Looking for a unique and fun dessert idea for a birthday or anniversary? This shortbread alphabet cookie cake is filled with layers of strawberry swiss meringue buttercream, then topped with elegant berries and mint leaves.
I've been obsessed with these number and letter cookie cakes for a long time. They're elegant, yet don't require as much decoration as a typical layer cake.
This cookie can be completely customized to the occasion you're making it for. Whether you need a special birthday cake or an anniversary dessert to celebrate a monumental year, this is the perfect recipe.
There are many different color themes and fruits you can pull inspiration from to make this letter cookie cake match your personal style.
Plus, if you're new to baking, this is a great dessert to start on! You'll learn some new baking techniques without being too overwhelmed.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- How to make a rich and creamy swiss meringue buttercream. Don't worry if you mess up because it's your first time making this buttercream. There are troubleshooting steps to help you out along the way.
- The formula to make a shortbread cookie - it's so simple and it only requires a few ingredients.
- The best way to effortlessly decorate a cookie cake.
Want to learn more about baking? Download my free guide to level up your baking skills. This guide has 10 secrets to instantly becoming a better baker.
Alphabet Cookie Cake Template
For this letter cookie cake, you can customize the shortbread by cutting it into whatever letter you want! In order to help you cut an even letter each time, download this template to help you out.
All you need to do is print out the template, cut it out, and use it as a guide while cutting the dough.
Ingredients You Need
Shortbread Cookie
There are only three main ingredients you'll need to make a shortbread cookie: one part granulated sugar, two parts unsalted butter, and four parts all-purpose flour. Plus, we'll also add in some salt and vanilla extract for flavor.
Since there are so few ingredients, be sure to accurately measure. If possible, use a digital food scale and measure the ingredients by weight rather than by volume.
If you don't have a scale, one of the most important ingredients to correctly measure is flour. To do this, first, fluff up the flour. Then, gently spoon the fluffed-up flour into a measuring cup with a spoon, and level off the top by removing the excess flour with a knife.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
We're using swiss meringue buttercream to decorate this cookie cake. This is a type of buttercream that's thick, creamy from all the butter, and less sweet than American buttercream.
The main ingredients in swiss meringue buttercream are egg whites, granulated sugar, and butter. We're also going to add salt, vanilla extract, and seedless strawberry jam to provide flavor.
Don't forget to check out my article about the different types of meringue and how they're used in baking.
Decorations
For this letter cookie cake, I like to use fresh berries for decoration. In the summertime, my favorite berries are strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
If you're making this in the winter, you can switch these toppings up for other fruits such as candied cranberries, orange segments, or dried fruit.
I also like to add a pop of green with fresh mint leaves.
How To Make This Recipe
Let me teach you how to make a letter cake. I'll break each step down so this recipe is easy to follow.
Make the Shortbread Cookie
The first task is to make the shortbread cookie.
1. Start out by beating butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. The butter needs about 2 - 3 full minutes to become light and fluffy. Many home cooks don't cream butter long enough, so don't cut this time short.
2. Add the flour and salt into the creamed butter, and mix on low speed. We want a tender cookie, so mix just until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated and you have a smooth dough.
3. Since we're making two different layers (a top and bottom), I like to separate the dough ahead of time to make rolling it out easy. Divide the dough in half, then shape it into a rectangle and wrap it in plastic wrap.
Allow the dough to chill and firm up in the refrigerator for about 60 - 75 minutes. This makes the dough a lot easier to handle.
4. Meanwhile, while the dough is chilling, print and cut out your letter template of choice.
Once the dough has firmed up remove it from the refrigerator. Generously sprinkle flour on a clean work surface, as well as on each side of the dough.
Then, roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about the size of a piece of paper (8.5 x 11 inches). Lay the letter template on top of the rolled out dough.
5. You can cut the dough into as big or as small of a letter as you'd like. The template is just a guide to help you. I'd suggest figuring out what size serving platter you'll serve the letter cake on, and then cut it accordingly.
Use a sharp paring knife to cut around the template. Remove any excess dough around the letter, then use two spatulas to carefully transfer the letter cookie to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Repeat with the other piece of dough, then place the cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for 18 - 22 minutes. When the letter cookies are done baking, they should be lightly golden brown around the edges.
Make the Swiss Meringue Buttercream
While the cookies cool on the baking sheet, it's time to tackle the strawberry-flavored swiss meringue buttercream.
6. Give your stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment a quick wipe down with some white vinegar on a paper towel. This gets rid of any oil residue that might be left on the mixer. Oil will ruin your meringue, so it's best not to skip this quick step.
7. Next, fill a medium-sized saucepan with a couple inches of water, and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
Whisk the egg whites and granulated sugar together in a heat-proof bowl. Once the water is simmering, place the egg mixture on top.
