New Classic Recipe

– RECIPES AND STORIES

David’s Childhood Favorite Birthday Cake

Rate this post

Hi there,

Last week was my son, David’s birthday.

When David was a child his favorite birthday cake was one of those chocolate chip pizza cakes that you bought at the mall. They don’t sell those cookies at the mall anymore, so I was forced to live up to my New Year’s resolution of improving my baking skills. And, as you can tell by the following picture, it is a good thing I have 12 months to practice. But, as homely as this cake looked, it was received with a smile and a thanks. And, it did taste pretty darn good.

The Charlie Brown Pizza Cookie

Ingredients

1 cup of butter softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (I used light brown)

1 8oz package cream cheese softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Line a 14 inch pizza pan with parchment paper, leaving a generous overlap at the sides

Cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar

Add the cream cheese, vanilla, and the eggs one at a time

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt

Add the flour mixture gradually to the cream mixture

Fold in the chocolate chips

Press into the pizza pan leaving an inch border empty for expansion of the dough when baked

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes

Cool completely

Move to a prepared pizza box (I saved. one from dinner delivery the other night)

Decorate or not

Thanks for taking the time to read and stay tuned for further adventures in baking.

←
→

46 responses to “David’s Childhood Favorite Birthday Cake”

  2. Darlene – British Columbia, Canada – Writer of children's stories, short stories and travel articles. https://twitter.com/#!/supermegawoman http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=201634059868404&id=631897250&ref=notif&notif_t=like#!/pages/Darlene-Foster-Writer/362236842733
    Darlene says:

    The cake looks great and I´m sure your son loved it. My son is a guitar player as well. He has a day job but plays in a band evenings and weekends. They are always our little boys.

    Reply

    • Hi Darlene, thanks for the encouragement. David has a day job also but his favorite thing is playing in bands. He plays in several. This photo is from his Johnny Cash Tribute Band.

      Reply
      • Darlene – British Columbia, Canada – Writer of children's stories, short stories and travel articles. https://twitter.com/#!/supermegawoman http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=201634059868404&id=631897250&ref=notif&notif_t=like#!/pages/Darlene-Foster-Writer/362236842733
        Darlene says:

        Todd is in a band he has been in forever but is also in a couple of others. He is the bass guitar player. A Johnny Cash Tribute Band would be awesome. Do you go to some of his gigs? When I go back to Canada I try to take in a performance if the timing is right. He always dedicates one song to me. (Once it was Elvis´s “That´s Alright Momma”) I think it is wonderful that both of these fellows are doing what they love.

      • We try to go to as many performances as we can. Now our grandson, Lucas, has taken up the guitar and loves it as much as his Dad. It is so nice for them.

  5. Good job! The cream cheese in the recipe caught my eye, and I’ll bet it gives the oversized cookie great structure. I have no doubt your son enjoyed and appreciated this, and it may have even been his favorite birthday cookie to date! 🍪

    Reply
  6. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. After many years of daily serving up of our local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class as the spirit moves me. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
    Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

    Ah! What a good mom! This looks like a lot of fun, and I’m sure was greatly appreciated.

    Reply
  7. Time Traveler of Life – Where my Motor Home is! – Biography Creating worlds, characters, and wielding power like a madwoman, making my characters happy, sad, angry, and some of them with no redeeming qualities. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I sometimes laugh out loud when I am writing a scene, and I have been known to cry when one of my favorites has to die. I am a left-handed Gemini, what do you expect? Reading bedtime stories to my two children until they fell asleep or until they just told me to go away, was fun. Making up wild stories for my grandchild, and creating Halloween costumes from Cowboys to a Dragon, was another favorite thing to do. I missed that so much when they were grown, that I started writing. My yearly newsletters frequently were drafted third-person by my Love Birds, Miranda our motorhome, and by Sir Fit the White Knight, our faithful Honda. Throughout the years, some of my creative talents centered around writing letters of complaint expressing my displeasure with services or products. One crucial, at least to my Son, was a note to our local school bus driver petitioning her to allow him back on the bus. He was kicked off for making an obscene gesture at his buddy. I reminded her that it was not directed at her, and that “obscenity can be in the eye of the beholder,” kids use that gesture as a greeting. He rode the bus until he graduated. I loved driving my English teacher crazy. Leaving a “continued next week” at the end of my five handwritten pages required each week. He was one of many people that suggested I “do something about my writing.” I graduated from the School of Hard Knocks at the top of my class. After 30 years, in the trenches as a Real Estate Professional, I have found that truth is stranger than fiction. My books are filled with characters I met in that profession. Their names were changed to protect the guilty. Others were from people we met traveling around the country in Miranda, our Motorhome. I am married nearly 60 years to the love of my life, Shirl, and partner-produced two exceptionally talented children, and one grandchild who is our pride and joy.
    Time Traveler of Life says:

    OH! What a wonderful alternative to the usual Birthday Cake, but in the case of my kids, I would have to make 2 or three.

