Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Prepare two 8" round cake pans with cooking spray. For flat top cakes follow these instructions.

In a bowl of a stand-up mixer cream together the flour and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.

Alternate adding in the flour, milk and sour cream, starting and ending with the flour in a few additions. Toss chocolate chips in a small amount of extra flour to coat and then shake off excess. Add them to the batter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in the pan on cooling racks.

Make the icing. In a bowl of a stand-up mixer cream the butter and icing sugar together adding in the vanilla and then the milk to the consistency you like for icing.

When cooled remove one cake to a platter. Ice the top and then place the second cake on top. Do a crumb coat of a thin amount of icing and let set. Then do a decorative layer. Pipe 8 rounds on the top with a star tip and then one in the center. Place cookies around the outside and then in the piped spots. Refrigerate until ready to eat, let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.