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.
Sradha says
How can I cut this recipe down so that instead of six layers I get three layers in a 6 or 7 inch pan….
Olivia says
Hi Sradha! The recipe makes three layers that I then cut in half to make six.
Mathu says
What cake trays do you use ?
Olivia says
Hi Mathu! I use Fat Daddios cake pans. These ones are 6×2″.
Victoria says
Would I be able to add in & mix the black dye after I have combined the cream and chocolate for the ganache? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Victoria! Yes, that should work fine.
Michelle says
So easy to make and so delicious to eat! Def add the black dye drops to the ganache, def let the ganache to cool completely (if you don’t want choc to run off cake immediately) and I was unable to find the black cocoa but the Dutch choc worked just fine. Thank you for the recipe! I will make this again for sure.
Olivia says
Hi Michelle! I’m so happy you loved it. Thank you so much for your tips!
Dora says
This recipe is now a favorite in my home!!! I am now trying to do a graduation cake but with vanilla frosting, do I just swap out the cookie crumbs in the frosting for more icing sugar?
Olivia says
Hi Dora! For a plain vanilla frosting, you can just leave the cookie crumbs out 🙂
Kacey says
I love this cake! It’s tastes exactly like an Oreo. I do have a question though, My daughters birthday is coming up, and I want to make it a 3 layer 9 inch cake. I tried reading the conversion stuff on a couple of websites, but couldn’t wrap my head around it. Would simply doubling the batter or making in two separate batches work?
Olivia says
Hi Kacey! I would double it for three 9″ cakes. It should work fine!
Litza says
Hi! I’m looking to make a cookies and cream Oreo cake. I’ve made your vanilla cake in the past and came out great! Do you know if I can omit the cocoa powders in this recipe or add Oreo crumbs in your vanilla recipe to achieve a cookies and cream cake? I’ve seen other recipes and they have sour cream in them and I don’t want to use that but love using buttermilk as it can be made easily at home. Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Litza! I would add chopped Oreos to the vanilla cake recipe rather than tweaking this one.
Holly Lou says
Hello,
I am currently in the process of making this cake in 2 7′ cake tins. I only have normal sized eggs lift, will it be ok to use normal sized egg whites for the buttercream?
Olivia says
Hi Holly! Large eggs would be ideal, but it won’t be a disaster with normal sized. You can add an extra white to make up for the difference.
Phoebe says
I’ve done this lots of times!! Absolutely a family favorite. i just have a question though, can I replace the 1/2 cup of oreo crumbs to all-purpose flour instead? How will it affect the texture and taste of the cake? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Phoebe! Yes for sure, that’s how I make my chocolate cake 🙂 It won’t have an Oreo flavour but will be a delicious Chocolate cake.
Wednesday says
I am not a huge fan of Oreos nor am I a fan of chocolate cake. THIS cake, however, is the best thing I’ve ever had. I have made it twice now and I’ve eaten way too much of it both times.
The only thing that I did a little differently for the frosting the second time, was cook the egg whites and sugar for longer. The first time I made it it was grainy (it was still delicious) but it took closer to 10 minutes to get the sugar to dissolve at my second attempt.
Make this thing. Today.
I prefer it not totally room temperature but with a little chill. I live in AZ though so our room temp is probably warmer than it should be this time of year😋
Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Are there any other variations you recommend that are not a 6 layer cake? Maybe 2 8” or 9” rounds?
Thanks!
Wednesday
Olivia says
Hi Wednesday! Thank you for the amazing feedback. I am so happy you loved it! The recipe as-is will work as a two layer 8″ cake (or 4 layers if you cut each of those in half – if that makes sense).
Wednesday says
Brilliant, that makes perfect sense thank you!!! I need to work on my frosting skills since my cakes have been a little tilty🤦🏻♀️ 😂
I also want to bring it to friends’ houses and that is a tall cake to travel with!
Thanks so much!!!
Olivia says
Anytime! Do you trim the tops of your cakes so that they are level before stacking? That will help. Or you can use cake strips (which is what I do) to make sure they bake flat in the first place. Here’s some more info on that: https://livforcake.com/flat-top-cakes/
Melissa says
How far in advance can you make the buttercream and store in the fridge until ready to use?
Olivia says
Hi Melissa! You can make it a week in advance and refrigerate or freeze it for up to 3 months. Be sure to bring it completely to room temp and rewhip before use.
Claire says
Hi,
I am just wondering how deep should the 6″ tins be? 2″ or 3″m
Olivia says
Hi Claire! Either will work, mine are all 2″.