8. Stirring constantly, heat until the mixture reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. The eggs will slowly cook and turn white during this process. The sugar in the meringue should be dissolved once it reaches 160°F.
9. Once the egg and sugar mixture has reached temperature, transfer to the stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until the egg whites reach stiff peaks and the mixing bowl is no longer warm to the touch.
10. To ensure your meringue is at the correct consistency, pull out the whisk. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip). You'll also know it's ready because you can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out.
11. Next, it's time to add the butter. This is what gives swiss meringue buttercream a rich, silky smooth taste. With the mixer running on medium speed, add in one cube of butter at a time, allowing the butter to fully incorporate before adding in another cube.
Once all of the butter has been added, beat in strawberry jam, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat the mixture together for two minutes on low speed to ensure everything is incorporated.
At this stage, you may notice the buttercream can become curdled or runny. If this happens, check out the recipe notes below for helpful troubleshooting steps.
12. Because the buttercream has so much air incorporated from the mixer, we need to deflate it. This helps the buttercream pipe smoothly, without any air bubbles.
Deflate the buttercream by hand using a rubber spatula. Press the buttercream around the side of the mixer bowl.
13. Now it's time to fill the piping bag. I like using a large glass to make the process easy and clean. First, grab your piping bag and fit it with a round tip (I used Wilton 2A).
Push part of the side of the piping bag into the piping tip to ensure nothing leaks out. Set the bag inside a tall glass, and pull the remaining top of the piping bag out over the outside of the glass. Finally, pour the buttercream into the piping bag.
14. Once the buttercream is in the piping bag, you're ready to start piping it onto the letter cookie cake. I like to pipe dollops of buttercream in a row along the cookie until the whole cookie top is covered.
15. Then, place the second cookie on top of the buttercream.
16. Pipe additional dollops of buttercream onto the top layer of the cookie. Try to keep this one neat, since it will be the top of the cookie cake that everyone will see.
Decorate the Cookie Cake
17. Finally, it's time to finish the recipe by decorating the top layer. Place an assortment of blackberries, blueberries, mint leaves, raspberries, and strawberries on top of the buttercream.
Use your imagination and creativity to come up with a design that you love. I like to vary the colors that are placed next to each other.
Once you're done decorating, you can serve immediately or gently cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for up to 8 hours.
Expert Tips
- There is no need to have the egg whites at room temperature when you're making the swiss meringue buttercream. Since we're heating the egg whites with granulated sugar, you can just use cold eggs straight from the fridge.
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature. You don't want it too soft, just right at room temperature. The temperature of the butter will help you achieve the correct final texture in the buttercream and shortbread cookie.
- Are you having a hard time transferring the cookie over to the serving platter to decorate? Try placing it on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer until it firms up. This will encourage the cookie not to break as easily.
- This dessert is best served at room temperature because there is so much butter in both the cookie and the swiss meringue buttercream. If you decide to store the cookie in the fridge for a bit, allow it to come back up to room temperature before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Don't waste these! You can cut them out into any shape you want and bake them up. These cookies would be delicious dipped or drizzled with chocolate. Or, use a bit of the leftover swiss meringue buttercream to spread on top.
Yes, you can make the dough up to 5 days ahead of time. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake.
If the cookie dough is too tough to roll out, let it sit on the counter until it warms up a bit.
Absolutely! You can bake the cookie up to two days ahead of time. Just make sure to tightly wrap the cooled cookie in plastic wrap and keep at it room temperature until you're ready to assemble.
Shortbread cookie dough is known for being a bit crumbly. If it cracks or breaks while you're rolling it out, just push it back together with your hands.
If the cookie cracks while you're trying to transfer to assemble it, don't worry. Mine has done this too. Just push it back together and pipe some frosting over it. Nobody will ever know!
This is really common, especially if you're making swiss meringue buttercream in the summer. To help prevent this make sure the butter isn't too soft. You want it right at room temperature, but not melty or runny.
If you still notice the buttercream not whipping up (staying soupy or runny), place the entire mixing bowl in the refrigerator (no need to cover it) for 20 minutes to cool down. Make sure not to leave it in the fridge for longer than 20 minutes or the butter will start to harden. Then, place it back on the stand mixer and beat it on medium speed for an additional two minutes.
If your meringue starts to become curdled when you add in the butter, don't worry! This is normal for many types of buttercream. Allow the meringue to continue mixing with the butter for a few additional minutes.
If it still looks curdled (the egg whites are separated from the butter), it's likely because the butter wasn't room temperature and it's too cold. To fix this, take ½ cup of the buttercream mixture and heat it in the microwave just until it's melted (not boiling). Turn the mixer on medium speed, and slowly stream in the melted buttercream mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and allow it to beat for an additional 2 minutes.
