The best Oreo cake recipe! Three layers of moist vanilla cake filled with chopped Oreos and then thick and creamy vanilla frosting that tastes JUST like the filling from actual Oreos. Topped with more Oreo frosting and Oreo cookies!
Oreo cake has been one of those recipes that you guys have messaged me about over and over and I’ve been listening! I swear! I had a hard time deciding if I wanted the cake itself to be a dark chocolate cake made with black cocoa powder like Oreos are made or using actual Oreos in the cake batter.
After testing both versions, the clear winner was chopped Oreos in a fluffy white cake. The real winner is the Oreo frosting that tastes like real Oreo filling! The secret? A little clear vanilla. Oreo filling is basically American buttercream but that clear vanilla gives it that distinct flavor. Who knew?
WHATS IN THIS BLOG POST
OREO CAKE INGREDIENTS
OREO CAKE STEP-BY-STEP
Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 335ºF (168ºC) and prepare three 6″x2″ cake pans with cake goop or your preferred type of pan release.
Step 2 – Bring all your ingredients to room temperature and measure them out using a scale. This is the BEST Oreo cake because the ingredients are carefully measured and combined to make the cake very moist and soft. 🙂 If you convert to cups I cannot guarantee good results.
- Microwave your butter in 15-second increments until you can press your finger into the butter but it still holds it’s shape.
- Microwave your milk until it feels slightly warm to the touch.
- Place your egg whites in a measuring cup that is sitting inside a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes to warm them up.
Step 3 – In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Step 4 – Combine milk, oil, and vanilla extract in a separate cup. Set aside.
Step 5 – Place the softened butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and cream until smooth. Sprinkle in your sugar and then let whip on medium-high until light, white, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
I’m using my Bosch Universal Plus stand mixer, a KitchenAid will work as well. I wouldn’t recommend using a hand mixer but if that’s all you have, make sure to go by look and consistency instead of time.
Step 6 – While mixing on low, slowly add the egg whites to the mixture one at a time, letting each fully combine before adding the next. (Cold egg whites will curdle the batter and the cake won’t rise properly, so make sure they’re at room temperature.)
Step 7 – Add in 1/3 of your dry ingredients to the mixture and mix on low until just combined. Then add in 1/2 of your liquids, then 1/3 dry, then 1/2 liquids, and the rest of your dry. Let it mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
Step 8 – Prepare your Oreo cookies. Scrape the cream filling from the Oreos and discard or save it to mix into your frosting. Then roughly chop the Oreos into 1/4-inch chunks.
Pro-Tip: I tried leaving the Oreo filling in the cookies but it would melt out during baking and leave these big holes in the cake.
Divide the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans and sprinkle the chopped Oreos on top of each pan. Gently fold the Oreos into the batter with a knife until just combined.
Pro-Tip: I tried adding the Oreos to the cake batter and then dividing the batter into the cake pans but the Oreo pieces would stick to the pan after baking.
Step 9 – Bake cakes at 335º F for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center. If you’re using two, 8″x2″ pans, bake for longer.
Step 10 – Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out cakes onto a cooling rack. Place the cakes into the freezer to flash chill for about an hour, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 week. This locks in the moisture. Do not refrigerate cakes without frosting or they will dry out.
Step 11 – Once cool, you can then trim off the brown edges and domes of your cakes (optional).
CAN I USE ANOTHER VANILLA CAKE BASE?
I chose to base this Oreo cake off of my white cake recipe because it uses all-purpose flour, bakes up evenly, and is strong enough to hold all of the Oreo pieces. When I tested them with my white velvet buttermilk cake recipe, all of the Oreos sunk to the bottom and fell in towards the center. White velvet uses cake flour and the reverse creaming method, so it results in a much softer crumb. The texture was just too soft to support the Oreos.
You could use the WASC cake recipe in place of this white cake recipe and that would taste really great too.
HOW DO I STORE MY OREO CAKE?
This cake can last for about 48 hours at room temperature because the frosting has so much butter in it and no fruit filling that might go bad. Room temperature cake always tastes best!
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Oreo Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Oreo Cake
- 14 ounces (397 g) All-Purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 14 ounces (397 g) granulated sugar
- 6 large (198 g) egg whites room temperature – fresh or boxed is fine
- 10 ounces (283 g) milk room temperature
- 2 ounces (57 g) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
- 4 ounces (113 g) roughly chopped Oreo cookies about 12 Oreos, without filling
Oreo Frosting
- 16 ounces (454 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 32 ounces (907 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 2-3 Tablespoons white food coloring
- 2 ounces (57 g) crushed Oreo cookies about 5 Oreos, without filling (You can add more or leave these out.)