Jason says
I made a cupcake version with a few modifications, but the core of this recipe is wonderfully moist chocolate cake. A huge hit in my household. Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Jason! So glad to hear that, thanks for the awesome feedback! 🙂
Amanda says
Hi! Are the metric measurements accurate for this recipe? I don’t have measuring cups unfortunately.
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! The metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee their accuracy as I have not tested it myself. They *should* be correct though 🙂
Sharia gordon says
I would like to use just reg coco powder due to I can’t find the other.. how much of the regular coco powder would I use? Would it be a total of 12 Tbsp?
Olivia says
Hi Sharia! Yes, 12 Tbsp total or 3/4 cup of cocoa powder. Just note that the cake won’t have the same Oreo flavour, but it will still be delicious 🙂
Addy says
Is it normal that the middle of the cake cooks first??
Olivia says
Hi Addy! It’s usually the sides that set first. The cake might look a little funny in the middle as it’s cooking due to this. It should be fine though!
Stef says
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I made this for my Oreo loving husband and we both rate it a 10/10!!
Olivia says
Hi Stef! So happy you both loved it 🙂
Danielle says
This cake looks and sounds amazing! I’d love to make it for my partner’s birthday. Do you think it would work well with a Caramel drip instead of a dark chocolate ganache? My partner’s loves Oreos but he also loved caramel.
Olivia says
Hi Danielle! I don’t see why not – caramel goes with almost everything! I don’t think it would look as pretty (color wise) against the Oreo buttercream though, just keep that in mind. You could also/instead drizzle caramel between the layers on top of the frosting?
Kristen says
I made this cake this weekend for my husband’s 30th. It came out delicious and was easy to make. We could not find and black cocoa powder at the store so we used all regular Hershey’s cocoa powder and the cake still came out perfect. I will definitely make this again. I’m not a huge fan of frosting so next time I will cut the buttercream recipe in half and maybe do a semi-naked cake. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Olivia says
Hi Kristen! So happy you guys liked this one 🙂
Aimen says
Hi. Is this cake good for stacking?
Olivia says
Hi Aimen! The cake is more on the delicate side, but I have no problem stacking 3 full or 6 half layers. If you’re talking tiers, then it will work fine too as long as they are properly supported.
Jocelyn says
This cake is phenomenal! I’m excited to try out more of your recipes after having such success with this one. I was a bit nervous with how thin the batter was and how simple it was to mix, but it baked up beautifully. I don’t usually love chocolate cake, but I may or may not currently be eating a slice of this for breakfast before my DD wakes up. I can neither confirm nor deny! 😉
Olivia says
Hi Jocelyn! The batter is crazy thin, right?? I know. So happy you loved this one and I fully support eating cake for breakfast any day of the week 🙂 Can’t wait to see what you try next!
Melanie says
Hello,
I have tried many of your cookie cup recipes and LOVE. So with my sons birthday coming up I thought I would try one of your beautiful cakes! I was wondering about making the recipe smaller (potentially). We are having the grandparents over for his actual birthday and I was going to make this cake, it’s for 4 adults and two younger kids, and then I have to make a rather large cake for his friends party two days later. We are going to be on cake overload so I’m not sure I want a whole lot of leftovers with this cake. Do you have any tips for making recipe smaller?
Olivia says
Hi Melanie! If you want a smaller cake, I would recommend cutting the recipe in half (set the Servings to 6 instead of 12 and that will update the amounts) and baking it in either two 6″ pans (the cake layers will be thinner and the baking time shorter, but it would still be ok) or one 8″ pan for a single layer cake (baking time would be similar to the original recipe – about 30mins).
The cake does freeze really well though, so if you did decide to go with the full recipe you can freeze the extra slices (and maybe send some home with the grandparents??). I wrap mine in plastic wrap and then stick them in the freezer. It’s always nice to have a stash of cake for “emergencies” 😉 Let me know what you try!
Syv says
Hi! I was wondering how tall your 6 layered cake was. I want to put it in a cake box! Amazing cake!
Olivia says
Hi Syv! I didn’t measure it but I would say at least 8-10″ or so, especially with the rosettes and cookies on top.
Laurie Patton says
I have been looking for a cake for a young man, this jumped out at me. Everything looks great, how do you think this would taste with yellow cake?
Thanks for your advice.
Olivia says
Hi Laurie! I think it would be delicious. You could even try chopping up some Oreos and putting them right into the cake batter. That wouldn’t work so well for the chocolate cake as the batter is very thin, but should work fine with a vanilla cake.