WholeHearted Home: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Have you ever made a chocolate chip cookie-cake?

I make a cake for my children each year for their birthday. I wonder how many cakes I have made over the years?

This year, I am made a Chocolate Chip Cake for my youngest son's birthday.. I made this once or twice for my oldest son when he still lived at home.

Making a cake is a gift from me to my children. It has been worth the work (and even stress at times) because of their appreciation of the celebration.

What do you do for your children's birthday? We rarely have a 'birthday party' other than with just our immediate little family (OK nine people isn't a small family!!)

How to Bake in the Kitchen

When my daughter bakes, she occasionally comes up with a dire emergency finding she is missing a very necessary ingredient!! When you live 7 miles from the closest store, and gas is higher than $3.50 a gallon, you sure try to avoid a kitchen crisis!!

I've been there, done that!!

Here are some tips to avoid finding out you NEEDED an ingredient YESTERDAY when you were out shopping!!

Keep a running grocery list on a clipboard on the fridge.

Don't expect your diligent children (no matter what their age) to conscientiously record what they used. Make sure YOU add the needed items.
Get ALL the ingredients OUT and set them on the counter!! I can't stress this enough!! Do you know how many emergency trips to the store this would have saved me over the years (not to mention abandoned baking when a trip to the store was impossible?!)

When making a cake or cookies, mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl so someone doesn't get a horrible bite of a clump of baking soda in that otherwise delicious cake!!

As you add each ingredient, PUT THE ITEM AWAY!! That way, you won't wonder if you added the salt, or sugar, or whatever. This is to become a HABIT. Habits take time to form with CONSISTENCY!!
When making a cake, take the time to sift your flour as it will render a smoother consistency.
Clean-as-you-Go!! Wipe the counters with that clean rag you kept handy. Do the dishes BEFORE starting another project.
Baking isn't the time for multi-tasking!! Proceed with caution here!!

I took the batter out of the mixing bowl and kneaded it on the counter just long enough to make sure the chocolate chips were evenly distributed.

Then I divided it into three since I am making a three-layer-cake.

I put the cake pans onto the same shelf in the pre-heated stove so the heat will cook them evenly and not one more than another.

I don't know what my dear husband would say if I spilled flour or some gooey mass onto my laptop's keyboard!! I don't know what yours would say either!! So BE CAREFUL if you keep recipes on Pinterest or Plan to Eat. My husband never thought twice about spills on my cookbooks but spills on my high-techy-cookbook will cause me to work tripple-time on my Love Dare!!

Here is my Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake