COOKIES AND CREAM!!!!!! I love cookies and I love cake but it never occurred to me to put them together until my husband Brian requested an Oreo cake for his birthday, so I whipped up my moistest vanilla cake, folded in chopped Oreos and a delicious cake was born. This cake is officially one of my TOP posts and I think it’s the play of creamy and crunch in this moist fluffy cake that gives the recipe an edge. You should also check out my oreo cookie ball recipe! If you find cake decorating to be a bit intimidating then check out my How to Decorate a Cake post, it has lots of helpful tips and a full how to video.
How do you make Oreo frosting?
The buttercream is just beyond, something about all those crushed Oreos works some serious magic. Feel free to use it on everything. There’s also a swirl of ganache because chocolate and it’s absolutely delicious.
About This Oreo Cake
For those who prefer more crunch in each bite try substituting the ganache between each layer for chopped cookies!
Don’t forget the BEST BEST BEST part: the buttercream!!! I’ll be honest and tell you that I’ve never craved an Oreo — or eaten more than a couple at a time — but when crushed and blended into buttercream, they’re AMAZING!!!
If you want the EASIEST cake hack ever, just whip up some of this stuff. Cover anything in it and you’ll be an instant hero! Channel your inner superman and make this crowd pleaser.
For the Drip:
I love the look of a chocolate ganache drip. One of the main problems people have when making a drip cake is the consistency and i’m not going to lie, it can be a bit tricky! It might seem perfect when you mix it but the ganache cools quickly and a thickens.
How to Get it JUST Right:
I always warm my ganache up right before adding it and often test it on a plate I’m holding vertically to make sure I’m getting the type of drip that I want. You can also add more cream to loosen up the consistency.
How to make an Oreo Cake
1. Butter and flour three 6- inch pans. I use cake strips on my pans for more even baking as well. Preheat oven to 340F. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.
3. In a standing mixture fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat the dry ingredients into the butter until well incorporated, scrape the bowl at least once. Add the wet to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Fold in the crushed Oreos at the very end and mix until just combined. Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans. Bake at 340 for about 25-30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.
5. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and cream and mix. Reserve about a cup of the buttercream for the white dollops. Which will be piped with an 869 tip.
6. Mix in the crushed Oreos into the large batch of buttercream. Melt chocolate and cream together on low heat. Whisk together and set aside. You might need to add more or less cream to achieve the desired consistency.
7. Oreo buttercream goes between each layer, you can pipe it on or apply with a spatula.
8. Swirl chocolate between each layer. Don’t go overboard with the ganache as it will overpower the other flavors.
9. Coat outside of the Oreo cake with buttercream and smooth.
10. Add a skirt of crushed Oreos at the bottom of the cake.
11. Pour the ganache on top and allow to drip. Smooth top with an offset spatula.
12. Finally pipe white buttercream dollops on top with an 869 tip.
Pro Tips for this recipe
- Try not to chop the Oreos too finely. You want some crunch in the cake after baking.
- Fold the cookie bits in last and try to evenly distribute them.
- Use a kitchen scale to make sure each pan has an equal amount of batter in it. If you don’t have one try using a toothpick in the center to measure the height of the batter, like an oil gauge!
- Just as a hint; if you use cake strips when baking you’ll get a flat top and more tender sides. Cake strips are just wet fabric you wrap around the edge of the cake pans. You can make your own or buy a set online, I have a blog post on them and they are a game-changer!!
- Before you add the ganache for the drip, test the consistency on a plate you’re holding perpendicular to the floor. If the ganache is too thick add a tablespoon of cream and you might need to heat the mixture as well.
- You can make the cake layers in advance, wrap them up and store at room temperature for a day or in the fridge for three days.
