Cookies & Cream Cake Recipe
Layers of moist and fluffy vanilla cake with chopped Oreo cookies baked into each layer, filled and frosted with cookies and cream buttercream. The flavor of this cake is beyond!
Servings 15 slices
Ingredients
Cookies & Cream Cake
- 10 Oreo cookies, chopped (107g)
- 2 Cups (210g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 Cup + 2 Tbsp (225g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 Cup (80g) sour cream, room temperature
- 3/4 Cup (180ml) whole milk, room temperature
Cookies & Cream Buttercream
- 13 Oreo cookies (139g)
- 1 1/2 Cups (339g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 1/2 Cups (540g) powdered sugar
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
- pinch of salt, or to taste
Garnish (Optional)
- 6 Oreo cookies
Instructions
Make The Cookies & Cream Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) 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.
- Roughly chop the Oreos into pieces that are about 1/4 inch. There can be some bigger pieces in there, but keep in mind that the bigger pieces may sink slightly in the baking process. Once the Oreos are chopped, set them aside.
- Add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer and large bowl), cream the butter on high for two minutes. Add the sugar and vegetable oil and continue to mix on high for another two minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix for one minute on high speed, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more.
- Turn the mixer off and add the dry ingredients all at once. Mix on low speed until just combined, then add the milk slowly and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the chopped Oreo cookies.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for five minutes before removing and continuing to cool on a wire rack or flat surface.
Make The Oreo Buttercream
- Place the Oreo cookies into a food processor and grind them into fine crumbs. It's important to get the crumbs as small as possible without over-grinding (which can turn them into an Oreo paste).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a large bowl and hand mixer), cream the butter on medium-high speed until it's creamy and pale in color, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle as needed.
- Add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, mixing on low speed and scraping down bowl and paddle in between intervals. Keep the mixer on low speed and add the vanilla, milk, and salt. Mix until fully incorporated and uniform, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.
- Mix in the Oreo cookie crumbs on low speed until uniform and well-dispersed.
Assembly
- Once the cake layers are completely cooled, level them to your desired height. Add a swipe of Oreo buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Fill and stack the cake with Oreo buttercream, then crumb coat the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 15-20 minutes to let the crumb coat firm up before frosting the cake with the rest of the Oreo buttercream.
- To create the look pictures, frost the cake with Oreo buttercream and use a scalloped cake comb to create a grooved texture on the sides. Place the remaining Oreo buttercream into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 1M and pipe swirls around the top of the cake, spaced about 1/4 inch apart. Place an Oreo cookie in between each swirl.
Notes
*DIY Cake Flour Recipe: To make your own cake flour, spoon and level one cup of all-purpose flour and remove 2 Tbsp. Add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch. Repeat per the amount of cake flour you need, then sift the flour and cornstarch mixture 4 times (don’t skip that step!). After sifting, spoon and level to re-measure the amount of cake flour you need. If measuring with a kitchen scale, you’ll want to measure out 236g of homemade cake flour (since all-purpose weighs more than store bought cake flour).
Make Ahead Tips:
- The cookies & cream cake layers can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
- The Oreo buttercream can be made ahead and stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you're ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip with your stand mixer to bring it back to frosting consistency.