Hi, Barbies!

I hope everyone had a spectacularly pink weekend! I obviously spent most of mine holed up in an AMC with a group of my besties, gorging ourselves on popcorn and enjoying—a gross understatement—the movie event of the year (decade? century?)… BARBENHEIMER!!!

The theater was absolutely brimming with gaggles of girlies decked out in platforms; bows; and, of course, pink! Cliques were greeting one another with a cacophony of “Hi Barbie”s, before settling into their seats for the nearly five hour double feature. Knowing we’d need a few sugar rushes to keep us energized through the runtime, I decided to develop a sweeeeeeeet recipe inspired by Barbie herself.

I thought long and hard about what would be best, ranking desserts based on how powerful their Barbiecore vibes were. Ultimately, the battle was won by the sickly sweet (a compliment), artificially vibrant (also a compliment) Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies. Knowing they can be divisive, I set out to make my own version with some changes that would make them undeniable.

I’m a big fan of the OGs, but boy, oh boy (read: Barbie, oh Barbie) can they be drrrrrry. I have never not needed approximately 1,959 gallons of water to wash down the gluey mess they leave in my mouth. I’m not complaining—it’s all part of the experience—BUT I do think there is room for improvement, so I did moisten up the crumb a bit for a more pleasurable eating experience. I also decided to convert the whole thing into a cookie cake recipe, for something a little more celebratory!

As far as flavors go, I decided to keep the classic vanilla vibes, but rounded it out using a bit of lemon zest and almond extract. To really make sure it looked like something out of Barbieland, I decked it out by dying the frosting pink—to all the anti-food-dye folks out there… learn how to have a little fun, please—and covering it in sprinkles, also pink, duh!

I have to say they were the perfect treat to keep us buzzing throughout what was perhaps a perfect day.

I won’t say too much about the movies, but what I will say is… BAKE THIS! GET YOUR ASS TO THE THEATER! AND ENJOY THE CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME!

Lord knows I’ll be back again this week to rewatch them both so… see you at the movies!

xx,
Ian

Fluffy Sugar Cookie Cake

Yield: One 9-inch cookie cake

Ingredients:

For cookie cake

2 cups (256g) all purpose flour
3 tbsp (24g) cornstarch
1 tsp (4g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt*
1/2 tsp (2g) baking powder
1 tsp (2g) lemon zest from about half of a lemon
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
8 tbsp (1 stick/113g) softened butter
1 large (50g) egg
1 tbsp (12g) pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp (1g) pure almond extract
1/4 cup (58g) buttermilk

For the frosting

8 tbsp (1 stick/113g) softened butter
2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
1 tsp (4g) pure vanilla extract
Gel food coloring, for coloring
Sprinkles, for decorating

Directions:

Preheat your oven and prep your pan: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan with neutral oil, and line with parchment paper.
Whisk together your dry ingredients: In a medium sized bowl whisk together your flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt.
Make your dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer massage your lemon zest into your granulated sugar until it resembles wet sand. Add in your butter and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add in your egg, and vanilla and almond extracts and beat on medium high for an additional 2-3 minutes. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly drizzle in your buttermilk. Turn the mixer back up to medium and beat until combined, 1 minute. Add in your dry ingredients and pulse the mixeruntil they are fully incorporated.
Bake: Transfer the dough to your prepared pan and spread into an even layer using an offset spatula. Place on the middle rack of your oven and bake until fully golden and slightly puffed, 33-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Make your frosting: While the cake cools, make the frosting. Add your second stick of butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high until it is lighter in color. Add your powdered sugar into the mixer (put a towel over it to prevent turning your kitchen into a winter wonderland) and pulse the mixer a few times to incorporate. Once combined, beat on high until white in color and light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add in your vanilla and desired food coloring and beat until combined, 1 minute.
Decorate: When the cookie cake is fully cooled, spread your frosting in an even layer over the top. Decorate with tons of sprinkles. Cut and serve. Leftover cookie cake will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for 4-5 days.