cookies and cream cake;
You can’t say this cookies and cream cake isn’t loaded with Oreo cookies! It’s a soft and delicious cookies and cream cake, layered with buttercream, frosted with cookies and cream icing, and decorated with more cookies. If you like cookies and cake, this is the cake for you!
One family sized pack of Oreos will get you what you need for both cake and buttercream.
Secret to success
We start with the cake rounds. You’ll need 3 cake pans, or else account for extra baking time. I recommend starting by chopping up your Oreos. One family-sized pack will get you what you need for both the cake and the buttercream. I’ll chop two sleeves and set them aside into a bowl for the cake batter, and then chop the remaining sleeve and set it aside for the buttercream. You can always divide it out later, but I find it easiest to just separate them as I’m cutting.
Once that’s done, into a large bowl the cake ingredients go! There’s not a lot of rhyme or reason to the order, but you’ll want to keep from overmixing. Over mixing can cause the gluten in the flour to get touch and we want a light and fluffy cookies and cream cake.
The most important part of any cake is the pan release!
Secret to success
The most important part of any cake is the pan release! You never want to spend all your time baking a cake just to have it stick to the pan and fall apart. And this pan release recipe couldn’t be easier.
It’s equal parts melted butter, oil, and flour. That’s it. Melt the butter first, then add the other two ingredients and slather liberally on the bottom and sides of your pan. If anything, the sides are most important! You can use pan release in the bottom or a parchment paper, but either way, it should be easy to remove the cakes from their pan. I’m talking flip it, and it pops out easily.
Once my cookies and cream cake rounds are out of the oven and cooling, it’s time to start on the buttercream. For this cookies and cream cake, I make two buttercreams. One is a cake batter flavor, and the other is classic cookies and cream. You could easily swap vanilla for the cake batter or both, depending on your preference. I just like the contrast of colors and flavors since it can be a bit much when literally every part of the cookies and cream cake is cookies and cream.
Not a fan of cake batter flavor? Swap in vanilla buttercream or double down with more cookies and cream buttercream.
Secret to success
For the buttercream, we use equal parts shortening and butter, which makes for a very stable buttercream. In my personal opinion, it’s a tiny notch less yummy than other buttercreams without shortening, but it’s very robust and holds its shape perfectly without forming a crust on the outside. So this cookies and cream cake is my go-to when I want a cake to last a while.
secrets to success;
Want all the best tips and tricks to make this recipe a success? Check out the blog post above to find out more!
more recipes;
Looking for other cookies and cream-inspired recipes? These are some of my favorites!
- Okay, I know it’s cookie-inception but hear me out. These cookies and cream cookies are soft and delicious, and packed full of cookies and cream flavor by using a secret ingredient! It makes a big batch and these are some of my go-to cookies when I want to impress with a cookie everyone loves.
- Take your cookies into pie form with this cookies and cream pie! Chocolate crust, creamy cookies and cream filling…yum!
- Cookies and cream gluten free rice krispies treats are quick and simple and great when you want a light dessert
- Deep dish cookie cups are another favorite. Make a deep dish chocolate chip cookie and then fill it with whatever your heart desires — chocolate ganache, whipped cream, frosting, or anything else you think will be delicious!
Ingredients
three layer cake;
- 2 cups granulated sugar (380g)
- ½ cup vegetable oil (118 ml)
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (14.8 ml)
- ½ cup sour cream at room temperature (120g)
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted (350 g)
- 3 tsp baking powder (11.2 g)
- 1 tsp salt (5 g)
- 1¼ cups milk (296 ml) room temperature
- 2 cups crushed Oreos (about 15-18 Oreos or two sleeves of a family pack; more for icing and decoration)
pan release;
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 Tbsp butter melted
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
cookies and cream buttercream;
- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup shortening
- 3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 Crushed Oreos to powder
cake batter buttercream;
- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup shortening
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1½ tsp cake batter extract
Instructions
pan release;
- Make cake release — equal parts melted butter, oil, flour (or cocoa powder). 1 Tbsp each should do the trick.
three layer cake;
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8-inch round baking pans. Use a pastry brush to generously grease the pan all over and line the bottom of the cake pan with a parchment paper round.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Next mix in the sour cream and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients and sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half the dry ingredients, and half the milk, and beat on low speed just until the flour starts to incorporate. Repeat until all ingredients are added and combined. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top to ensure it’s well mixed.
- In a large Ziploc bag, crush the Oreos into small pieces using a rolling pin or something similar. Fold the crushed Oreos into the cake batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, about 1 3/4 cups of batter per pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
cake batter buttercream;
- (Optional) You can double the recipe if desired to make the base for both buttercreams and set half aside before adding the flavorings, if preferred.
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer add 1 cup softened butter. Beat on high for 2 minutes or until lightened in color and soft and creamy.
- Add in 1 cup shortening and beat together until homogenous and creamy.
- Add in 3 cups powdered sugar and beat on low until incorporated, then add 1 Tbsp heavy cream and beat on medium-high.
- (Optional) If doubled the recipe, remove half of the buttercream now
- Add in 1½ tsp cake batter flavoring and mix until incorporated. Optionally, add a pinch of salt.
cookies and cream buttercream;
- Repeat steps above, skipping adding the cake batter flavoring OR; use the reserved half of the buttercream.
- Add in crushed oreos and 1 tsp vanilla. Optionally, a pinch of salt if desired and cream together until incorporated.
assemble cookies and cream cake;
- Trim and flatten each cake round to be level and ensure the sides line up cleanly on all three layers of the cake.
- Layer the top of 2 cake rounds with about ½" cake batter frosting. Expect frosting left over. You can add a smear of buttercream to the center of the serving platter to help the cake stick to plate. Stack the rounds on the plate: cake, cake batter buttercream, cake, cake batter buttercream, and the final cake round.
- Using a spatula, smear cookies and cream buttercream over the cake and smooth the sides and top. Using the cookies and cream buttercream as a canvas, decorate as desired! Add dollops of leftover cake batter buttercream, and crushed, whole, or halved oreos to decorate.
