Six decadent layers of Oreo cake, Oreo buttercream, and a dark chocolate ganache. Perfect for the cookies and cream lover in your life!

Hello Oreo lovers! Do I have your attention? Good, because this cake is for you. This Oreo Cake is actually an update of one of my older recipes (from 2016!). The photos were in dire need of a refresh, and I wanted to tweak the recipe a bit.
As you know, Ryan tends to be my go-to guy for ideas when I’m stuck on something to bake. Naturally, he gravitates to things that he already loves and asks me to turn them into cakes. Hence the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cake, the S’mores Cake, and the Turtles Cake, to name a few.
When he suggested an Oreo Cake my arm didn’t need much twisting. I am a HUGE fan of Oreos. Though, truthfully, I prefer Golden Oreos to the original. Something about that vanilla cookie flavor goes so well with the Oreo filling! Be sure to check out my Golden Oreo Cake too for a delicious alternative.

How Do You Make Oreo Cake?
This cake is packed with Oreo cookie flavor in the best ways possible. I modified my favorite chocolate cake recipe, and made a couple key modifications to Oreo-ify it:
- I swapped out some of the all-purpose flour for Oreo cookie crumbs
- I swapped out some of the cocoa powder for black cocoa
The Oreo cookie crumbs are very easy to get in Canada. You can literally find them in almost any grocery store, right next to the graham cracker crumbs. I hear they aren’t as easy to find in the US (is that right?). Really though, any chocolate cookie crumbs will do.
If you can’t find chocolate cookie crumbs, you can just make your own by separating Oreo cookies from the filling and pulsing the cookie parts in a food processor. Be sure to separate them — do not attempt to pulse whole cookies and use those in the cake batter.

Black cocoa powder is one of my favorite things ever. It’s what gives Oreo cookies that deep rich color and flavor. Black cocoa powder is a super dark Dutch-process cocoa, which basically means it’s had even more acid stripped from it.
Cake Tip!
It’s not recommended to replace all of the cocoa in a recipe with black cocoa powder, due to it’s very low fat content — it can make baked goods dry. Substituting half or so should be more than enough to get the flavor and color to come through.
If you don’t have black cocoa powder, you can substitute more Dutch-process or regular cocoa powder. It will affect the color and flavor slightly.

I used Oreo cookie crumbs again in the Swiss meringue buttercream frosting. This added both flavor and color in just the perfect way.
For additional flavor and texture, I added some chopped-up Oreo cookies between each of the cake layers, and finished the whole thing off with a dark chocolate ganache drip for good measure. I’ve been back on the drip cake trend lately, and I think that’s a good thing.
I tried to darken the dark chocolate ganache by adding some black color gel to the cream before microwaving it all. This worked okay, but it made the ganache a bit dull. At least I assume that’s what it was.
The only other difference was that I used the ganache later the same day instead of leaving it overnight and nuking it a bit in the morning to thin it out. But I think it was the color gel. It’s not shiny, but I think this color looks better than a brownish ganache would have.

Nothing, honestly. They are basically one and the same. Some people prefer to call them cookies and cream desserts, and some people Oreo. There are a ton of companies out there that produce cookies and cream desserts. There is some debate about which came first (kind of a chicken and egg thing happening).
I didn’t spend a ton of time researching it, but basically, it seems that everyone is claiming to have created the sandwich cookies. It’s the Oreo brand that popularized them, so they’re the ones we know today.

This Oreo Cake has been a popular recipe here on Liv for Cake over the years. If you’re a cookies and cream fan or have one in your life, you will LOVE this cake!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I convert this recipe?
- The recipe as-is will also work in two 8″ pans, though the layers will be a bit thinner. For three 8″ pans, 1.5x the recipe. Baking time may need to be adjusted.
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so. The recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes depending on size.
- For other conversions go here.
Can I make it in advance?
- The cooled cake layers can be baked ahead of time, double wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
- The frosting can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 1 week for frozen for 3 months. Bring to room temp and rewhip before using.
- The ganache can be made a day in advance and left on the counter overnight (with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface). It will need to be warmed slightly to thin out.
- The finished cake (whole or sliced, stored airtight) can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Can I get the measurements by weight/grams?
- There is a Metric option in the recipe card. If you click it it will convert everything to grams.
- This conversion is done automatically and I cannot guarantee the accuracy but many readers have had success using the metric option for this recipe.
What if I don’t have Black Cocoa/Dutch-process Cocoa Powder?
- If you don’t have black cocoa powder, you can substitute more Dutch-process or regular cocoa powder. It will affect the color and flavor slightly.
- I like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder in all of my chocolate recipes, but regular cocoa powder will work just fine. Dutch-process has had some of the acid stripped from it and yields a richer flavor overall. Again, it won’t make or break the recipe to use regular cocoa powder here.
What if I don’t have buttermilk?
- Buttermilk is not optional and cannot be swapped for milk as it will affect the overall result.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own at home by combining 1 cup of milk (whole milk ideally, but I often just use 1%) with 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar and letting it sit for 10mins.
Can I use hot coffee instead of hot water?
- You’ll often see this kind of chocolate cake recipe using hot coffee instead of hot water in the batter, and you can use either.
Tips for making this Oreo Cookies and Cream Cake
- You can do this as a 3 layer cake instead of thinner 6 layers, but you will have some buttercream left over.
- I added a couple drops of black color gel to the ganache to darken it. This is optional.
- The cake layers are easiest to frost when they are chilled, as they are a bit firmer and help the buttercream set quicker.
- Check out my tutorial on How to Make Ganache for making the drip.
- I like to prepare my cake pans using Homemade Cake Release then line with parchment.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my Flat Top Cakes post!