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk for thinning, optional
Equipment
- Three 6"x2" cake pans
Instructions
Oreo Cake
- This is the BEST Oreo cake because I use a scale so it turns out perfectly. 🙂 If you convert to cups I cannot guarantee good results. Make sure your (cold ingredients) butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature or a little warm.I microwave my milk for about 30 seconds and place my eggs (still in the shells) in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 335ºF (168ºC) and prepare three, 6"x2" cake pans with cake goop or another preferred pan release.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine the milk, oil, and vanilla extract in a separate cup. Set aside.
- Place the softened butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and cream until smooth. Sprinkle in your sugar and then let whip on medium-high until light, white, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).I'm using my Bosch Universal Plus stand mixer, a KitchenAid will work as well. I wouldn't recommend using a hand mixer but if that's all you have, make sure to go by look and consistency instead of time. (See pictures above.)
- While mixing on low, slowly add the egg whites to the mixture one at a time, letting each fully combine before adding the next. (Cold egg whites will curdle the batter, so make sure they're room-temperature.)
- Add in 1/3 of your dry ingredients to the mixture and mix on low until just combined. Then add in 1/2 of your liquids, then 1/3 dry, then 1/2 liquids, and the rest of your dry. Let it mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
- Scrape the cream filling from the Oreos and discard or save and mix into your Oreo frosting, then roughly chop the oreos into 1/4-inch chunks. Divide the batter evenly into prepared cake pans and sprinkle the chopped oreos on top of each pan. Gently fold the oreos into the batter with a knife until just combined.
- Bake cakes at 335º F for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center.If you're using two, 8"x2" pans, bake for longer.
- Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes or until the pan feels barely warm then turn out cakes onto a cooling rack. Place them into the freezer to flash chill, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 week. This locks in the moisture.
- Once cool, you can then trim off the brown edges and domes of your cakes (optional) and frost as desired. I do a crumb coat, freeze the cake for 15 minutes, then do a final coat, combine my leftover buttercream with the crushed Oreos, and top the cake with some dollops and whole oreos.
Oreo Buttercream
- Add the butter into the stand mixer bowl, attach the whisk attachment (or paddle) and cream until smooth.
- Add 1 cup of powdered sugar to the bowl at a time, and mix on low until it's all combined. (I add my mixer lid so it doesn't puff up.) Continue adding powdered sugar until it's all combined and smooth.
- Add in the vanilla, white food coloring and salt, and mix for about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Take out about 1/2 cup of the buttercream and melt it down in the microwave, then pour it back in while mixing to make it extra creamy.
- If it's too thick, add 2 to 3 Tablespoons of milk and mix until combined.
- I used this buttercream without Oreos in it to fill and frost my cake, but you can mix crushed oreos into the whole batch if desired. For the dollops on my cake, I chopped up the oreos (without the cream filling), crushed them with the blade of my knife, and mixed them into about 1 cup of my frosting.
Notes
- I use three 6″x2″ cake pans but you can also use two 8″x2″ pans or even half this recipe. Just bake for longer with larger pans.
- My favorite cake tip is using a pan release called cake goop!
- Bring all of your ingredients to room temperature and measure them out using a scale. This is the BEST Oreo cake because the ingredients are carefully measured and combined to make the cake very moist and soft. 🙂 If you convert to cups I cannot guarantee good results.
- Microwave your butter in 15-second increments until you can press your finger into the butter but it still holds its shape.
- Microwave your milk until it feels slightly warm to the touch.
- Place your egg whites in a measuring cup that is sitting inside a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes to warm them up.
- I’m using my Bosch Universal Plus stand mixer, a KitchenAid will work as well. I wouldn’t recommend using a hand mixer but if that’s all you have, make sure to go by look and consistency instead of time.
- Pro-Tip: I tried leaving the Oreo filling in the cookies but it would melt out during baking and leave these big holes in the cake.
- Pro-Tip: I tried adding the Oreos to the cake batter and then dividing the batter into the cake pans but the Oreo pieces would stick to the pan after baking.
- Do not refrigerate cakes without frosting or they will dry out. After baking, I place my cakes into the freezer to flash chill for about an hour, or wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 week.
- The clear vanilla extract gives the filling its classic Oreo cookie flavor and a touch of white food coloring gives it that classic bright white color.
- If the frosting is too thick, add 2 to 3 Tablespoons of milk and mix until combined.
- Make sure to crush the Oreos very finely if you want to use them in your buttercream, or they will clog up your piping tip.
- Never frost your cakes while they’re warm!
- Want more in-depth info on how to decorate a cake? Check out my how to make a cake tutorial.
- This cake can last for about 48 hours at room temperature because the frosting has so much butter in it and no fruit filling that might go bad. Room temperature cake always tastes best!
OOOOOMMMMMGGGGGG!!!!! I am in Oreo heaven and cannot wait to make this!!!!!! 🥰
Omg I’m rating this even before making it! Thank you so much, I’ve been waiting for you to make an oreo cake forever! I can’t wait to make this cake. Thank you thank you!
I am so happy to see this recipe! Thank you!!! Only problem is that I’m having trouble finding clear vanilla extract online. I’m only finding clear vanilla imitation flavoring. I see that Lorann has a clear double strength extract, but am not sure if that would work. I also realize that I’m probably splitting hairs here lol but I really want to make this right the first time. Any brand recommendations?
Clear vanilla is imitation vanilla 🙂
What brand of clear vanilla would be best?
like using McCormick!
Are You sure this recipe needs 32 ounces of sugar??? That seems quiet à lot to me😃 Karin
Thats for the buttercream
Fantastisch 🥰😍❤️
Can I use cake flour in this recipe? And can I replace the milk with buttermilk?
This recipe works best with AP flour and regular milk so that the cake is strong and the Oreos don’t sink to the bottom. I tested it using my white velvet buttermilk recipe but it was too soft to support the cookies. But try some of my other cake recipes, I love using buttermilk! https://sugargeekshow.com/category/recipe/cake/
Can’t wait to make this! My son is allergic to egg whites, what can I replace them with?
Sorry, I don’t know of any egg replacers yet! I’m doing research for good replacements.
I’ve been wanting this for so long! Thank you!
How about a chocolate chip cookie dough cake!!
Can I make this recipe into cupcakes, just adjust the baking time?
Yes you will have to adjust the baking time for cupcakes, usually, cupcakes baking in about 16-20 minutes
Hi Gina! My son has an egg allergy too and I made this cake using flax egg. The cake turned out AMAZING! I hope this helps!
This was Absolutely Divine! I made it vegan because of some allergies and it was AMAZING! Thanks!
DELICIOUS! I halved the recipe and turned them into cupcakes. If you use cupcake liners, you can mix the oreo pieces into the batter before spooning into the cupcake pan. So good and the frosting is perfect!
Wow the cake looks beautiful.. can’t wait to make this. To flash chill the cake in freezer, do you still wrap them? If so can we use Saran wraps/cling wrap? I could level my cakes only if it’s refrigerated but that makes the cake dry. Please help.
I don’t wrap my cakes for flash chilling, I just put them in there directly on the cooling rack
Amazing! Love the look and taste of this recipe. Everyone loved it. Will make again.
I’ve been baking for years but never really tried cake decorating until I discovered your site. Now I have a baking business!
Great pro tips and easy to follow tutorials.
Hi Liz – just wanted to say thank you for a great recipe. I made it today for my sons 16th bday. It looked as great as it tasted! Wish I could post a picture here!! Ty!
Just baked the cakes for my daughter’s birthday on Saint Patrick’s day 3 days away .. they came out beautifully and are in the freezer till Wednesday then I will decorate it with your frosting recipe I can’t wait! I must say this is the first time I weighed my ingredients and I may do this from now on with my recipes .. this cake looks moist feels moist and smells amazing! I look forward to making more of your amazing cake recipes!!! I’m a Fan ..😊
Yay! I’m so so glad you liked it and congratulations on weighing your ingredients! I know it’s a big step but trust me, you’ll never want to go back 😀
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday this weekend based on her request for an Oreo cake – it was soooo good! Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Hi Ms. Liz, I’m such a big fan of yours and thank you for sharing all of you delicious recipe with us!! I have a question regarding this cake. It says that it will keep in the freezer for a week and I haven’t seen this in other recipes. Is that how long it will be good for? I have to make about 3 cakes in the same week two for my boys birthday and Easter, all of yours of course. Would it be okay in the freezer for 2 weeks or so? Thank you soo very much!
You can freeze any cake if you need to make it ahead of time, two weeks is ok too. Just make sure you defrost for 24 hours in the fridge or it will sweat like crazy
Hi Liz,
Do I keep whipping the frosting till it doesn’t taste like butter? You have mentioned doing that in the last 2 cake recipes I followed.
Thank you for your help.
Vickie
This frosting is mostly sugar so you don’t have to worry about whipping it too much
Hi Liz! Just wondering if i can use swiss meringue buttercream for this cake?
Yes you sure can