Allow the frosting to set up for 10-15 minutes in the fridge before serving. If you like, you can also top the entire top of the cake with frosting.

Storage & Freezing

This Mini Cadbury Cookie Cake keeps for 2-3 days at room temperature when stored in an airtight container. If your kitchen is on the warmer side, I recommend storing it in the fridge and allowing it to come to room temperature before serving.

If you decide to freeze this giant easter cookie with frosting, make sure to store it in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature when ready to eat.

To freeze the plain easter cookie cake, remove it from the cake pan and wrap it with plastic wrap, Then place it in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before decorating and serving.

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