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This homemade Oreo Cookie Cake has two layers a rich, moist chocolate cake filled and covered in a light Oreo whipped cream frosting! It makes a great birthday cake for any cookies and cream lovers.
If you’re a fan of homemade cake recipes…well then, you’re going to want to listen up. Because this Oreo Cake? …well, it’s heaven. If you’re a fan of all things cookies n cream like I am, you will adore this! It’s one of my favorite ice cream flavors (alongside this homemade white chocolate oreo ice cream) and this cake tastes JUST like a giant Oreo and cookies and cream ice cream had a baby. What more could you want?
This cake, my peanut butter mousse pie, and a few other treats were all made in the same 4 day period.
Every night, after we ate dinner, my dad, my best friend Paige, and I would be sitting on the couch, watching TV, or a movie, or doing whatever. At some point, one of us would walk over and bring out the cake and the pie. The three of us would stand around the counter, shaving off small slices of each. And more small slices, and more, until we were all so full of chocolate, peanut butter, and Oreo cake.
The cake and the pie would be placed back into the fridge, smaller than when they were taken out, until the next sugar craving hit. It was troubling when they finally disappeared, and ever since, I’ve been desperately wanting a spare hour or two so I can make this cookies and cream cake again.
If someone told me to choose between the two, I don’t know if I could. Each was amazing in it’s own right. The peanut butter mousse pie was rich, and you can read more about it in its own post. But let’s get into the cake:
How do you make Oreo frosting?
The chocolate cake layers themselves are light and fluffy, and a pretty classic chocolate cake. The frosting is where things really get super deliciously exciting. It’s barely even frosting in the traditional sense — it’s not made with butter or loaded with absurd amounts of powdered sugar.
Instead, we make a big batch of freshly whipped cream with loads of crushed Oreos mixed in, sweetened with just a touch of sugar and flavored with a little bit of vanilla. Once the frosting is fluffy and gorgeous, you’re going to pile it high between and on top of the layers. I like having each layer of frosting be as thick as each layer of cake. It’s that good. And because the frosting is so light and fluffy, it makes sure that the cake isn’t overwhelmingly chocolatey or sweet.
Can I use a different flavor of Oreos? Of course! Now that Oreo has so many fun flavors, you can use any of them to make a twist on this oreo cake. Peppermint would be so great for the holidays! They’re always coming out with new flavors too, so have fun with it.
It was just…delicious. The only downside of this cake? It was so light and airy, I wouldn’t feel full, soooo…I would just keep on eating it. A delicious problem to have!
This oreo cake is easily one of my favorites (especially because I’m not a huge fan of traditional super-sweet frostings) that I’ve ever tasted, none the less made. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Happy baking :)
Want more delicious cakes?!
Oreo Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1½ cups 6.25 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 cup 7 oz sugar
- 1 cup cold water
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup .75 oz unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Oreo whipped cream
- 50 Oreo cookies
- 4½ cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. In large mixing bowl, combine all of the cake ingredients. In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until everything is well combined and a smooth batter forms. Pour batter into a greased 9-inch baking pan (or divide between two 9″ pans, if you don’t want to split the cake later).
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (12 to 15 minutes if you’re dividing between the 2 pans) or until a toothpick inserted into the cakecomes out clean. Cool completely, and place in the freezer for ½ hour before assembling.
For the Oreo whipped cream
- Cut 6 Oreo cookies in half and set them aside – these will be used as the garnish. Chop remaining cookies into 1/4-inch pieces and set aside.
- Make the Oreo whipped cream in 2 batches. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip 2 cups of heavy cream on medium-high speed to a soft peak, and then spoon the cream into a large bowl. In the same mixer bowl, whip the remaining 2½ cups of cream, along with the sugar and vanilla, to a soft peak. Fold into the already whipped cream.
- Place about 1 cup of whipped cream in a different bowl and refrigerate until ready to decorate the cake. Fold crushed Oreos into the remaining whipped cream.
To assemble the cake
- Remove the cake from the freezer. Slice the layer in half horizontally to create 2 layers, I like using a cake leveling tool to help make two even layers. Place the bottom layer on a serving plate. Spread about 1/3 of Oreo whipped cream onto the bottom layer of the cake. Top with the second cake layer and use the remaining Oreo whipped cream to frost the top and sides of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to allow cookies to soften.
- Place reserved whipped cream in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, re-whisking the cream if necessary. Pipe 12 whipped cream rosettes around the perimeter of the cake and garnish with reserved Oreo cookie halves. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Recipe inspired by Serious Eats
- Chocolate cake recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
I found silicone cake pans accidentally this summer that said “cookie” big in the center made to look like Oreos, so I doubled your cake recipe and baked them in the cookie shaped pans, halved the cream recipe, and filled the inside like a sandwich cookie. Turned out very cute. Have not tasted it yet!
