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This oreo layer cake is loved by thousands of families! Try my recipe once and you’ll see why this is a trusted recipe for birthday parties and celebrations! With zero baking experience, you can make this gorgeous cake when you follow my easy step-by-step guide.
This Simple Oreo Cake Recipe goes out to all the Oreo lovers
If you can’t go to the grocery store without adding a package of Oreos to your cart, this is the cake for you. From the cake layers to the frosting to the topping, there are Oreos in every component of this Oreo cake recipe. There’s a cup and a half (!) of Oreo crumbs in the cake layers alone, so you really taste the cookies-and-cream in each bite.
And let’s talk about that cake: it’s light, fluffy, and moist thanks to the addition of sour cream. While the sour cream does add a bit of a tang, what it’s really there for is to add more moisture to the cake batter without thinning it out. I use sour cream for this purpose in a lot of my cake and cupcake recipes, and it’s my secret to preventing cakes from drying out after a day.
The layers of cake are covered in rich Oreo frosting, then you’ll drizzle this with ganache and pipe some more frosting onto the top. There’s no need to order an Oreo birthday cake from a fancy bakery when it’s this easy to get professional results at home!
Love Oreo recipes? I have lots of them! Try my Oreo sheet cake, Oreo Mug Cake, Oreo Fudge, or Oreo Pudding Pie next!
Homemade Oreo Cake Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Oreo layer cake. Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Oreo Cake
- Unsalted butter – Let this come to room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs – Set these on the counter with the butter so they come to room temperature, too.
- Sour cream
- Milk – Use skim, 1% or 2%.
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Oreo crumbs – You’ll need the crumbs from about 15 Oreos.
Oreo Frosting
- Unsalted butter – This butter also needs to be room temperature so it’s easy to incorporate the other frosting ingredients.
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Oreo crumbs – About 9 Oreos.
- Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners’ sugar.
- Heavy whipping cream
Chocolate Ganache
- Heavy whipping cream
- Chocolate chips – I used semi-sweet.
Making crumbs for this Simple Oreo Cake Recipe
To make Oreo crumbs, simply pulse the Oreos in a food processor until they form fine crumbs. You can also place them in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin, but it’s harder to get uniform, finely-crushed crumbs this way.
And in case you were wondering, you don’t have to scrape out the filling before making the Oreo crumbs. Pulse or crush the whole cookies, including the cream in the middle.
How to Make Oreo Cake
Don’t be intimidated by the steps involved in this Oreo cake. While there are a few different components, each one is easy. If you don’t have a large block of time, bake the cake one day and make the frosting and assemble the next. This will be the best cookies-and-cream cake you’ve ever tasted!
Start with the Oreo Cake Recipe
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Grease two 8-inch springform pans with butter and line each with a parchment paper circle.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 1 to 2 minutes, or until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Finish the batter. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into another mixing bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a few spoonfuls at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Fold in the Oreo crumbs, then divide the batter into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake. Place the pans on the center rack of the oven and bake for 33 to 39 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.
- Cool. Let the Oreo cake layers cool for 20 to 30 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove them and let them finish cooling on a wire rack.
Make the Oreo Frosting
- Beat the butter. Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat on high for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the next ingredients. Beat in the vanilla extract, salt, Oreo crumbs, and 2 cups of the sugar on low speed until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the frosting is thick.
- Finish. Add the remaining powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream, then beat on medium for 1 to 2 minutes, or until everything is fully combined and fluffy.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
- Warm the chocolate and cream. Combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or until the heavy cream begins to bubble.
- Finish. Let the mixture stand for 1 minute to melt the chocolate, then use a spatula to stir the mixture until it’s smooth. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature.
Put it all Together
- Prepare. Level the cooled cakes by cutting the dome off the top with a cake leveler or serrated knife. Spread a small amount of frosting onto the bottom of a cake plate to hold the cake in place as you assemble and frost it.
- Assemble. Place the first cake layer onto the plate. Measure 3/4 to 1 cup of frosting and evenly spread this on top of the first layer. Top this with the second cake layer and spread the remaining frosting around the sides and top with an offset spatula, reserving about 1/2 cup of frosting for piping frosting on top of the cake.
- Add the ganache. Use a spoon or squeeze bottle to drizzle the ganache around the edges of the cake so it can drip down the sides. Fill in the middle of the cake with the ganache and spread it with the back of the spoon. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to set the ganache.
- Finish decorating. Use a piping bag fit with a large round piping tip to pipe the remaining frosting around the edge of the cake or on one side, as pictured. Top each frosting swirl with a mini Oreo cookie.
What Can I Use If I Don’t Have a Piping Bag?
If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a plastic zip-top bag. Cut off one corner of the bag and insert your piping tip, then fill the bag with frosting.
Don’t have a piping tip either? You can still use this method and simply squeeze the frosting out through the hole you’ve cut. You won’t have as much control as you would with a tip, but it will still work!
Oreo Cake Recipe Easy Tips and Tricks for Success
Here are some simple tips to help make sure your Oreo layer cake turns out perfect.
- Use original Oreos. While there are all kinds of flavors of Oreos at the grocery store these days and they’d probably all taste good in a cake, the aesthetics of using Oreos with different filling or cookie colors might not work. If you do want to use flavored Oreos, keep in mind that your cake could look different than mine.
- Crush the Oreos well. Especially for the frosting, you don’t want large chunks of Oreo that will clog up your piping tip.
- Use bake-even strips. These attach to the outside of the cake pans and help them bake evenly, without doming in the middle. If you don’t use them, you may need to trim the tops of each cake layer before assembling.
Storing Oreo Cake
This Oreo cake can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap on the counter for up to 3 days.
Freezing Homemade Oreo Cake
Oreo cake can also be frozen, either with or without the frosting.
Freeze cake layers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and then assemble as directed.
To freeze the whole cake or leftovers, I recommend freezing the Oreo cake on a parchment-lined baking sheet until the frosting is solid. Then, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
More Show-Stopping Cake Recipes
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Homemade Oreo Cake
Ingredients
Oreo Cake
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (1 cup)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk, skim, 1% or 2%
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups oreo crumbs, 15 whole oreos
Oreo Frosting
- 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (2 cups)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup oreo crumbs, 9 whole oreos
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Chocolate Ganache
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup chocolate chips, I used semi-sweet
Instructions
Oreo Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease two 8 inch springform pans with butter (butter the sides and bottom) and line each pan with a parchment paper circle for easy cake removal. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar, beat using an electric mixer, 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Add in the eggs, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat lightly with the electric mixer.
- In a separate mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients together, this will help produce extra fluffy cake. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a few spoonfuls at a time. Mix until just incorporated. Gently stir in the oreo crumbs.
- Evenly divide the batter between the 2 pans, with 2 & 1/2 cups of batter in each pan. If using bake even cake strips, secure them around the outside of the pans.
- Bake both pans on the same rack in the center of the oven for 33-39 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking times will vary depending on your oven and size of pan you’re using.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 20-30 minutes in the pans before removing them and allowing them to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Oreo Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on high for 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the vanilla extract, salt, oreo crumbs and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Beat the frosting on low speed until combined and thick.
- Add in the remaining powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream, beat on medium for 1-2 minutes until fully combined and fluffy.
Chocolate Ganache
- Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 20-30 seconds, or until the heavy cream begins to bubble. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute. Use a spatula to stir the mixture until smooth. Allow the ganache to come to room temperature before adding it to the cake. If the chocolate ganache is too warm when added to the cake, it will run off the cake and become very thin.
Assemble
- If needed, level the cooled cakes using a cake levered or serrated knife.
- Spread a small amount of frosting on the bottom of your cake plate / stand, this acts as “glue” to prevent the cake from moving. Place one cake layer over the frosting. Measure 3/4 to 1 cup of frosting and evenly spread that on top of the first layer. Top with the second cake layer and spread the remaining frosting around the sides and top of the cake. Reserve about 1/2 cup of frosting for piping frosting on top of the cake if desired.
- Once the ganache is room temperature, use a spoon or squeeze bottle to drizzle the ganache around the sides of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Fill in the middle of the cake with ganache and spread evenly with the back of the spoon. Place the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow the ganache to set before piping with frosting.
- Using a piping bag fit with a large round piping tip, pipe the remaining frosting around the edge of the cake or on one side as I did. Top the frosting swirls with mini oreo cookies.
- Slice and serve. Cover leftover cake tightly with plastic wrap and store on the counter for up to 3 days.
Can I make this in regular 8” cake pans? I do not have 2 springform pans. Thanks
Yes, you can use two regular 8 inch cake pans.
Did you eat all the butter too? Love, Mike Hawk xoxo
Excellent recipe! Added 1 teas on espresso powder to the frosting….it was fantastic!
Would this work in a 9×13 pan?
Here’s a recipe for that! https://thefirstyearblog.com/cookies-and-cream-9×13-inch-cake/
I’m thinking of cutting this in half because I’m going to transport it and do the frosting when I arrive…I have one 9″ spring form. Thoughts?
My wife Candace burnt down the kitchen making this recipe. Still pretty good though, even though burnt. Thank you for saving me from her atrocious cooking!