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.
Amanda W. says
Hi, will the SMBC ingredient sufficient for a 3-layer 8″ round cake instead? Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! The recipe as is will work for a two layer 8″ cake, so I would 1.5x the recipe.
Amanda W. says
thank you. For the Oreo crumbs in SMBC – Do you remove the cream from the Oreo biscuit when you blitz them into crumbs? or just blitz the whole biscuit including the cream? thanks
Olivia says
I can buy actual Oreo cookie crumbs here (no filling), so that’s what I used. I’m sure using the filling would work fine too, for ease 🙂
Amanda W. says
Thank you Olivia, i had used your Oreo SMBC and tagged you on Instagram. They turned out well and apparently enough for 3 layers of 8inch as i chanced to try it first using 1 portion of your ingredient. Thanks again
Olivia says
Yay! So glad to hear it worked out 🙂 I’ll check my IG!
P says
I love your recipes Olivia! There are many recipes using 6” pans… have you ever made them using 8” pans? I’m going to be baking the Oreo Cake and am trying to figure out how to increase the ratio of the ingredients
Olivia says
Thank you! Most of my recipes can be made in two 8″ pans instead of three 6″. The layers will be a bit thinner in the 8″ though, so baking time would be a bit shorter, but otherwise should be fine! If you want to have thicker 8″ layers, for this one in particular, adjust the Servings slider to 16 instead of 12 and that should scale all the ingredients up. Let me know how it turns out!
Maureen says
Hi Olivia!
Thank you for the recipe. My cakes seemed to “cave” in the middle – do you know why that would happen? I used 6″ Fat Dadio pans but did not have them wrapped like you suggested. My oven is electric and the temperature does fluctuate but it’s been a pretty steady 340-350 while baking.
Any feedback would be appreciated. I’m making this for my niece’s birthday and really want it to come out perfect.
Olivia says
Hi Maureen! Are you at high altitude by chance? I know this can happen sometimes. Here are some tips just in case:https://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/baking-cooking-high-altitudes
If you’re not, then I suspect the cake just needed more time in the oven. Did it sink once you took it out or while it was still baking?
maureen says
Hi Olivia – thanks for your speedy response! I live in NYC and the cakes were sinking while baking. I left them in longer because the middle was undercooked but the sides were definitely baked. I finally took them out and because they were so indented, I decided to scrap them and taste it and it seemed like the sides tasted burnt. It’s so hard to see because the cake is so dark. I will try it again and maybe do it at a lower temp? For what it’s worth – the parts that weren’t burnt tasted AMAZING!! Oh – and i totally nailed the frosting – it is divine!!!!
Olivia says
The sinking while baking is usually caused due to too much raising agent. Did you use self-raising flour by chance? And were the amts of baking soda and baking powder correct? That’s the only thing I can think of that would cause it to sink while in the oven. OH unless, did you open the oven door or move them around before they were set? That will cause it too.
Alani N. Buckley says
This cake was so absolutely delicious. Made it for my nephews birthday and everyone LOVED it. Thank you for posting!!
Olivia says
So happy to hear that everyone liked it Alani! 🙂
gabriela says
Hi, I loved the few recipes I have made from your blog…Would you mind if I mention you on my instagram page whenever I use your recipes?
🙂 big fan
Olivia says
Hi Gabriela! Thank you! I don’t mind at all, I would love to see what you’ve made!
Meagan says
I made this cake for my son’s birthday party this weekend and OH MY GOSH it was SO DELICIOUS!
Olivia says
So glad you liked it Meagan!!
Sam says
Hi! I just found your site and absolutely LOVE it! This cake was great! The cake was moist and not overly sweet, and the swiss meringue buttercream was great too! The only question I have about this recipe is that when switching the ingredient quantities from US to Metric the number of egg whites changes for the frosting. I used the 6 egg whites and it came out fine.
For anyone wondering, I this cake in two 8″ pans and each rose to be about an inch in height. Also, I found that adding “chopped” oreos worked out better for me for both the cake and the frosting.
Olivia says
Hi Sam! Thanks for catching that egg whites error! It was a mistake in the conversion tool, it should have been 6 whites 🙂 5 would not have been a disaster though! Thanks for the tips 🙂
Jennifer says
PS – next week I’m going to try the dulce de leche cake for Super Bowl Sunday.
