Ok, Oreo cookie lovers. This one’s for you! After creating this Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Cake last summer, I’ve been dying to make an all-cake version. So I finally bought a pack of Oreos and took to the kitchen for some experimenting and I am oh so happy with the results. Behold:
This Oreo Cookies & Cream cake all begins with my favorite One Bowl Chocolate Cake recipe. Just like the name implies, it’s the easiest cake in the world to make. All the ingredients are mixed into one bowl, and the results are magic: moist, decadent chocolate cake that’s packed with flavor and as easy as whipping up a batch of cake mix! It’s the perfect base flavor for this Oreo cake masterpiece.
Now let’s talk about the Oreo buttercream, because it’s what takes this cake beyond! You’ll want to use a food processor to blend up some Oreo cookies (filling removed), but if you don’t have one on hand, you can always place the cookies in a ziplock bag and smash them up with a rolling pin. The second option is a little more time consuming because you want the Oreo bits to be as small as can be, but it’s a way. After blending the Oreos into as fine of a crumb as you can, you simply add them to the buttercream recipe as a final step. Just look how pretty those little flecks of Oreo are:
After filling and frosting the chocolate cake with Oreo buttercream, I chose to add a chocolate ganache drip for some design intrigue, then added some pretty piping, Mini Oreos, and a few SprinklePop sprinkles (the Wedding White mix) on top to tie it all together. However you choose to decorate, I can be sure of one thing: you’re going to want to eat a piece immediately. Unless, of course, you’ve been snacking on cake scraps and buttercream like I always do!
Update 2020: I’ve changed the measurements in the recipe below to make exactly enough batter for three 6-inch cake pans or two 9-inch cake pans. I always do triple 6-inch layers when making cakes (I like ‘em tall!), and since I get so many questions on how to convert the original recipe into three 6-inch layers I thought I’d just do the math for you. So same great recipe, with the most requested amount of batter!
Oreo Cookies & Cream Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
- 1 2/3 Cups (340g) white granulated sugar
- 2/3 Cup (60g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk*, room temperature DIY recipe in the notes
- 1 Cup (240ml) hot water
Oreo Buttercream
- 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 Cups (720g) powdered sugar
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 18 Oreo cookies, filling removed
Instructions
Make The Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a wax paper or parchment cake circle.
- Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot water in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin.
- Pour into prepared cake pans no more than 2/3 full and bake for 32-36 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.
Make The Oreo Buttercream
- After removing the filling from the Oreo cookies, use a food processor to blend them into a fine crumb. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter on med-high until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes), scraping down bowl and paddle a few times in between.
- Add powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down bowl and paddle between intervals. Mix on medium until fully incorporated.
- Turn mixer to low and add vanilla, milk, and salt. Mix on medium for one minute. Scrape down bowl and paddle and add the Oreo cookie crumbs. Mix for another minute on medium until incorporated.
Assembly
- Fill and frost the Chocolate Cake layers with Oreo buttercream. If you want to recreate the same look as pictured, chill the frosted cake for 20 minutes before adding a chocolate ganache drip. I used Wilton tips 1M and 4B to pipe rosettes and open stars as a border around the top edge, then added Mini Oreos and these sprinkles.
Notes
Did you make this recipe? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram so I can see what you’re caking. I love to see your creations!
Hi! I’m wondering if this recipe ends up with a lot of extra batter? I made it and it seemed like it was way too much for my three six inch cakes…I filled it 2/3 full trusting it wouldn’t be too crazy, but it spilled out everywhere when cooked. And I also still had batter leftover that I didn’t use! Trying to figure out what I did wrong. Thank you!!
Hi, Trish! This recipe does make a little extra batter (it’s really hard to make a recipe exact for one specific size pan). I always fill the cake tins 2/3 full and haven’t had a problem with them spilling over. Maybe next time just add batter until they’re 1/2 full to prevent spillage. So sorry about that!
Hi! I agree with the other commenter, this recipe seems to make waaaay too much batter for any size of cake. I only filled 2/3 full so it baked fine, but I had my first stand-mixer blowout trying to very carefully mix this batter. It turned out super tasty, but I kinda can’t believe you make it in a mixer with no issues! I make 8-inch cakes usually, and even those don’t have this much batter. I’m going to try making 2/3 of the recipe next time 🙂
Hi Zoey! Thanks for the feedback! I’ll look into decreasing the ingredient amounts to ensure that there’s a more exact amount of batter in this recipe.
Hi, has the above recipe now been changed? I see someone mentions six inch cakes, but the recipes states 8 inch cake pans.
