The Ultimate Oreo Cake

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This cookies ‘n’ cream Oreo cake is my favorite vanilla cake studded with Oreo chunks. The buttercream is infused with oreo milk and oreo crumbs and there are milk soaked oreos between every layer!

If you know me, you know I’ve always been a HUGE fan of Oreos… or anything cookies and cream, really. They’re that one childhood treat that I’ll never grow out of loving. Fortunately for me, my siblings feel the same way so I had to make us the ultimate Oreo cake.

Not to my surprise, my family highly approved of the cake and highly recommend you try it out for yourself *winky-face*.

What’s in this cake?

Some people might describe Oreos as a chocolate cookie with vanilla cream filling but if you’re a true Oreo lover, you would agree that Oreo isn’t just chocolate and vanilla, it’s its own flavor. Almost all of the Oreo cake recipes I’ve come across are made with a chocolate sponge. If I’m being honest, I think a chocolate sponge would completely mask the flavor of Oreos.

I chose to add roughly chopped Oreos to my favorite vanilla cake recipe and then add ground Oreos to vanilla buttercream frosting. For an extra indulgent touch, I even soaked some Oreos in milk until they were nice and soft and then placed a layer on top of each layer of buttercream. Let’s just say, I was very pleased with the Oreo-ness of this cake!

How to make this Oreo cake

See this detailed step-by-step post on my favorite 6 inch vanilla cake recipe. I just roughly chopped Oreos and folded them into the batter. To make the color between the cake and the Oreos more contrasted I didn’t add all the crumbs that came with chopping the Oreos. I saved them and added them to the frosting but it really doesn’t make a significant difference, you can do it either way.

I really wanted to make a Swiss meringue or a french buttercream for this Oreo cake so that it’s not too sweet but I ended up going with a classic American frosting for two reasons. First, it was my husband’s birthday and he prefers ultra sweet frosting and second, because I just felt that the idea of an Oreo cake would go better with American frosting.

If you do prefer a frosting that is less sweet you can try Swiss meringue buttercream recipe and add the Oreos and milk.

Assembling the cake

I love a fancy cake with a ton of layers but this Oreo cake is fairly simple to assemble. On top of each layer of cake is a layer of frosting and then a layer of milk (cream) soaked Oreos. In the photo, I used mini Oreos because that’s what I had at home but you can use regular size Oreos too.

I un-sandwiched the Oreos so they’re not super thick, let them soak for about 10 and then I used the milk/cream for the frosting. It might get a little messy since the Oreos are soggy but just cover it up with a little extra frosting and then layer the next cake on top.

How to decorate an Oreo cake

If you don’t already know or can’t tell, I can’t be bothered with piping bags or piping tips. To keep things simple. I chose to do a perfectly smooth side and an unfinished ridge at the top filled with Oreo cookie crumbs.

Put all the frosting on top of the cake and use an offset spatula to work the frosting around it. Then with the cake on a turntable, I spin it while gently scraping the sides with a cake scraper. Instead of cleaning the ridge on the top, I left it unfinished and just crumbled two Oreos on top.

Some other fun ideas are:

a dark or white chocolate drip
placing the Oreo crumbs in a crescent moon shape
piping some frosting poofs on top alternating with whole Oreos
use a unique cake scraper to make a fun design on the sides
add some crushed Oreos to the bottom of the cake as well

How to store cakes

Before the cake is sliced, it can be stored uncovered. Keep it at room temperature for 1 night or in the fridge for up to a week.

Once the cake has been sliced, cover the open slices with plastic wrap or place them in an airtight container. The cake can be kept at room temperature for 1 night or refrigerated for up to a week.

To freeze the cake, wrap each slice individually with plastic wrap, place them in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this dairy free?

You can use dairy free butter, dairy free milk/cream to make any of my cakes or buttercreams.

Can I make this gluten-free?

All my cake recipes work well with a 1:1 gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour. Make sure to also use gluten-free Oreos.

Can I make this in a different size pan?

You can make this cake in:
Three (or more) round or square 6 inch baking pans – I used round
Two round (or more) or square 8 inch baking pan
Two round or square 9 inch baking pan (will be thinner than the cakes in the photo) – reduce bake time by 5-10 minutes
One round or square 10 inch baking pan – increase bake time by 10-15 minutes, look for cues.
A 9×13 inch pan – increase bake time by at least 10-15 minutes, look for cues.
Cupcakes – Should make about 23 cupcakes, bake for 18ish minutes (but not my favorite for cupcakes – see below)

Can I turn this Oreo cake into cupcakes?