    Reply
      • Time Traveler of Life – Where my Motor Home is! – Biography Creating worlds, characters, and wielding power like a madwoman, making my characters happy, sad, angry, and some of them with no redeeming qualities. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I sometimes laugh out loud when I am writing a scene, and I have been known to cry when one of my favorites has to die. I am a left-handed Gemini, what do you expect? Reading bedtime stories to my two children until they fell asleep or until they just told me to go away, was fun. Making up wild stories for my grandchild, and creating Halloween costumes from Cowboys to a Dragon, was another favorite thing to do. I missed that so much when they were grown, that I started writing. My yearly newsletters frequently were drafted third-person by my Love Birds, Miranda our motorhome, and by Sir Fit the White Knight, our faithful Honda. Throughout the years, some of my creative talents centered around writing letters of complaint expressing my displeasure with services or products. One crucial, at least to my Son, was a note to our local school bus driver petitioning her to allow him back on the bus. He was kicked off for making an obscene gesture at his buddy. I reminded her that it was not directed at her, and that “obscenity can be in the eye of the beholder,” kids use that gesture as a greeting. He rode the bus until he graduated. I loved driving my English teacher crazy. Leaving a “continued next week” at the end of my five handwritten pages required each week. He was one of many people that suggested I “do something about my writing.” I graduated from the School of Hard Knocks at the top of my class. After 30 years, in the trenches as a Real Estate Professional, I have found that truth is stranger than fiction. My books are filled with characters I met in that profession. Their names were changed to protect the guilty. Others were from people we met traveling around the country in Miranda, our Motorhome. I am married nearly 60 years to the love of my life, Shirl, and partner-produced two exceptionally talented children, and one grandchild who is our pride and joy.
        Time Traveler of Life says:

        That is so true. My kids love, love, love mu chocolate cake with fudge frosting.

  10. Jacqui Murray – Laguna Hills, CA. – Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Savage Land.
    Jacqui Murray says:

    That looks yummy, Bernadette–not kidding!

    Reply
  11. Chef Mimi – As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!
    chef mimi says:

    Great recipe! I have little cast iron pans that I thought would be cute to bake cookies in for my grand kids… and now I have a recipe!

    Reply

  12. Baking Betty Crocker brownies yesterday was as advanced as I can get. But yours looks good. Our malls have never stopped selling those, especially at the Great American Cookie, I believe. If they like it as a child, you’ve got to keep making it.

    Reply
  14. janetsm – North Carolina – I write North Carolina local history and Southern American colonial historical fiction. I enjoy doing extensive research as well as the writing that research supports. My stories and novels-in-progress are about the common people. I'm the author of Harrisburg, Did You Know? Cabarrus History, Books 1 and 2 and a vintage postcard book titled The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
    janetsm says:

    Looks and sounds good to me. Of course, anything with cream cheese in it sounds good to me! Just discovered your lovely blog today.

    Reply

  15. What FUN! I’d love to bake this for my grandkids (and still be around to see what they end up doing for joy when they’re adults, like your son with his music). i don’t have a pizza pan though. Can I just use a cookie sheet, or is it worthwhile to get a pizza pan? And Happy Birthday to your son!

    Reply

    • Hi there Pam, I bought a pizza pan to make this. They were only $6.00 at Home Goods. But, I don’t know if you have a home goods in your neighborhood. A couple of commenters said they were going to make it in a skillet. Thanks for reading and commenting and have a great weekend.

      Reply

      • Okay – off to get a pizza pan! 🙂

  16. D. Wallace Peach – 30 Miles beyond the edge of civilization, Oregon – I'm an adventurer in writing, peering under rocks in my garden for secret magic. I can't stop writing. My stories want to explode from my head. They demand my attention and surge from my fingertips faster than I can put them to paper. I love what I do.
    D. Wallace Peach says:

    That’s adorable, Bernadette. What a fun “cake.” I’m not a big fan of cake so a big pizza cookie would be wonderful. Happy Birthday to your son. He must have gotten a good laugh. Hugs.

    Reply
      • D. Wallace Peach – 30 Miles beyond the edge of civilization, Oregon – I'm an adventurer in writing, peering under rocks in my garden for secret magic. I can't stop writing. My stories want to explode from my head. They demand my attention and surge from my fingertips faster than I can put them to paper. I love what I do.
        D. Wallace Peach says:

        I’ll bet it was awesome. 🙂

  19. the Painted Apron – Life is all about creativity for me, as long as I'm creating something I am happy! I hope I will inspire your daily life and give you ideas for your own wonderful creations!
    the Painted Apron says:

    Who can resist a giant cookie cake! Sounds wonderful!
    Jenna

    Reply
  20. Retirement Reflections – Vancouver Island, BC – Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.
    Retirement Reflections says:

    Wht a wonderful cake. Happy Birthday to David!

    Reply

Any comments or suggestions are appreciated. If you like this recipe, please give it to your friends. Cancel reply

About

Privacy Policy

Terms & Conditions

Subscribe

Contact

Work with me

If you are interested in having your recipe and story featured on my blog, please contact me at newclassicrecipes@gmail.com

Blog at WordPress.com.