Vanilla Oreo Cake with Milk-Soaked Oreos

My husband gave me one word for his birthday cake and it was “Oreos”. Naturally I took it to the next level and made the most Oreo cake I could think of.

I didn’t want it masked by the flavor of chocolate cake so I used my favorite vanilla cake recipe and baked it with nice big chunks of Oreos like those big chunks in Oreo ice cream!

For the frosting, I used Oreo infused cream and finely ground Oreos and then I layered it all up with milk-soaked Oreos because how nostalgic?!

Let’s Talk Details

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 doesn’t not taste like “chocolate” it’s its own flavor. Almost all of the Oreo cake recipes I’ve come across are made with a chocolate cake and if I’m being honest, I think a chocolate sponge would completely mask the flavor of Oreos. 

1. Vanilla Cake – of course, my favorite 6-inch vanilla cake recipe but with nice large chunks of Oreos mixed into the batter so you get a good bite.
2. American Buttercream – classic frosting but I infused the cream with oreos before beating it in. Then I add in finely ground Oreos.
3. Filling – those Oreos that are infused into the cream? Yeah they get layered into the cake between the frosting for the most nostalgic bites.

The Oreo Cake

1. Beat together the butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes with the whisk attachment.
2. Add the oil and continue beating for another 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for at least 30-60 seconds between each addition, until each one is combined. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix just until they’re incorporated.
4. Add in half of the dry ingredients, followed by the milk and then the other half of the dry ingredients. Mix just until the last streak of flour is combined.
5. Fold in the Oreo chunks, mixing just until they’re evenly distributed.
6. Distribute the batter evenly between three round 6 inch cake pans, a little over 14 ounces of batter in each one.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake is golden brown, the edges released from the pan and/or the cake springs back when you press on it gently. Flip over onto a cooling rack or a tea towel and cool completely before frosting.

Tip: I wanted the vanilla cake to look clean with large chunks of Oreos, not muddied by small crumbs (which can also dry out the cake). So after chopping, I picked out just the large chunks for the batter and saved the crumbs for the frosting.

Oreo Frosting & Filling

The amount of frosting you get in the recipe is JUST enough to frost it how I did in the pictures. If you want to decorate the cake more, I recommend doing 1.5x or 2x the frosting recipe.

1. Soak Oreos in cream – I ran out of large ones when photographing so I did a handful of mini Oreos but 6 large ones is enough, I split the large ones in half to make sure it slices ok.
2. Blend the rest of the Oreos in a food processor until they’re as finely ground as you can get them.
3. Beat the butter in a mixing bowl, until it lightens in color and get’s fluffy.
4. Add the powdered sugar and salt beat for a few minutes until it’s completely smooth.
5. Add the finely ground Oreos, mixing until they’re well combined.
6. Strain the cream from the soaked Oreos and stream it into the frosting with the vanilla, beating until the frosting is light and fluffy.

This frosting is textured from the Oreo crumbs so don’t expect a silky smooth finish.

Put It All Together

1. First layer of cake goes on the bottom. Feel free to trim the tops if they domed at all.
2. Spread a thin layer of the frosting on top of the cake (like half as much as you want between the layers).
3. Then place a layer of the soaked Oreos on top of the frosting. In my photos, I used mini Oreos and didn’t un-sandwich them – that works fine with the minis but if you’re using the big Oreos, un-sandwich them so it’s easier to slice through.
4. Spread the other half of the frosting on top of the Oreos and stack the next layer of cake on top. Repeat with the final layer.
5. Use the rest of the frosting to frost the outside of the cake.

If at any point, the cake is feeling wobbly or the frosting is too soft, chill the cake and frosting for about 30 minutes to keep it sturdy.

Make It Cute

I kept the decoration intentionally simple — a smooth side, an unfinished ridge at the top, and Oreo crumbs to finish. Sometimes less is more. But if you want to take it further, here are some fun ideas:

• 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

Serving & Storing

Before the cake is sliced, it can be stored uncovered 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 a cake dome or place slices 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, place slices in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.  

I hope you enjoy this cake but if you’re more of a coffee and Oreos type of person instead of milk and Oreos, you NEED to try my Coffee Oreo Cake and my Oreo Tiramisu.

If you have any questions just comment down below & if you love this cake, please consider leaving me a 5-star rating or a review below as well.

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B

Recipes

Layer Cakes

Oreo Cake Recipe

4.63 from 153 votes

prep 45 minutes mins

cook 35 minutes mins

Additional Time 1 hour hr

total 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Serves 8 -10 servings

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

Author: Bernice Baran

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Servings 8 -10 servings

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Metric(US) Imperial

Ingredients

Oreo Vanilla Cake

• ▢ 270 grams cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• ▢ 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 56 grams salted butter, room temperature
• ▢ 120 mL canola oil, or vegetable oil
• ▢ 300 grams granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 large eggs, room temperature
• ▢ 170 grams sour cream, room temperature
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 180 mL milk, room temperature
• ▢ 12 Oreos, roughly chopped

Oreo Frosting

• ▢ 24 Oreos
• ▢ 60 mL heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 227 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ tiny pinch fine sea salt
• ▢ 360 grams powdered sugar, spooned and leveled
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

• ▢ 2 crushed Oreos

Method

Oreo Vanilla Cake

1. Begin by bringing all the ingredients to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350F/177C and grease and line three 6 inch pans. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until they're evenly distributed.
   270 grams cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
3. 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.
   56 grams salted butter room temperature, 120 mL canola oil or vegetable oil, 300 grams granulated sugar
4. 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.
   3 large eggs room temperature, 170 grams sour cream room temperature, 1 tsp vanilla extract
5. 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. 
   180 mL milk room temperature
6. 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. 
   12 Oreos roughly chopped
7. Invert the cake layers onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before frosting.

Oreo Frosting

1. 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.
   24 Oreos, 60 mL heavy whipping cream
2. Place the rest of the Oreos in a food processor and pulse until it's finely ground.
3. 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.
   227 grams unsalted butter room temperature
4. 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.
   tiny pinch fine sea salt, 360 grams powdered sugar spooned and leveled
5. 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.
   2 tsp vanilla extract

Assemble

1. 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.
2. Repeat with the second layer of cake and then place the third layer on top and refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.
3. 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.
4. Fill the top of the cake with crushed Oreos. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to set before slicing and serving. 
   2 crushed Oreos

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 1008kcalCarbohydrates: 129gProtein: 8gFat: 53gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 548mgFiber: 2gSugar: 87g

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookies and cream cake, oreo cake, oreo frosting