Last time I tested this cake recipe as cupcakes, it didn’t turn out quite like I had hoped. If you want to make a cupcake version of this cake, I would recommend using my vanilla cupcake recipe and folding 5-6 chopped Oreos into the batter. Follow the bake time of the cupcake recipe +/- 1-2 minutes.
Use the frosting recipe below to generously frost 12 cupcakes.

How do I know when it’s done baking?

Just like all the rest of my cakes, I test if it’s done baking by pressing gently on the tallest part of the cake. The cake will spring back if it’s done baking. If it stays indented, give it a few minutes in the oven, before testing again.
You can also insert a toothpick into the center of the cake (the tallest part) and make sure it comes out clean or with a few crumbs but without any batter on it.

What if I want to decorate the cake with frosting

You can double the recipe for the buttercream if you want to decorate the outside as well.
Alternatively you can also just make one batch of swiss meringue buttercream or american buttercream to decorate the outside of the cake as well.

Can I make a chocolate cake version?

If you do prefer a chocolate Oreo cake version instead, you can use my 6 inch chocolate cake recipe instead of the vanilla. It’s actually on my cake bucket list because it does sound like it would be amazing. You better send me some…or at least a picture if you try this!

Whether or not you’re an Oreo lover, I hope you enjoy this cake. If you have any questions just comment down below (in the comment section because I can’t respond to rating reviews) and leave a review if you’ve tried the cake.

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B

Yield: 8-10 servings

Oreo Cake Recipe

Super moist and fluffy cookies ‘n’ cream Oreo cake made with Oreo chunks, Oreo buttercream and milk soaked whole Oreos!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Oreo Vanilla Cake

2 1/4 (270g) cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 Tbsp (10g) baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (118mL) canola oil
1 1/2 cup (300g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup (170g) sour cream, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup (177mL) milk, room temperature
12 Oreos, roughly chopped

Oreo Frosting

24 Oreos
1/4 cup (59mL) heavy whipping cream
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/16 tsp salt
3 cups (360g) powdered sugar, spooned and leveled
2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

2 crushed Oreos

Instructions

Oreo Vanilla Cake

Begin by bringing all the ingredients to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350F/177C convection (325F/163C conventional) and grease and line three 6 inch pans.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until they're evenly distributed.
Place the room temperature butter, the oil and the granulated sugar in a large bowl and use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to beat them for 2 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until each egg is fully incorporated. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat just until combined.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, turn the mixer on low speed and then pour in the milk, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients.
Fold in the Oreo chunks (I don't add all the tiny crumbs, just the actual chunks) and distribute the batter evenly among the three cake pans, about 14oz in each pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. When the cake is fully baked it will release itself from the edge of the pan and it will spring back if you press on the center of it.
Invert the cake layers onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before frosting.

Oreo Frosting

Begin by splitting 6 Oreos in half and place them in the heavy whipping cream, allowing them to soak while you make the buttercream frosting.
Place the rest of the Oreos in a food processor and pulse until it's finely ground.
Place the room temperature butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes, until the color turns to a pale yellow.
Add the salt and the powdered sugar to the butter and mix on low speed, just until combined. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat the buttercream for at least five minutes, until all of the sugar is fully dissolved and the buttercream no longer feels gritty. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl every couple minutes.
Add the ground Oreos and beat until the they're fully combined. Switch to the whisk attachment and pour in the Oreo infused heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract and beat for another 2 minutes on medium-high speed.

Assemble

Place the first layer of cake on a flat surface and spread 1/4 of the buttercream on top of it. Put a layer of the soaked Oreos on top of the frosting and then cover it with a little bit more frosting.
Repeat with the second layer of cake and then place the third layer on top and refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.
Place the rest of the buttercream on top of the cake and use an offset spatula to work it's way down. Then use a cake scraper to smooth the frosting, allowing it to create an uneven ridge at the top.
Fill the top of the cake with crushed Oreos. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to set before slicing and serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1008Total Fat: 53gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 548mgCarbohydrates: 129gFiber: 2gSugar: 87gProtein: 8g

Nutrition information may not be fully accurate.