Oatmeal Caramel Cookie Dough Cake

Remember those soft, chewy oatmeal crème pies from childhood? This Oatmeal Caramel Cookie Dough Cake is like the grown-up, bakery-style version—with moist, flavorful layers, chewy cookie dough filling, gooey caramel, and creamy vanilla bean frosting in every bite.

You know I love a good twist on a classic dessert, and this one might just be my coziest cake yet. Introducing: Oatmeal Caramel Cookie Dough Cake — a rich, textured, ultra-moist cake that tastes just like your favorite oatmeal cookies straight out of the oven… but in layer cake form.

If you’ve ever dreamed of combining the comfort of a warm oatmeal cookie with the indulgence of cookie dough and the creaminess of vanilla bean buttercream, you’re in for a treat. This cake is loaded with flavor and texture, and it’s quickly become one of my go-to cakes for fall, holiday baking, or honestly — anytime I need a little nostalgic sweetness. It’s like having a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie in a cake! (Speaking of which, have you tried my homemade version of those? Get the recipe HERE).

What Makes This Cake Special?

The base of this cake starts with something a little unconventional: cooked oatmeal. It’s not just for breakfast anymore! By adding cooked oats directly into the batter, we create a cake that’s slightly denser than your typical fluffy vanilla or chocolate layer, but the payoff is huge — the texture is tender, incredibly moist, and totally crave-worthy. The oats infuse the cake with that signature oatmeal cookie flavor and give it a heartiness that feels like home.

Let’s Talk About the Layers

Between each layer of that soft, oatmeal-rich cake is where the magic really happens: oatmeal caramel cookie dough crumble. Yes, you heard that right. This isn’t just a swirl or a sprinkle — it’s a thick, chewy, buttery layer of edible cookie dough made with heat-treated flour, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, and little bits of toffee for a caramel crunch in every bite.

And because we can never say no to more caramel, each layer of cookie dough is drizzled with a homemade salted caramel sauce. The combination of salty-sweet caramel against the cookie dough and oatmeal cake layers creates the ultimate flavor balance. Every bite is soft, chewy, slightly salty, and totally indulgent.

Frosted with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

To top it all off, I kept the frosting classic: a smooth, creamy vanilla bean buttercream that tastes just like melted vanilla ice cream. It’s the perfect contrast to the heartiness of the oatmeal cake and the richness of the caramel and cookie dough layers. Not too sweet, not too heavy — just dreamy.

What Does It Taste Like?

Imagine your favorite chewy oatmeal cookies with toffee and cinnamon, still warm from the oven… then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel. That’s what this cake tastes like. It also reminds me of those Little Debbie cookies too! It’s nostalgic, indulgent, and comforting — perfect for birthdays, cozy gatherings, or anytime you want to wow your guests with something unexpected but totally familiar.

Final Thoughts

This Oatmeal Caramel Cookie Dough Cake is a celebration of texture and flavor. It’s a little rustic, a little refined, and 100% worth every step. Whether you’re a longtime oatmeal cookie lover or just looking for something different to bake, this cake brings together all the cozy flavors you love in one show-stopping dessert.

Trust me — once you try it, you’ll be making it on repeat.

Oatmeal Caramel Cookie Dough Cake

4.50 from 2 votes

Oatmeal cake layers with oatmeal toffee cookie dough, caramel and vanilla buttercream.

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Ingredients

  

FOR THE CAKE

• 2 1/2 cups (591.5 g) water
• 2 1/2 cups (225 g) uncooked old-fashioned oats, divided
• 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon (8 g) baking soda
• 2 teaspoon (5.3 g) cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) butter
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) vanilla
• 4 eggs, room temperature

Oatmeal Cookie Dough

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (90 g) all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (68 g) old fashion rolled oats
• 1/2 cup (about 120 g) toffee bits, Heath Bar or Skor Bar work great

FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL

• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (59 g) water
• 2 teaspoons (14 g) light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy cream

For the Buttercream (see note)

• 3 cups (678 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 6 cups (1,125 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 6 tablespoons (86.6 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium sized pot, bring the water to a boil. Add in 2 cups of the oats, stir and remove the pot from the heat. Cover the pot and allow the oats to soak for 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Let the oatmeal cool completely before adding it to the cake batter.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and the eggs and mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Continue to mix for an additional 2 minutes. The batter should be smooth and lighter in color than when you started mixing.
• Turn the mixer to low and add in the cooled cooked oats and the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
• Toss in the remaining 1/2 cup dry oats and stir.
• Spread the cake batter into the prepared pans, about 20 ounces of batter in each pan, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake is set in the center and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
• Allow the cake to cool in the pans for about 10 to 15 minutes and then invert onto wire racks to cool completely. Level the cakes, if needed.
• If you’re not using the cake layers right away, wrap each layer in plastic wrap. You can freeze them up to a week or up to a month if you also wrap them in foil.

For the Oatmeal Cookie Dough

• Follow instructions in notes below to heat-treat the flour.

  In a medium size mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
• Stir in the vanilla, followed by the flour, oats, cinnamon and salt.
• Fold in the toffee bits.

For the Caramel

• Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
• Let the sugar mixture sit on medium heat and start to boil. You don’t want to stir while the sugar is cooking because it will cause the mixture to crystalize. Stay close to the pan and keep an eye on the boiling sugar. When it turns a dark amber color (takes about 5-10 minutes) and you can start to smell the caramel, remove the pan from the heat. (Once the mixture starts to turn yellow, it will get to an amber color quickly, so don’t turn your back for too long.)
• Very slowly add a little of the heavy cream, while stirring vigorously. Continue to add a little cream at a time. You’re tempering the caramel so it doesn’t turn into a rock-like ball.
• Once all the cream is added, stir in the salt and vanilla extract. Set aside until cooled completely.

For the Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes. This will soften the butter without it having to be warm.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
• Add whipping cream, vanilla and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. The frosting will become lighter in color and texture.
• Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

Assembly

• Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board or cake plate. Evenly spread about a cup of the vanilla buttercream on top.
• Spring about 1/3 of the cookie dough mixture on the buttercream and pat gently into place with your hand.
• Drizzle on a few tablespoons of the caramel.
• Repeat these steps with the second cake layer.
• Place the third cake layer, top side down, on the filling. Cover the cake with a thin layer of buttercream. This is the crumb coat. Freeze the crumb-coated cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the buttercream.
• Finish decorating the cake with the remaining buttercream. Top with remaining cookie dough and caramel.

Notes

How to Heat Treat Flour
Spread a thin layer on a baking sheet and heat it in your oven at 300°F for about 10 minutes or until it reaches a temperature of 160°F. You can also place the flour in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it in 30 second increments until the temperature reaches 160°F.

 

Buttercream

This recipe is 1.5x my normal batch of vanilla buttercream.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cake

Keyword: Oatmeal Cake, Oatmeal Caramel Cookie Dough Cake