If you’ve made this Oreo cake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Oreo Cake
Video
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 237g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 228g
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 176g, room temp
- 3 egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL
- 1/2 cup sour cream 133g, room temp
- 1/2 cup whole milk 113g, room temp
- 1 cup chopped Oreos 120g
For the Buttercream:
- 1 1/2 cup butter 340g, room temp
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar 600g
- 1 1/3 cups crushed Oreos 165g
- 1/4 cup heavy cream 60g
- pinch salt kosher
For the Ganache:
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 200g
- 1/2 cup Heavy cream 110g, heated
Instructions
For the Cake
- Butter and flour three six inch pans. I use cake strips on my pans for more even baking as well. Preheat oven to 340F
- In a standing mixture fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy.
- Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Beat the dry ingredients into the butter until well incorporated, scrape the bowl at least once.
- Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Add the wet to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the crushed Oreos at the very end and mix until just combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans
- Bake at 340 for about 25-30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.
For the Buttercream
- Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar and cream and mix.
- Reserve about a cup of the buttercream for the white dollops. Which will be piped with an 869 tip.
- Mix in the crushed Oreos into the large batch of buttercream.
For the Ganache
- Melt chocolate and cream together on low heat. Whisk together and set aside. You might need to add more or less cream to achieve the desired consistency.
For the Assembly
- Oreo buttercream goes between each layer as well as a swirl of chocolate. Don't go overboard with the ganache as it will overpower the other flavors.
- Coat outside with buttercream and smooth.
- Add a skirt of crushed Oreos at the bottom of the cake.
- Pour the ganache on top and allow to drip. Smooth top with an offset spatula.
- Pipe white buttercream dollops on top with an 869 tip
Notes
Baking Tips
- You can make the cake layers in advance, wrap them up and store at room temperature for a day or in the fridge for three days.
- To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set online or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!
- Before you add the ganache for the drip test the consistency on a plate you're holding perpendicular to the floor. If the ganache is too thick add a tablespoon of cream and you might need to heat the mixture as well.
- Try not to chop the Oreos too finely. You want some crunch in the cake after baking.
- Fold the cookie bits in last and try to evenly distribute them.
- Use a kitchen scale to make sure each pan has an equal amount of batter in it. If you don't have one try using a toothpick in the center to measure the height of the batter, like an oil gauge!
Nutrition
Christen says
Great recipe! My cake didn’t rise like I wanted it to, but it still turned out delicious!
Sara says
I made this and it was delicious! The only thing was the cake came out a bit dense and flat, would it work out better if I creamed the butter and sugar together first?
Emma says
Loved this recipe. Made this for my little brothers birthday and it turned out great! I changed the decoration a bit, Oreo crumbs on top with gummy worms poking out of it, and called it a dirt cake(well, that’s what I told him, and he was more then a bit upset about it until he saw the cake). Overall a great recipe, and I will definitely be making this again.
Queen_B says
Absolutely delicious! So much cookies & cream goodness!
I also had really good luck adapting this recipe to use two 9-inch pans. I followed all the same proportions for the cake batter and then reduced the frosting recipe to be about 2/3 of the original – but if you love a lot of frosting I think you’d be safe using the same proportions for it too!
Wendy says
Fantastic recipe as I’ve received many 5 star ratings.Made cupcakes too and they turned out good.Frosting is a super hit with everyone!!!
John Kanell says
Thanks Wendy!
Jussy says
Great recipe. Clear directions, and I made no change from the given recipe.
A few notes: I weigh all my ingredients, and noticed a reasonable discrepancy from the given volumes. This may just have been my flour. But be sure to weigh if you can.
If you are making cupcakes, the recipe made 18 cupcakes! I ended up making far too many.
Arju says
Hi John!
This cake looks amazing and I wanted to bake this cake but as a 4 inch layered cake. How do I adjust the recipe to do so?
Thank you 🙂
John Kanell says
With which sized pans?
Michelle Sirisuk says
I made the batter and stored it in the fridge. I plan to bake it tomorrow. Do I have to let the batter sit out to reach room temperature before I bake?