Oreo Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Oreo cookie crumbs sift first then measure to remove larger chunks
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 6 Tbsp black cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup hot water or hot coffee
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Oreo Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
- 1 tsp clear vanilla extract optional
- 1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs sifted
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
- 3 oz good quality dark chocolate chopped
- 3 oz heavy cream
- 1-2 drops black color gel optional
Assembly:
- 10 Oreos chopped
- mini Oreos optional
Instructions
Oreo Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 6″ round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
- Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour coffee in slowly as not to cook the eggs if very hot).
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out mostly clean. A total of 30-35mins.
- Cool 10minutes in the pans then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, cut each layer in half horizontally to get 6 layers.
Oreo Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and stir with a whisk until the mixture is no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins).
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whip on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
- Add vanilla and whip until smooth.** Remove about 1 cup of buttercream and set aside.
- Add Oreo cookie crumbs to the remainder of the buttercream and whip until smooth.
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
- Add cream to a medium microwave safe bowl. Add 1-2 drops of black color gel and stir to combine (optional). Add chopped chocolate and microwave in 10second intervals, stirring in between, until completely smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool completely and thicken before using as a drip.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving dish. Top with about 2/3 cup Oreo buttercream and sprinkle with chopped Oreos. Repeat with remaining layers. Do a think crumb coat all over the cake and chill for 20mins.
- Frost and smooth the outside of the cake with the remaining Oreo buttercream. Chill for 30mins until firm.
- Using a small spoon, place dollops of ganache around the top edges of the cooled cake, allowing some to drip down. Fill in the top of the cake with more ganache and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Allow to set for a few minutes.
- Fit a piping bag with a 1M piping tip. Fill with the white buttercream that was set aside. Pipe rosette dollops on top of the cake. Place a mini Oreo in the center of each dollop if desired.
Aviv Harkov says
Can you freeze the cake and frosting separately ?
Olivia says
You can! I do that often. You will likely need to rewhip the frosting once it comes back to room temperature though.
Aviv Harkov says
Hi, could I freeze the cake and/or frosting before a party?
Thank you it looks great!
Olivia says
Hi Aviv! Yes, both freeze really well. If you freeze the frosting separately, you may need to rewhip it when it thaws.
Sarah says
I tried the icing, however the meringue never stiffened (even though there was no grease on my tools). Normally with meringues I need to start to whip the egg whites, then add the sugar- so this was a first attempt at doing them at the same time. Unfortunately, I am out of eggs, so I can’t try to remake the recipe.
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! Sorry to hear about your meringue troubles. If it never stiffened the culprit had to be either grease or trace of egg yolk in the whites. I always wipe down all my equipment with lemon juice to make sure everything is grease free. Also, did you happen to use egg whites from a carton? I had problems with those whipping up before.
Gigi says
Hiya, I don’t have black cocoa powder. Can I just replace it with more Dutch processed cocoa?
Olivia says
Hi Gigi! Yep, that will work fine. The cake may not be as dark and the flavour might be slightly different, but it will still be delicious 🙂
Sneza says
Hi Olivia,
I want to make a very special cake for my husband’s birthday and I’m so happy I found this recipe!! (Didn’t notice it in instagram before?!) I’ m struggling a bit with the measures, can you please tell me how much gramm is one cup? When I google I see different results and I want this cake to be perfect!!
Thank you!
Sneza
Olivia says
Hi Sneza! This is the website I use to check conversions:
http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/flour_volume_weight.html
But you have to be sure to select the correct ingredient from the list on the right. 1 cup of flour is 125g, 1 cup butter is 227g, 1 cup sugar is 200g. I hope this helps!
Sneza says
Yes!! Thank you!!
kristie says
