Name: Turkey Cookie Cake Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 34 min
Total time: 1 h 4 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1½ cups (285g) granulated sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract; 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon cream of tartar; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cold from the refrigerator; 2 1/2 cups (567g) powdered sugar; 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure vanilla extract; 2-3 teaspoons (10-15ml) heavy whipping cream or milk

Friends and family will adore this simple Turkey Cake with made a sugar cookie base and frosted with vanilla buttercream. Follow this simple tutorial to make the most adorable Thanksgiving dessert.

A cookie cake decorated with buttercream to look like a turkey on a plate surrounded with plates, napkin and utensils.

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookie Cake

I will be the first to admit that coming up with adorable and themed desserts really is not my forte, but I even impressed myself when I first saw my finished Turkey Cake.

This simple yet elegant design can be replicated at home following this step-by-step tutorial. I made this cookie cake using my favorite easy sugar cookie, but this design can be used to decorate cakes, brownies or cookie bars too.

Close up of a cookie cake decorated with buttercream to look like a turkey

Tools You’ll Need

18-inch or 12-inch Piping Bags
Large Open Round Tip– I used an Wilton 1A (You can use will similar sizes, Wilton 2A, Ateco 804 or similar) for the red and for the yellow, orange and brown I used Ateco 808 (5/8″ diameter opening). These piping tips can be found much cheaper in Craft stores or Walmart.
Small Piping Tips and Couplers– You’ll need a size 3 or size 5 tip to do the beak and leg details.
Americolor Gels or Wilton Gel Colors – the 12 pack starter kits have everything you need.
Angled spatula or knife
Printed Turkey Template – Template for 9-inch or Template for 8-inch Do not scale or shrink the templates when printing. The 9inch one will run off the page but that’s perfectly fine!
Toothpicks
Candy Eyes

Preparing to Make and Decorate the Cookie Cake

Prepare a base. This is a 9-inch sugar cookie cake, but you could also try this with chocolate chip cookies or any number of options I suggested below. Prepare in a springform pan, and cool completely.

Prepare the buttercream. This is my easy vanilla buttercream recipe. It starts with cold butter, which makes it the perfect consistency for piping.

Divide and color the buttercream: I used 4 colors for this design, and in the recipe card you’ll find exactly how much of each frosting color you’ll need. To color the frosting, start with just a drop of gel color. They are highly concentrated, and it’s easy to add more color than to adjust after you’ve added too much. Here’s a full tutorial for you on how to color buttercream.

a white bowl with frosting and some orange gel color

4 bowls with colored buttercream: yellow, brown, orange and red

Fill the piping bags: Since the yellow and orange use the same size piping tip, I used a double bag method. I filled the piping bags individually with buttercream and then used a third bag fitted with the piping tip. For the yellow, orange and brown, I used a Wilton 1A.

Following the double bag method allows you to easily wash the tip between colors without having to disassemble the piping bag. If you need a further explanation, here’s a full tutorial on how to use a piping bag.

Great now you are ready to start decorating!

How to Decorate a Turkey Cake

I am terrible with making sure things are evenly spaced, so I made this quick template (linked above and in the recipe card) which you can print and cut, then place over the cake. The feathers end right near the head, but you could also go lower if you prefer.

Place the template over the cookie and put toothpicks are the marker spots. Then remove the template, cut out the turkey body, and secure it to the cookie with toothpicks.

Paper template of a turkey design for a cake

Cookie cake with paper template and toothpicks

Pipe the first row. Starting with the yellow, pipe dots of frosting around the outside edge of the cookie. Apply the frosting with consistent pressure for the same size circles and pull straight up. Use the toothpicks to help guide the number of circles between each toothpick so you can replicate it on the other side.

Then use an angled spatula or the back of a spoon, and about 1/2 of the way up, apply gentle pressure and pull and drag the frosting inwards towards the center of the cookie.

Close up of dollops of yellow buttercream on a cookie cake

Close up of yellow buttercream pedal frosting technique on a cookie cake

Overhead view of a cookie cake with a row of yellow frosting on the outside

Pipe the second row. Starting about halfway up the first row, repeat the process, piping dots of yellow frosting all the way around the circle and then use the angled spatula to pull inwards.