Thanks, Anna
Hi Anna! Thanks for catching that. I originally wrote it for three 6-inch cake layers, but it actually made a lot of batter (enough for three 8 inch layers), which is why the recipe states 8-inch. It’s the same cake recipe as my chocolate cake recipe though, which I recently converted to make just enough batter for three 6 inch cake pans, so I’ve gone ahead and updated it here as well. Thanks for catching that!
Hello, I made this recipe last week for an 18th birthday cake and it went down a storm. Sorry to be a pest but please can I have the original quantities for the 3 8inch tin recipe. It made the most delicious moist cake and I’m a 8 inch pan kinda girl thank you
So happy you love this recipe, Chesca! To make enough batter for three 8″ cake pans, make 1.5x the recipe (multiply each ingredient by 1.5).
Your frosting looks so smooth! Mine came out pretty thick and isn’t smoothing very well. I did have to use heavy cream vs whole milk but typically those are interchangeable. Any thoughts?! ThAnks so much!
Hi Kayla! You can definitely interchange heavy whipping cream and whole milk (I do all the time!), and if your frosting is too thick, just add a little more milk/heavy whipping cream to thin it out to your liking. An extra Tbsp or two should do the trick!
Hi!! I made this cake before and I LOVED it!! Just wondering, would it be ok if instead of 3x 6inch cake pans I used 2x 8inch pans? Would the cake still be high enough to decorate then? Thank you!!!
Hi Christina! Yes, you can definitely use 2 8-inch pans instead of 3 6-inch pans. I’ll add that to the recipe instructions for future reference. So happy you loved the recipe!!
Hi!! I’ll be making this tomorrow for a birthday. Can I use hot coffee instead of water?
Hi Michele! You can certainly use hot coffee instead of hot water – it makes the flavor of the chocolate even more rich! Enjoy!
It was outstanding!!! Making it for another birthday today! I wanted to do 3-8inch layers. I was going to do 1.5 recipe. That should work, right?
Yay, Michele! So happy you love this recipe! And yes, for three 8-inch layers just multiply all the ingredients by 1.5 and you’ll have the perfect amount.
Hi, I made this cake for Mother’s Day, it turned out pretty good for the first time. With a little more practice it will perfect like your cakes Thank you for such good teaching! You really explain everything that goes in to making these cakes. Keep up the good work!!! This is great therapy, I really enjoy it
Thank you! So happy that this recipe was a hit and you’re finding some therapy in baking. That’s one of the reasons I love it so much!
Hi, Whitney! Can i use brown sugar instead of white? Thanks!
Hi Winces! I’ve never tried it before, so I can’t say how it will affect the texture or taste of the cake (brown sugar is made with molasses), but I’ve heard it works.
This recipe is AMAZING!!! So moist and delicious, went down a treat. Thanks for sharing it Xx
Yay, Vicki! So happy you love this recipe and thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Hello,
Can this recipe be used for two or three tier wedding cakes? Will it hold up nicely?
Hi Kim! This recipe will work perfectly as a tiered cake!
Your recipes make the most amazing cakes! We used the hot coffee instead of water and added 1.5 TB espresso powder to both the cake and icing. The coffee flavor balances the sweetness so nicely.
Also filled our 6” pans a bit less than usual (decorations always get squished in our cake dome!) and managed to squeeze 12 cupcakes out of the batter. Baked them for 17 minutes and they turned out perfect.
Yay, Jordanne! So happy to hear this recipe was a hit!
Can this cake be made with a hand mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer?
Hi Vicki! It can be made with a hand mixer. Just follow the same mixing times/speeds!
thanks so much! Making this for a Special birthday!!
Yay, Vicki! I hope it’s a hit!
Hi Whitney, this cake looks delicious! I am interested in trying this recipe out for a cake this weekend, but I would be doing 2 10-inch layers instead. Do you have any idea as to how I can alter the cake & buttercream recipe to do so successfully? Also, would it be okay for me to add oreo crumbs into the batter itself? Thank you!
Hi Belinda! To make enough batter for two 10-inch cakes, I would make 1.5x this recipe (multiply each ingredient by 1.5). You’ll have more than enough with that amount, but it’s better than having just shy of enough batter. You can keep the buttercream recipe as-is. As far as the Oreo crumbs, my thought is that they’d get soggy in the baking process so I’m hesitant to say give it a try. Instead, if you want more of a crunch with this cake I would sprinkle some Oreo crumbs in between layers on top of the filling.
Got it! Thanks so much!!
Hi! I am looking to make this cake for my moms birthday. Just wondering, do you think you can add the Oreo filling from the cookies into the buttercream? I was wondering if it would give it that filling taste.