made this cake last weekends- was AMAZING! Question though- for the Oreo Cookie crumbs- should the creme filling be scraped out first? The frosting, while delicious, was a bit too sweet for our taste and I was thinking by removing the creme from the cookies we’d remove some of the sweetness. Not sure how that’d affect the overall taste though.
Anyway making another one this weekend since it was such a hit. thanks so much for such an elegant, beautiful oreo cake!
Olivia says
Hi Kristie! I’m so glad to hear you liked it! I buy Oreo cookie crumbs, they’re like graham cracker crumbs but Oreo and are just the cookie part. So yes, if you’re using whole cookies, scrape out the filling 🙂
LJ says
Just having a go at this now! Well, admittedly second attempt after I stupidly didn’t line my pans with an earlier version. Not that anyone in this house minds, the cake pieces taste amazing with ice cream 😄 First time cooking one of your recipes and I’ll definitely be looking round for more inspiration. Thanks for sharing.
Olivia says
Ohh exciting! You have to let me know how it turns out/how you like it. Glad to hear the cake scraps didn’t go to waste ;).
Linda campbell says
I’m trying to get the recipe for the six layer Oreo cake. It shows the ingredients but not the directions for making it.
Olivia says
Hi Linda! The directions should be listed right below the ingredients. Are they not showing up for you??
Hana says
Great, thank you so much! Any advice if I opt to try the three 9″? I need a pretty large cake.
Olivia says
Hi Hana! You can use the recipe as-is in 9″ pans too, but the layers will be a bit thinner. Though that doesn’t technically make for a bigger cake ;). You can try doubling it and then adding in another half recipe. Or tripling the recipe? Just make sure the batter doesn’t go more than 1/2 way up the pan or so, max 2/3rds as it rises a lot!
Olivia says
Oops, I meant that the doubled recipe would work well in three 9″ pans, but that they’d be thinner.
Elizabeth says
Hi liv. Mine is in the oven. Fingers crossed. I only have an 8″ pan. So ill half it later. Its for tomorrow church potluck. Im using strawberry oreo. Ah cant wait.
Olivia says
Hi Elizabeth! Did you make it all in one 8″ pan or two? Let me know how it turns out!!
Hana says
Did you ever try the 8″? I’m hoping to try this this weekend, but only have one 6″ pan. The only sizes I have three of are 8″ and 9″. Any suggestions?! Looks amazing 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Hana! If you double the recipe it will work perfectly in three 8″ pans or you can use the recipe as is and make two 8″ layers. I hope that helps!
Agata says
Do you think it would be safe for the cake, if I skip Oreo crumbs in the batter?
Olivia says
Hi Agata! Just replace them with additional flour and you’ll be fine 🙂
Agata says
Thanks! 🙂
Anne says
Omgggg this cake looks AMAZING!!!! Oreos are probably my favorite kind of cookie but to make it into such a beautiful looking cake -GENIUS!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Anne! <3 🙂
Leigh says
Where did you get the mint green cake stand??
Olivia says
Hi Leigh! I actually got it at a discount store here called Homesense. You can find similar ones on Amazon or World Market. Look for Jade Green Cake Stand :).
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen says
Wow stunning cake, so glad to have found your blog! You have some fabulous looking recipes! XO
Olivia says
Thanks so much Elizabeth! 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
oh WOW this cake is amazing Liv! Like seriously – six layers???! And the frosting looks like perfection too. Xx
Olivia says
I know, 6 layers is a little over the top, but it had to be done! Thanks Thalia 🙂 <3
J.K. says
This looks awesome! Did you split each of the 3 cakes to get 6 layers, or did you just double the recipe? Also any tips for pressing the crumbs onto the bottom edge of the cake?
Olivia says
Ack! Yes, I did, but apparently I missed mentioning that in the recipe! Thanks for letting me know! I will update it. As for pressing crumbs into the bottom, I had the cake on a cake board and placed it on an inverted bowl so the edges hung over a bit and then carefully pressed it into the sides. Does that make sense? If not, let me know and I’ll try to find a picture of it :).
Jacquie Favrin says
Hi Olivia! I love oreos!!!. I, like you, prefer the golden oreos. Can’t wait to make this one too! More people to invite to help me eat it. 😄
Olivia says
Haha exactly! I hope you like this one 😀
Ace says
I adore golden Oreos! Everyone thinks I’m crazy when I say I prefer them. They remind me of duplex cookies which I loved as a kid.
Olivia says
Golden Oreos are the BEST, glad you’re on my team :D.
Jenn says
Omg my boys (and I) will love this cake! I’m going to try this one immediately!
Olivia says
Hi Jenn!! Aww I should have squirreled away some pieces for you guys! I hope you do try it :D. I’d recommend using hot water vs hot coffee in the cake. <3 xo
Kristen Chidsey says
My husband is an oreo fanatic! he will love this!
Olivia says
Thanks Kristen! I hope you try this :D.