Piping bag with yellow buttercream demonstrating a pedal technique on a cookie cake

Close up of yellow buttercream pedal frosting technique on a cookie cake with an angled spatula

Overhead shot of a cookie cake with yellow buttercream pedal frosting technique

Pipe the second color. Repeat the above steps with two rows of the orange color, using the same size piping tip as the yellow.

Overhead shot of orange and yellow buttercream frosting on a cookie cake demonstrating the pedal frosting technique

close up of orange and yellow buttercream frosting on a cookie cake demonstrating the pedal frosting technique

Overhead view of a cookie cake with a rows of yellow and orange frosting to make turkey feathers

Pipe the third color. As you get closer to the center of the cookie, where the body will be, you may find that you need to adjust the placement of the paper template so you can pipe the design. For the red, I used the same, Wilton 1A. I only did 1 one of red, but you could fit 2 rows if you did a tighter design.

Process shot of decorating a cake with a turkey design using yellow, orange and red buttercream with a template

Pipe the turkey. I found it helpful to again place the paper template very gently over the last layer of red buttercream to see how big the head should be. I used the large piping tip (Ateco 806 or 808) to make the head and body and then used the angled spatula to flatten and smooth.

Add the details: To finish it off I placed the candy eyes, and used leftover red and orange frosting, with a size 5 piping tip to draw the beak, the wattle and the feet.

How to Tell When The Cookie Cake is Done Baking

Deciding when to remove the cookie cake from the oven makes all the difference. If you pull it too early the center will be so underdone, and you may even notice it collapses in the center. If the top is browning, cover it with foil halfway through baking.

Check the top of the cake, does it still look wet or dark under the top layer? It’s not done yet. It’s okay if the middle of your cake is slightly underdone, that is what gives it a chewy texture, but you don’t want to majority of the cake to be underbaked. The below images show the difference in the cookie cake baked for 30 vs 35 minutes. The top one was pulled at 30 minutes and is very underdone.

two halves of a cookie cake cut in half to show the inside

What if I Don’t Have a Springform Pan?

Springform pans are the easiest because you can remove the edges of the pan, making it that much easier to remove the cookie. However, a cake pan will work, but you’ll want to generously grease the bottom and sides of the pan with shortening, and also line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking. You may need to run a knife around the outside edges to remove it.

Cookie Cake Alternatives

If cookie cakes aren’t your thing, you can use this on any type of cake.

Vanilla Layer Cake
Chocolate Layer Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars– this recipe can also be modified for a 9-inch springform pan
Brownies (baked in a 9-inch pan)
Vanilla Sheet Cake
Use a bag of cookie mix instead, but this may be much thinner than mine.

A plated slice of cookie cake with yellow, orange and red frosting

How to Prepare Ahead of Time

With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, you may find it easier to prepare a little bit in advance of serving.

Cookie Cakes (prep head): A freshly baked cookie cake will stay good for 3 days. If possible, make the cookie a day before decorating and serving.

Freezing Cookie Cakes: These will freeze well, so you can also prepare the cookie cake and freeze it for up to 1 month. Bake and cool, then wrap twice with plastic wrap and once more with aluminum foil. Thaw to room temperature before decorating.

Buttercream (prep ahead): A prepared buttercream can be refrigerated for 7 days. If preparing the buttercream in advance and storing it, I recommend not adding the gel colors, because the buttercream should be re-whipped before you use it. Keep stored in an airtight container and rebeat in the mixer for a minute or two until fluffy, then divide it out and color it.

Freezing buttercream: Buttercream can be frozen for up to 2 months. Place the buttercream in a freezer-friendly bag, and press it to the bottom of the bag, flatten and remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze. Alternatively, you could use an airtight container. Thaw to room temperature, rebeat it in the mixer for a couple of minutes, then divide it out and color it.

How to Store

A finished and frosted cookie cake should be kept in an airtight container, such a cake carrier for best results. It can be kept at room temperature as long as it’s not too hot or humid. If you live in a warm climate, consider storing it in the refrigerator and removing it a couple of hours before serving. It’s best served at room temperature.

To freeze the prepared cake, flash freeze on a sheet tray until the buttercream is frozen, then transfer to a pan and double wrap in plastic wrap. Thaw overnight.

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