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 love this recipe try these out!
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 (240g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temp (170g)
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature (120g)
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature (120ml)
- 1 cup chopped Oreos (120g)
For the Buttercream:
- 1½ cups unsalted butter room temperature (340g)
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar (600g)
- 1⅓ cups crushed Oreos (165g)
- ¼ cup heavy cream (60ml)
- Pinch salt
For the Ganache:
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (180g)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. I use cake strips on my pans for more even baking.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a standing mixture fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients into the butter, and mix on low speed until well incorporated, scrape the bowl at least once.
- Combine the egg whites, sour cream, milk, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the wet ingredients to the butter mixture and beat until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute. Fold in the crushed Oreos until just combined. Divide the mixture evenly into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans, then remove them.
For the Buttercream:
- Beat the butter on medium speed using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the confectioners' sugar and cream. Continue mixing until smooth and fluffy.
- Reserve about a cup of the buttercream for the white dollops. Place in a piping bag fitted with an open star tip (#869 tip).
- Mix the crushed Oreos into the remaining buttercream.
For the Ganache:
- Melt chocolate and cream together in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking well, until smooth and combined. Set aside. (You might need to add more cream to achieve the desired consistency for dripping if the chocolate is too thick.)
For the Assembly:
- Spread a layer of Oreo buttercream on top of one cake layer, and add a swirl of chocolate ganache. (Don't go overboard with the ganache as it will overpower the other flavors.) Top with another cake layer, buttercream and ganache.
- Add the final cake layer, then coat all over the outside of the cake with buttercream.
- Add a skirt of crushed Oreos at the bottom of the cake, if desired, by pressing Oreo cookie crumbs to the bottom of the cake with your hand.
- Pour the ganache on top and allow it to drip down the side. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Pipe white buttercream dollops on top with an 869 tip. Chill the cake for 1 hour before slicing.
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
Emma says
Can I substitute skim milk for the whole milk? We have lactose intolerant people in the household and I want to accommodate for them
John K. says
Emma,
Skim milk will work instead of whole milk!
John
Nurliyana says
Hi there
I really want to make this cake but i don’t have heavy cream can i use whipping cream instead of heavy cream??
Thanks!
John K. says
Nurliyana,
You can use whipping cream! They’re basically the same thing! Hope you enjoy!
John
Robin says
no they weren’t fluffy at all. (annoyed me because I’m not dumb when it comes to baking!) LOL its only 2 9inch pans and they are like maybe 1/2 inch thick! I’ll be attempting it again, the only thing I can think of is maybe I mixed the wet ingredients too much. Will see what happens!
Robin says
Hey great reciepe! I made this cake today but it was really thick it wasn’t as “runny” as yours was. Any idea? I wish I had read the comments about doubling it first LOL I did try 2 nine inch pans and they are really thin! so will attempt another batch tonight.
Wondering if I need to maybe make some altitude changes? I’m in Canada and I know our flour is a bit different. Any idea?
John K. says
Robin,
Did the cake layers turn out fluffy? Sometimes the batter is more runny if I microwave the ingredients before! I would even triple this recipe for three 9-inch pans! Let me know how it goes!
John
Nicky says
hey John, I just wanted to ask if this recipe is enough for a 2-layer nine inch cake. Thank you
John K. says
Nicky,
I would double it just in case! If it’s too much batter, make some cupcakes! You won’t be sorry! Hope you enjoy!
John
Nicky Lin says
Thank you, John. I will let you know how it went
Donna White says
Hi John, I did not have the time to scroll through all of the comments regarding this cake but I noted that the written ingredients list omitted the Kosher salt but you referenced it in the video…good thing I watched the video before baking…it is in the oven now…I will let you know how it turns out! Cannot wait! By the way, Are you considering a move to New England now that you are enjoying the springtime here in your CT rental?
John K. says
Donna,
Yes I am! Hope you loved the cake! Thanks for letting me know!
John
Donna White says
Hi John, cake turned out amazing?! Glad to hear you may make New England your home! I loved the boys’ birthday party photos!
kemala hayati says
can i just make this recipe for two or maybe one cake pan? then i’ll just cut the cake into half, because if i use thw whole recipe, the heat of oven won’t be evenly.
and i wonder is it possible to do the same too?
please HELP me, thanks,
Megan Lillich says
I made this for my husbands birthday and it tastes amazing but for some reason came out very dense. I did double the recipe but did so exactly. I even use the cake wrap things to keep sides and top even in the oven, Which work AMAZING!
Any ideas why this might have happened?
John K. says
Megan,
I’m happy you liked it! I always sift my dry ingredients before!
John
Megan Lillich says
I did!! I Followed your recipe exactly every step everything if you would put out the brand you used I would’ve used those too! first time making a cake by hand without using a box mix so I wanted to make it right!!!
It took 3 hours to make ( longer since I am disabled). It is still being eaten! And it’s is AMAZING. We are just taking much smaller pieces
Samantha cuenca says
Hi! I’m trying to bake this for my birthday. Would the stability of this cake be enough to do a two tier? I have 6 inch pans already and just wanting to add another layer under those. Planning to do a rosette buttercream on the bottom tier then fondant covered on top. Any suggestions with those? Thank you!
John K. says
Samantha,
The cake will be stable enough for 2 layers! Your design scheme sounds lovely! Hope you enjoy!
John
saltandserenity says
Hi John, another gorgeous cake. My son loves Oreos, but he follows a gluten-free diet. Using your cake as inspiration, I created a gluten-free version, using Trader Joes GF oreos. https://www.saltandserenity.com/2018/04/cookies-and-cream-birthday-cake-gluten-free/
It was a big hit. I used cake strips for the first time, because of you! They are a game changer. I won’t make cakes without them again. I learn so much from every post. I’m a big fan.
Thanks!!
John K. says
Salt and serenity,
I’m so happy everyone liked the cake! Cake strips are my favorite kitchen hack!
John