Hi Angela! You can certainly try adding the filling in if you’d like! I don’t add it because it clogs up the piping tip and also makes the buttercream a little chunkier (not as easy to get a smooth finish). I also think the taste of the vanilla buttercream paired with the Oreo crumbs mimics the taste of the filling. So at the end of the day, it tastes just like Oreos in buttercream form as-is, but if you’d like to add additional filling, go for it!
Hi, did you crumbcoat this cake & if so did you use the Oreo buttercream? Is the quantities above for crumbcoat & final layer?
Looks beautiful x
Hi Charlotte! I did crumb coat this cake (always do!) and used the Oreo buttercream. Crumb coating will work with any buttercream you’re using for the final frosting layer.
Hi, my cakes sunk in the middle when I made this cake and I’m wondering why. Do you have any tips?
Thanks! 🙂
Hi Olivia! I’m so sorry to hear your cake sunk! Did you use dutch process cocoa? I only ask because this recipe specifies to use non-Dutch process cocoa because it adds too much leavening agent. There are so many reasons why a cake might sink in the middle and it’s hard to tell without seeing your method of making this cake, quality of ingredients, etc. The most common reasons are expired baking powder (it expires every 6 months!), opening the oven door too much or prematurely, and not using room temperature ingredients (unless otherwise specified). I’ve listed all the most common reasons here to help you troubleshoot: https://sugarandsparrow.com/why-cakes-sink/ hope that helps!
I’ve now made the chocolate cake recipe twice and each time it turned out perfectly. I did have to watch it for baking time as it did not take the full 40 minutes either time. I love the simplicity of the recipe. It will definitely be my go-to chocolate cake recipe from now on. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Yay, Emily! So happy to hear that this recipe is a hit! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Hello, are the Oreos used for the buttercream mini Oreos or regular sized Oreos
I used regular sized Oreos, but I’m sure you could use minis!
Hi Whitney! I’d like to use your Oreo buttercream recipe for four 6-inch layers. Is there typically extra buttercream in this recipe or how much extra should I make? Looks delicious!
Hi Amanda! This recipe makes about 6 Cups of frosting, which should be enough for that additional layer of filling. You might not have enough to add any decorations with the frosting at that point though. If you’re planning on doing any additional decorations after filling and frosting the cake, I recommend making 1.25x the recipe (multiply each ingredient by 1.25) just to make sure you have enough. Hope that helps!
Make sure that your icing has a fine consistency. If it has a thick consistency, add a tablespoon of fresh cream to it and whisk again.
Hi Whitney,
Just wondering if you think it would be ok if the entire cake gets frozen (frosting and all). I need to make it a week in advance and won’t have a chance to assemble and frost the cake when I want it for. Thanks
Hi Danelle! I’ve never frozen a decorated cake before, but I know people do it! That said I’m not entirely sure what the best practices for storing a decorated cake in the freezer are, but I’m sure there’s a lot of info out there on the topic. I would do a little Google research to see how to best make it happen and go from there 🙂
Cn. I substitute the water for coffee
Hi Edna! You totally can. Just make sure the coffee is hot!
All of you’re recipes are out of this world. Is this enough frosting for crumb coating, filling and frosting?
Thank you so much, Kathy! Yes – this buttercream recipe makes enough to fill, crumb coat, frost the cake, and pipe on top.
How would I make this as a two-tier 9inch cake?
Hi Grace! You could make this recipe as is and have thinner layers (about an inch tall) or you could make 1.5x the recipe and make taller layers but you’ll have a little extra batter left over. I have never baked this in a 9 inch pan before so I’m unsure of the baking time but I would check the cakes at 30 minutes and go from there. Hope that helps!
Hi Whitney!
First off, thank you so much for always answering all my questions. You are so helpful, patient and so kind.
What would be the bake time for three 6inch pans vs three 8inch pans? (This kind of stuff hurts my head)
Also, could regular milk be substituted for buttermilk or is the buttermilk a game changer here?
Thanks so much!!!
Hi Kate! I think the buttermilk is a game changer, and I always make mine the DIY way by adding vinegar to whole milk (instructions are in the notes of the recipe). Three 6-inch pans will be about 32 minutes and three 8-inch pans will be about 36 minutes. Be sure to check with a toothpick for doneness regardless of the pan size. Hope that helps!
Hi if i making 3 8 inch tins how much do i need to multiply the recipe by thanks
Hi David! For three 8 inch tins, you’ll want to make 1.5x the recipe. Enjoy!
My son requested this cake for his 10th birthday and it turned out amazing!! I used two 8″ round pans and it was perfect. I wish I knew how to attach a photo! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Yay, Vickie! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit!