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?
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).
OREO BUTTERCREAM STEP-BY-STEP
This Oreo buttercream tastes just like the filling in an Oreo cookie! The clear vanilla extract gives the filling it’s classic Oreo cookie flavor and a touch of white food coloring gives it that classic bright white color.
Step 1 – Add the butter into the stand mixer bowl, attach the whisk attachment (or paddle), and cream until smooth.
Step 2 – Add 1 cup of powdered sugar to the bowl at a time, and mix on low until it’s all combined. (I use my mixer lid so the powdered sugar doesn’t puff up.)
Step 3 – Add in the clear 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.
Step 4 – 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.
HOW TO MAKE AN OREO COOKIE LAYER CAKE
Want more in-depth info on how to decorate a cake? Check out my how to make a cake tutorial.
Step 1 – Once my cake layers are chilled, I trim off of the dome, the brown edges on the sides and the bottom so that my slices look really nice when I cut into the cake.
Step 2 – Add your layer of buttercream (I shoot for about 1/4″ of frosting in between my layers), then add the next layer of cake. Repeat with the second and third layer of cake.
Step 3 – Crumb coat your cake and then refrigerate it for 15 minutes to set the frosting.
Step 4 – Apply your final coat of buttercream and smooth it out with your bench scraper and offset spatula.
Step 5 – Add some crushed Oreo crumbs to the base of the cake.
Step 6 – Finish the top of the cake with some dollops of Oreo frosting and some more Oreo cookies! Be sure to check out the video tutorial below on how to make the Oreo cake.
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!