Sounds adorable – hope you love the cake, Katy!
Hello. This cake really sound deliciouse and i am about to make it. Just one question bothers me- oreo cookies – dont they melt in whipped cream? Do they still stay crunchy? I mean – they should absorbe the moisture from cream and become messy. Sorry, dont know how to express myself correctly, im from Lithuania
Hi Kristina, they will soften in the whipped cream but they won’t melt. The texture is still definitely there but not as crunchy. I like the soft cookie texture in the cream!
Awesome. I’ve gotta try this one.
I hope you love it, Dafmatok!
I understand I crush 50 Oreo cookies for the filling and you cut 6 Oreo cookies in half. But then I don’t understand where it said you ciut up the remaining cookies into 1/4 what remaining cookies the ones from a package and what do I do with these pieces. Thank you
Making for daughter for herl 19th birthday
Hi Deirdre, sorry for the confusion! You use 50 cookies total, I removed the “finely crushed” from the ingredients to make this more obvious. Hope that helps!
Hello,
Baking newbie here, so please bear with me.
Ingredients state 1 and 1/2 cups flour then immediately following it states 6.25 oz of flour. The next ingredient is for 1 cup flour followed by 7 oz .
So, does one put 1 and a half cups plus 6.25 oz of flour?
I was informed that 8 oz make a cup.
So, does that mean 1 cup (8 oz) plus 7 oz of sugar?
Same question regarding the amount of cocoa powder (1/4 cup + .75 oz?)
Sincerely,
Confused in Cincinnati
Hi YR, you do not add both amounts, the weight is simply the amount stated but in weight if people want to use a scale. 8 oz. = 1 cup is only true for water or other liquid ingredients – the weight per cup for dry ingredients varies by ingredient. So you’ll do 1 1/2 cups flour total OR if you’re using a kitchen scale, you’ll measure out 6.25 oz. of flour, for example. Hope this helps!
Hey I’m not American so idont have your cups but I’ve converted the water into ml and it gives me 230ml and the oil 150ml and it seems like a lot of liquid
Hi Emilia, I don’t use ml but based on my googling that seems to be the correct conversion, and the batter for this is pretty thin so that should be correct!
I have always looked for a recipe like this, nice and easy, and YUMMY! thanks!
So glad you’re loving it! Thanks for the feedback, Emily.
This cake was a HUGE hit at my son’s 10th birthday. When you cut the birthday cake, and it has all that mile-high super sweet looking frosting, a lot of kids scrape it off, and adults politely decline when offered the cake? This cake was devoured by all, and our guests could not stop talking about it. They were sure that I bought it. I bake a lot of cakes, and have made complicated ones, but this is the new favorite. It is true that it didn’t rise much, and my baking soda was brand new, but really, it had this texture that went so beautifully with the perfect whipped layers.
To make 25 servings, I doubled the recipe and made two layers of 10 X 10. I didn’t crush the oreos, but did a rough chop, and left the crumbs out, so they folded into the whipped cream nicely without making it grainy or changing the color. I didn’t need to cut the cakes since I made 2. Piped on 25 stars and topped them with mini oreos, since it was a birthday party and I knew each would want his own little oreo. Thank you for this recipe. My guess is that the poor reviews come from not having the right temps, or using a pan that isn’t the right fit. The pan can make a huge difference. Also, to get the whipped topping the right texture, all tools and the heavy cream can go in the freezer for 30 min before. It stiffens quickly on the highest stand mixer setting. The cake held up for 4 hours refrigerated just fine. No dripping or softening.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Stacey! I appreciate you explaining what you did, and I’m so happy to hear it was such a hit at the party. Love that you topped with mini Oreos!
How many days ahead can I make this cake?
Hi Sharon, it should stay good in the fridge for two to three days!
This looks like a great cake but you lack on steps. I tried making this cake and got confused because of how the steps were worded. You need to add in some of the small details step by step so that beginner bakers understand what they are doing.
Hi Ruby! This recipe was posted back in 2013 so it’s not as detailed as my current recipes. Is there something specific you were confused about that I should update?
Doggone it.. I just downloaded the Red Velvet Cake recipe, reading it word for for, then this pops up at the very end. You are evil Sally… Delightfully so!
It was worth making the cake and whipped cream from scratch…and really not that difficult. Loved that the whipped frosting is so forgiving…so don’t have to worry about an uneven cake or crumbs. I baked the cake a few days ahead then finished the morning of the party. Worked great and had rave reviews.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Dens!! So glad you loved the cake!