When I was growing up in the Philippines, there was a bakeshop called Cookie Monster Bake Shop. They were famous for their delicious chocolate cake. The moist and tender cake wasn’t overly sweet, but it was the perfect base for the yema-like filling inside it and the rich chocolate frosting that covered it. My Mom tried to imitate their cake and came up with this recipe which tastes very similar to Cookie Monster’s. Mom would fill it with her coffee-scented mocha filling, and frost it with her silky chocolate icing. Our family called this Cookie Monster Chocolate Cake, but I honestly think my Mom’s version was better than the bake shop’s.
I hope you don’t mind the odd format. Out of nostalgia, I decided to type out the recipe the same way my Mom had it written in her old, stain-spattered recipe notebook. Read it all the way to the end before starting so you can gather all your ingredients together.
MOM’S COOKIE MONSTER CHOCOLATE CAKE
1. Grease bottom and sides of two 9×13 rectangular baking pans. Line bottoms with parchment or waxed paper.
2. Sift into a large bowl and mix together well:
- 3 cups flour
- 3 cups sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
3. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, bring to a boil:
- 1½ cups water
- 1½ stick margarine
- ¾ cup canola oil
4. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Add, but don’t mix till all ingredients are in:
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp. baking soda (mashed in small bowl to remove lumps)
- 1½ tsp. vanilla
6. Blend thoroughly and pour into prepared pans.
7. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Turn cakes out onto wire racks to cool. Carefully peel off parchment paper. The cakes will seem rather flat. That’s because my Mom baked the cake in two pans instead of baking it in one pan and then having to split that big cake in half to make two layers. Don’t worry. After you stack one layer on top of the other with the filling in between, it will be fine.
9. When cakes are completely cool, fill with Mom’s Mocha Filling and frost with Mom’s Chocolate Icing.
MOM’S MOCHA FILLING
1. In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan and using a wire whisk, whisk together:
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tbsp. flour
- 1 tsp. instant coffee
- 1 can (12 ozs.) evaporated milk
2. Place saucepan over low heat and add:
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter or margarine
3. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly to keep it from burning. This burns fast so watch carefully!
4. Keep cooking till mixture begins to bubble; then let boil for 3-5 minutes, all the while stirring slowly and continuously with the wire whisk.
5. Remove from fire and allow to cool completely before using. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the top of the filling, or stir it constantly while it’s cooling to prevent a skin from forming on the top.
MOM’S CHOCOLATE ICING
1. Using a wire whisk, mix together in a small, heavy-bottom saucepan:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1½ cups cocoa powder
- 2 cans (12 ozs. each) evaporated milk
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.
3. In a small bowl, beat:
- 6 egg yolks
4. When chocolate mixture just begins to boil, pour one-third of it into the bowl with the beaten egg yolks and mix well. This tempers the yolks which keeps them from turning into scrambled eggs.
5. Pour yolk mixture back into saucepan and combine with the rest of the chocolate mixture.
6. Return to flame and add:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
7. Keep cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes back to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to low and continue simmering, stirring till mixture reaches spreading consistency.
9. Cool completely before frosting cake. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the top of the frosting, or stir it constantly while it’s cooling to prevent a skin from forming on the top.
Pinky's Pantry 
Can you specify the size/volume of “1 can evaporated milk”? Thank you.
Thank you for asking. It’s 12 ounces. Pretty much that’s the only size we get where I live so I tend to forget that there are other sizes available out there. I’ll specify it in the ingredients list.
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I thinkbi know this bakeshop. It is called Sans Rival now and it is very famous in Dumaguete. They still serve the cookie monster cake and I always order that everytime i visit Dumaguete. Thank you for the recipe, I’ve always wanted to make one when Im in Manila
Can I substitute butter for margarine? If so, how much butter?
Yes, you can substitute butter for margarine. It would be the same amount.
Will it be taste the same if I half the recipe?
I believe so. I usually make this cake for get-togethers or family gatherings so I haven’t tried halving the recipe myself. But I don’t see any reason why the taste would change if you’re cutting it exactly in half. You’ll have to let me know how it turned out if you try it.
Hi! I am thinking of using 2 round 9inch pans instead as I only have 1 9×13 rectangular pans. There will be an excess, right? Perhaps I can use instead the excess in an 8inches square pan and split into half to make two layers of 4x8inches. Also can I use vegetable oil instead of canola oil? Thanks!
Yes, I think you’ll have excess if you use two 9-inch round pans. Maybe you can try making half a recipe? I’ve never done it myself so I’m not 100% sure but doesn’t one 9×13 pan equal two 9-inch pans? As far as the oil, you can absolutely substitute vegetable for the canola. It won’t make a difference to the recipe.
What do you call the beige color filling of mom’s cookie monsters choco cake?
Thank you.
Hi Editha, my mom just called it mocha filling.
What kind of flour do you use? All-purpose flour is fine? Thanks!
Hi Jem, yes, the recipe uses all purpose flour.
Hi! What brand of cocoa do you use for this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Nina and Andrea, my mom used to use Hershey’s Cocoa, but you can really use any brand you like. I sometimes use Ghirardelli brand if that’s what I have in my pantry.
Hello! What brand of cocoa do you use?
Can the filling be made 24 hours in advance? What about the icing?
I’d like to make it for a group of ER doctors and nurses. I’d like to use a 9×13 pan or perhaps an 8×8. Will your recipe work in either of these pans? Or does the recipe have to be doubled? If doubled, would measurements be the same?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Cookie, both the filling and the icing can be made 24 hours in advance. You really want them to be cool anyway before you spread them on the cake. If you fill or ice the cake while the filling or icing is still hot, the filling/icing will just slide off the cake. By the same token, the cake also needs to be cooled to room temperature before you ice it. If your icing is cool but the cake is hot, the heat from the cake will melt the icing and the icing will still slide right off the cake. You want everything – cake, filling, and icing – to be cooled to room temperature so making it 24 hours in advance is fine.
So sorry. I need to learn how to read. I just noticed your recipe is for a 9×13 pans. Sigh.
I am still wondering if the filling and icing can be made in advance. Lastly, do you bake both pans at the same time for 35 minutes?
Hi Cookie, the cake batter is split into TWO 9×13 pans. When they’re baked, the cakes might seem a little thin but don’t worry. Once you stack one cake layer on top of the other with the filling in between, it’s fine.
I did forget to say that if you make the filling and icing 24 hours in advance, don’t place it in the fridge. It’ll become too hard to spread the next day. Press a piece of saran wrap on the top of the filling and another one on top of the icing. This will prevent them from forming a skin. Then just leave them sitting on your kitchen counter overnight. The next day, they should have cooled to room temperature and will be ready for spreading on the cake. If ever you feel that the icing is too stiff, you can always re-heat it just a tiny bit to make the consistency a little more spreadable.
Hello, thank you for this recipe. I am planning to make this soon. May i know what the consistency of the icing should be? Is it like a pourable glaze or like a thick ganache? I am asking so that I will know what to expect when Im making it. Thank you!
Not pourable. It’s like a thick ganache. You’ll definitely have to spread it on with a spatula.