Olivia says
Ohh yay!! That’s definitely a favourite!! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Jennifer says
Liv – today I made this cake (my second of your recipes, the first was the mocha cake) and it was delicious! Tasted just like an Oreo cookie. I will say, I agree with a previous poster about the buttercream being far too buttery. I read your comment back, but my egg whites had a beautiful peak before adding the butter. We all enjoyed the mocha cake buttercream and that had one less stick butter. I’m not sure if it’s the ratio or something else I did but overall it was really good! I’m new to cake baking but I love your easy to follow blog posts. Not sure if it’s beginners luck or your great details but I’m two for two. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Jennifer! This is actually one of my older recipes, and since then I’ve actually been using 6 whites per 2 cups butter, so I think I’ll make that adjustment here too. Thanks for the feedback!! Glad you liked it still 🙂 And I’m so happy that you find my recipes easy to follow! That’s always been really important to me 🙂
Melissa Bruno says
WOW! This cake was DELISH! I just made it for my son’s birthday…everyone loved it! I didn’t have black cocoa powder, but it was amazing using regular cocoa. I can’t wait to try it again with black cocoa! Not sure how much better it can get, but definitely going to give it a go!
Olivia says
Hi Melissa! Yay! So happy to hear that everyone liked it 🙂 Black cocoa will make it taste even more Oreo!
KK says
If I don’t have black cocoa can i put in additional oreo crumbs?
Olivia says
Hi KK! I would use regular cocoa in place of black cocoa then as not to change the texture too much.
Amanda says
For the Buttercream, when you say to place the mixing bowl over a hot water bath, do I do this while the water boils? Or just boil some water and place the mixing bowl on top? I’ve never tried to make this type of frosting so any help would be much appreciated!
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! The water should be just barely simmering and the bowl should not touch the water. I use a pot with a couple inches of water or so. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any more questions 🙂
Rebecca says
hey liv!
would love to make this cake for my sons birthday, but he does not like chocolate cake (i know, weird) do you have any ideas on how to make a white cake with the cookie crumbs still in the cake?
thanks so much!
Olivia says
Hi Rebecca! Do you mean a white Oreo cake? Like a golden oreo one? Or something different? If so, what kind of cookie crumbs were you wanting to use?
Rebecca says
Hi Liv,
I was thinking of just making a plain white cake, and adding the oreo cookies, but i was not sure if i make your white cake and then just add the cookies to the batter, do i need to adjutst the recipe in any way, or the bake time?
Now i am thinking of maybe making your peanut butter cake and using this oreo frosting on it, my son loves peanut butter, and oreos, so why not, i don’t know how it will taste, its worth a try, still debating on which cake to make.
Cetta Johnston says
The cake tasted ok, however, the edges were way too hard for my taste. Also the buttercream recipe I followed to the TEE and all I could taste was the butter!! So disappointed, I make cakes every week for family and friends and make my own buttercream and I’ve never tasted the butter like this. Its like I’m putting butter in my mouth mixed with oreos. I read the recipe over and over, while following the instructions very carefully. Again. So disappointed
Olivia says
Hi Cetta, sorry to hear this one didn’t work out for you. The edges should not be hard — perhaps it was overbaked? As for the buttercream, it will have more of a buttery flavour vs typical American buttercreams but it should not taste like you’re eating a stick of butter. It sounds like maybe the meringue didn’t whip up properly before you added the butter.
Venus says
Dear Olivia, thanks for this wonderful recipe. I made this Oreo cake for my hubby’s birthday, and it was my first time baking. My husband likes Oreo very much and he said the cake was look like a huge version of Oreo. The taste real good. Indeed, I am very nervous to make it especially the buttercream, it is not the usual one I saw in the internet. However, based on your clear instructions, I can easily manage it. Though my cake’s outlook was not beautiful as yours (I’m not good in assembling), but I think it was close enough. 😉
Thanks again for your sharing.
Olivia says
Hi Venus! I am so glad that you guys liked this one 🙂 And I am sure it looked beautiful. It’s the taste that matters anyhow though, right? 🙂
Venus says
Yea! 🙂 thank you!
Lauren says
Hey liv! So excited to try this one for my husband and brothers birthdays this weekend. Quick question, where do I find black cocoa powder? I’m in Ontario so hoping you found it in a Canadian store as I don’t have time to order through amazon. Would bulk barn have it? Where did you get it?