Sure! If you're not a fan of strawberries, you can omit the jam altogether, or replace it with a different flavor. Just be sure the jam is seedless so your buttercream has a nice texture.
I would not recommend assembling the cookie very far ahead of time, otherwise, it will get soggy. You can assemble the cookie 8-12 hours before it's served.
More Summer Dessert Recipes
Don't forget to try out some of my other favorite summer desserts including:
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Shortbread Letter Cookie Cake With Berries
Equipment
- silicone baking mats or parchment paper
- piping bag round tip (Wilton 2A)
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookie
- 452 grams (4 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 198 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 5 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 600 grams (5 cups) all-purpose flour
- 3 grams (¾ teaspoon) fine sea salt
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 113 grams (about 4) egg whites
- 225 grams (1 ⅛ cups) granulated sugar
- 255 grams (2.25 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature, cubed into 1 inch pieces
- 150 grams (½ cup) seedless strawberry jam
- 7 grams (½ tablespoon) vanilla extract
- 1 gram (¼ teaspoon) fine sea salt
Decorations
- blackberries
- blueberries
- fresh mint leaves
- raspberries
- strawberries
Instructions
For the Shortbread Cookie
- Add butter, sugar, and vanilla extract to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as necessary.
- Add in flour and salt, then mix on low speed just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and you have a smooth dough. Shape the dough into two equal rectangles, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 60-75 minutes until the dough is firm.
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Remove dough from the refrigerator. Generously sprinkle flour on a clean work surface as well as on each side of the dough. Roll out one piece of dough into a large 8.5 inch (22 cm) x 11 inch (28 cm) rectangle, about ½ inch (1.2 cm) thick. Print and cut out your letter cookie template of choice. Place the letter template in the middle of the dough, then cut along the outside of the template using a sharp paring knife. Remove excess dough. Gently place the dough on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Repeat with the other piece of dough.
- Bake cookies for 18-22 minutes, flipping the baking sheets halfway through the cooking process until cookies are lightly golden brown around the edges. Allow to completely cool on the baking sheet.
For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Prepare a stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment by wiping down with some white vinegar on a paper towel. This will remove any oils that may be left on the equipment that can ruin the meringue.
- Fill a medium saucepan with a couple of inches of water. Place over medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Hand whisk egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof bowl that can sit on top of the saucepan without touching the water (like a bain marie). Heat the egg mixture over the simmering water, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
- Once the egg and sugar mixture has reached temperature, transfer to the stand mixer bowl. Whip on high speed until the egg whites reach stiff peaks and the mixing bowl is no longer warm to the touch. To test the meringue stiffness, pull the whisk out. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip). You'll also know it's ready because you can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out. Make sure not to overbeat the meringue at this stage.
- With the mixer running on medium speed, add in one cube of butter at a time, allowing the butter to fully incorporate before adding in another cube. Once all the butter has been added, the buttercream should be light and smooth. Beat in strawberry jam, vanilla extract, and salt. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients get incorporated and allow the mixture to beat for an additional two minutes on low speed. If at any point your buttercream becomes runny or curdled, see troubleshooting notes below.
- Deflate the buttercream by hand using a rubber spatula. Press the buttercream around the side of the mixer bowl. Continue until most of the air bubbles have disappeared. This helps the buttercream pipe smoothly.
- Prepare a piping bag with a round tip (Wilton 2A). Push part of the side of the piping bag into the piping tip to ensure nothing leaks out. Set the bag inside a tall glass, and pull the remaining top of the piping bag out over the outside of the glass to make filling the piping bag easy and clean. Pour the buttercream into the piping bag.
For the Decorations
- To assemble the cake, place one cookie on the serving tray. Pipe dollops of buttercream in a row along the cookie until the whole cookie top is covered in buttercream. Place the second cookie on top of the buttercream piped cookie, and check that everything is even using a ruler. Repeat by piping another layer of buttercream on top of the second cookie.
- Decorate the top layer of buttercream with blackberries, blueberries, mint leaves, raspberries, and strawberries. Serve immediately or gently cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for up to 8 hours.
Notes
If it still looks curdled (the egg whites are separated from the butter), it's likely because the butter wasn't room temperature and it's too cold. To fix this, take ½ cup of the buttercream mixture and heat it in the microwave just until it's melted (not boiling). Turn the mixer on medium speed, and slowly stream in the melted buttercream mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and allow it to beat for an additional 2 minutes.
Aurora
Just made this for my mother in law's birthday and she loved it! Such good flavors and absolutely beautiful when it all comes together!
Stephanie
How do you pick up the second letter without breaking it?
Jessica Mode
I used two spatulas and picked the cookie up from both ends. If you have a friend to help, that would probably make it easier 🙂