Cookies and Cream Cake
Dark chocolate cake layers with cookies and cream filling, Oreo buttercream and chocolate drip.
This Oreo-inspired Best Ever Cookies and Cream Cake is truly that! BEST EVER!
Before You Begin
This chocolate cake is my go-to chocolate cake. I’m in love with it. I worked on it for years and it’s truly one of my favorite cakes of all time. If you haven’t made this cake before, you’ll notice the recipe calls for “dark” cocoa powder, which will make the cake nearly black and create a beautifully rich flavor.
I typically use Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa Powder, but you can also use Hershey’s Special Extra Dark Cocoa Powder if you’re in a pinch and can’t get Cacao Barry. Just be sure to use dark cocoa powder. It not only creates a rich, dark color in the cake, but the flavor is slightly bitter and pairs so well with sweet, American buttercream.
Cookies and Cream Filling
If you’ve had my Grasshopper Pie Cake and loved it, I’m about to make your day! The filling in my Best Ever Cookies and Cream Cake uses the same base – sans mint emulsion and mint Oreos. Instead, it’s just whipped cream and Oreos folded into a mixture of cream cheese and powdered sugar. It’s super simple and utterly delicious. I’m not sure how I didn’t devour it all before actually making my cake… because I was certainly trying!
The filling can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Just don’t add the cookie chunks until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
Oreo Buttercream
For the buttercream, I’ve started with my classic Vanilla Buttercream and worked in some crushed Oreos. I think it’s really important and helpful for smoothing the sides of your cake to make sure you’ve really crushed the Oreos. I recommend using a blender or food processor to create sand-like crumbs out of the Oreos. That way, you won’t have a ton of chunks in your buttercream.
You’ll top with the chocolate drip, extra frosting and cookies and have the Best Ever Cookies and Cream Cake!
Enjoy!
Cookies and Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (88.5 g) good quality dark cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (236.6 g) hot water
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
For the Filling
- 3/4 cup (173.25 g) heavy whipping cream
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
- 8 Oreo cookies, broken into chunks
For the Buttercream
- 6 Oreo cookies, pulverized into fine crumbs
- 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
- 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
- 3 tablespoons (43.3 g) heavy whipping cream
- *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.
For the Drip
- 1 cup (150 g) semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup to 1 cup (173-231 g) heavy whipping cream
- black food gel optional
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray the bottom of the three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line bottoms with parchment. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine the eggs, buttermilk, water, oil and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for another 10 to 20 seconds. Divide batter equally among the three cake pans (about 16 ounces of batter in each 8-inch pan or 12 ounces in each 6-inch pan).
- Bake the layers for about 25 to 30 minutes (time may vary depending on your oven) or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs on it. Let the cakes cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then turn onto a rack to cool completely. When completely cooled, wrap the layers in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour in the freezer. Cakes can be make a week ahead of time and wrapped in plastic wrap. If you'd like to store the cake layers longer than a week, wrap in tin foil, as well, and then place in a zip lock bag.
For the Filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy whipping cream on high for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the cream forms stiff peaks. Transfer the cream to another bowl and set aside.
- In the now empty bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for a couple minutes until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat for a couple minutes until smooth.
- Fold in the whipped cream until no streaks of whipping cream remain. Fold in the crushed Oreos.
- Best to make right before you assemble the cake so the cookies don’t get soggy. If you want to make this ahead of time, just leave out the Oreos until you’re ready to assemble.
For the Buttercream
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
- Add the heavy cream (one tablespoon at a time). Once the cream is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for five minutes. It should get lighter in texture and color.
- Stir in the cookie crumbs.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon and mix by hand to stir out the air bubbles.
For the Chocolate Drip:
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream for about 1 minute. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for about 5 minutes. Mix the chocolate and cream until smooth and shiny. If needed, microwave the mixture for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add one drop black food gel (optional). This will make the drip as dark as the cookies.
- Let cool slightly before adding to the cake.
- Best to add the drip when the cake has been chilled.
Assembly
- Place the first cake layer top side up, in the center of the cake board. Pipe a rim of Oreo buttercream around the edge of the cake and then fill the center with about 1 cup of the cookies and cream filling.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream and filling. Repeat piping and filling.
- Place final cake layer, top side down.
- Crumb coat the entire cake with a thin layer of the Oreo buttercream and freeze for about 10 to 15 minutes to set this layer of frosting.
- Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining frosting. Chill the cake again for another 10 minutes before adding the drip.
Hi, can you tell me how many cups of batter this recipe makes, and roughly how much batter you anticipate is used for each 8” layer? I’m aiming to make this as a 3 layer 9” cake. And planned to make 2 recipes. I thought that my 9” pan would hold 8 cups, but that we would only fill to 2/3 and that would be something like 5 cups in the pan. And that I’d likely get 2 9”layers with a bit left over to discard…or 10 cups of batter. And I kind of calculated that the recipe would make about 12 cups…..2/3 of 6 cups (for an 8” pan layer) = 4cups…x 3 layers for the recipe = 12 cups total. But it seemed a lot less than that.
Do you have a volume of batter that you expect for the recipe? Sorry#9 much math, but trying to see where I went wrong. I did have enough for 2 layers, but thin is and none left over. Thanks for any information….
It should be about 48 oz of batter.
Hi! Love your recipes! I want to experiment with an oreo vanilla cake. Should I try with your White Cake or Vanilla Cake recipe? I am also thinking about adding clear vanilla extract to the batter. How many tsp should I add? Help <3 You are heaven sent!
I would try with my white cake. It already has clear vanilla in it!
Hi!
I’m making a similar cake for my sons birthday and I’m going to be placing Oreos on top. Should I wait until before I serve the cake to put the Oreos on or can I do it a couple days in advance? Will they get soggy?
Wait till day of.
Think you could add orange food coloring to the butter cream and it still taste/look great? My 2 year old wants an orange monster truck cake and the Oreo pieces in this one would make the perfect dirt haha!
Absolutely!
I haven’t received my cookbook yet? Could you check in this for me?
They are coming! still just delayed a bit.
Hey! How many people does this cake feed?
18-20
Heyy courtney lots of love to ur skill in baking from india just wanted to know how to replace eggs in this recipie with curd to make it eggless.
I have an eagless cake you can look at for reference for egg substitutes!
Hi could you tell me if I can substitute the buttermilk for regular milk in this recipe
You could do half milk, half greek yogurt!
This looks amazing!!! Will definitely be trying. I am having a party and am needing to make a sheet cake. Could I convert this from a layered cake to a 12 by 17 sheet cake??
It works for 9×13.
When using the Oreos in the buttercream, do you use only the cookie parts to pulverize into sand like texture or the whole cookie? Going to try to make this cake this coming weekend but want to be sure I understand that step.. Would think the cream part of the oreo will affect the crumb/sand like texture desired by grinding them up.. Thanks..
The whole cookie! You won’t notice the cream actually!
Can this cake be covered in fondant (assuming the oreo in the buttercream is finely ground)?
Sure!
Hi Courtney! What cake tip do use for the frosting swirls on top of the cake?
1m tip from Wilton
This cake was perfect! I followed the recipe exactly. The only think I did was baked in three 9 inch round pans. 10/10 recommend I will definitely be making again!!
It’s one of my favs! I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi Courtney, Is this one of the cake recipes you now recommend baking at 325 instead of 350?
Thanks!
Yes I recommend that for almost all my cakes now!
Hi! I’ve made this cake several times and it is so delicious! I was wondering if this cake freezes well? I am wanting to make it for my son’s birthday, but I definitely want something I can make, decorate, and freeze completely finished so that all I have to do is thaw and enjoy the day! Thank you so much for all your yummy recipes! 🙂
Freezes really well!
This is my new favorite cake! I made it exactly as written and couldn’t have been happier with the way it turned out. The frosting is delicious and easy to eat with a spoon…almost too easy! YUM!!!
Isn’t it so good??