Olivia says
Hi Lauren! Doh, I get it at a local gourmet food shop here (https://gourmetwarehouse.ca/black-cocoa-powder-250g/), are there any specialty shops like that where you are? Where are you located, maybe I can ask some food blogger friends in ON. I hope you can find some as it really adds to the flavour and makes it taste more like an Oreo! Regular cocoa would work as a back-up, but it would change the flavour.
Caity says
Is there a way to make this into cupcakes? I need something that’s able to travel well!
Olivia says
HI Caity! This recipe should work fine as cupcakes. Just be sure to adjust the baking time as needed.
Emily says
Is the sugar in the buttercream meant to be grandulated or powdered? I made a frosting from another blog one time with grandulated and it was gritty.
Olivia says
Hi Emily! So sorry for the delay, I’ve been travelling. This is a meringue based buttercream so it needs to be granulated. You dissolve it completely though while you’re warming up the whites.
Gaye says
Cake came out great! I did 3 layers with an 8″ cake pan. I did have to make more batter, but that was fine. The buttercream was delicious! The only bummer was I put it in the trunk of my car and my parents live about 90 mins away and we were having a mini heat wave so when I took the cake out of the car and brought it in the house, I saw that the buttercream on top had melted (I had put Oreos around the top and they fell off). I was bummed, but I had taken “before” pictures – thankfully. And the family loved it regardless. So… yay for first time cake-baking success! 🙂 Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Olivia says
Yay! So glad it turned out 🙂 So sorry to hear about your mishap while travelling!! I would be so stressed out travelling with a cake, nevermind in a heat wave. Glad it still worked out though and that everyone loved it 🙂 Congrats on your first time cake-baking success!!
Gaye says
Hi Olivia! Though I love to bake, I’ve never made a cake before in my life! I decided to try to make a cake for Father’s Day this year and perused Pinterest and found your amazing Oreo cake. So I’m going to attempt it. eeek!
Questions – do you use the cream of the Oreo for anything? Does the cake taste like a big Oreo?? And, would it be possible to pipe some of the buttercream along the edges or on the top?
I’m borrowing some cake pans from a friend and I believe they’re 8″ Is it ok to use 3 of those? Will I need to alter the batter at all?
Thanks! Sorry for so many questions! 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Gaye! I’m so excited that you’re going to try this one! I have total faith and confidence in you 🙂 To answer your questions:
– I buy just the Oreo cookie crumbs themselves, like graham cracker crumbs, but they’re not available everywhere (I’m in Canada). So, I don’t use the filling, but you could try adding some of it to the buttercream if you want? It would make the buttercream sweeter though.
– The thing that makes this cake taste most like an Oreo, besides the cookie crumbs, is the black cocoa, so use that if you can!!
– I can’t totally remember, but I don’t think I had enough frosting left over to pipe along the top. If you do this as a 3 layer cake instead of 6 layers though then you’ll be fine.
– If you use three 8″ pans, you need to double the recipe. Or use the recipe as is in two 8″ pans.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂 And good luck!
Gaye says
Thanks so much for the quick reply! So if I use 2 8″ pans, I can then slice the layers to have 4 layers instead of 2. Will I have enough of the buttercream for all that? And do you think I’d have enough to pipe a bit on the top and/or bottom?
I ordered black cocoa and the Dutch processed cocoa from Amazon. 🙂
Oh! One more question. I was going to make the cake layers tomorrow evening (Friday) and the frosting/decorating on Saturday. Will this all keep fresh until Sunday? And should I just keep it out in a cake container until I bring it to my sister’s on Sunday or should I put it in the fridge Saturday after I’m done? (That may have been more than 1 question). 😉
Thanks!
Olivia says
For the buttercream, I would increase the amounts to this:
6 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs
That *should* give you enough as long as you don’t go too heavy in the layers.
And yes, your plan is a good one! Just cover the cake layers with plastic wrap Friday night. The frosted cake should be refrigerated. Just bring it to room temp (2-3hours) before serving.
Let me know how it turns out!
Gaye says
You’re awesome! Thank you! Will report back in a few days. 😉
Roslyn Beckstead says
Is this cake ok to leave out? Or do leftovers need to be refrigerated?
Olivia says
Hi Roslyn! Ideally, refrigerate the leftovers 🙂