If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will

Disney movies are actually pretty great for the animal rights movement.  Cute little anthropomorphized animals abound!  And the humans, they're so rotten!  Bambi's Mother - killed by hunters.  Dumbo's mother (well, and all the elephants) - imprisoned by the circus.  Tramp - thrown in the pound. Little Mermaid - humans! Eatin' the fishies! Nemo - shakin' up the fishies!  Dammit!

Today's film includes one of the best/worst Disney villains of all time:  Cruella De Vil!  That's right, we're jumping ahead a little in the chronology to visit One Hundred and One Dalmatians. 

What's that you say? Cute puppies everywhere? Why yes, please!

This is such a great movie. Roger, Pongo's human, is cute and charming. His rendition of the song "Cruella De Vil" is the best EVER.  And Cruella De Vil is monstrously evil. What a horrid woman! Who would ever think of making a coat out of any animal, let alone CUTE LITTLE PUPPIES??? Especially the chubby one. He's a dog after my own heart. OH, AND DID I MENTION THE PUPPIES???? My god, I want to drown in a dalmatian puppy avalanche, smelling their little frito-y feet.

 

I'll get you and your little dog, too!

Isn't he cute? Chubby chubby chubby Rolly!

Sexy, smoldering Roger (and Pongo)

Well instead, you need to revel in the glory that is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake.  It's not a dalmatian puppy avalanche, but good heavens is it tasty!

It's been birthday season at our house over the summer (three birthdays within a month and a half), so we have had some cake!  This one was so good we made it for two out of the three birthdays. And it's black and white (okay, more like brown and white), so it was definitely a winner to go along with One Hundred and One Dalmatians.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake
I saw this on Pinterest and knew I had to make it.  The original recipe had a cheescake layer, which I thought was unecessary given the cookie dough layer.  But do whatever floats your boat!

One 8 or 9" chocolate cake round, made from your favorite recipe (I used the chocolate cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
One 8 or 9" vanilla cake round, same as above, BUT add in about 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips prior to baking
One 8 or 9" Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough layer (recipe below)
One batch Cookie Dough Frosting (recipe below)

For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Layer:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cups white sugar
1 cup Earth Balance margarine, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
6 T. non-dairy milk

Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and stir in the margarine, vanilla, and non-dairy milk.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Line your cake pan with parchment paper or wax paper, enough so it goes up the sides.  Dump the cookie dough into the pan and use your hands to press it into a nice even layer. Throw it in the freezer until you are ready to assemble the cake.

For the Cookie Dough Frosting:
3/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
3/4 cup vegan shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 T. molasses
1 T. cocoa powder
pinch of salt

Cream the fats together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, and mix until well combined.  Add the remaining ingredients and beat until light and fluffy again. Optional:  Stir some additional chocolate chips into the frosting for that extra special touch!

When you are ready to assemble your cake, remove the Cookie Dough layer from the freezer and use it as the bottom layer.  You can spread it with a little shmear of frosting, but it's not absolutely necessary. Top with the chocolate cake layer.  Add a good covering of frosting, and top with the Vanilla/Chocolate Chip layer.  Frost the rest of the cake.  Devour.