Cookies and Cream Layer Cake

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Three moist and fluffy layers of vanilla cake are loaded with Oreo cookie pieces and topped with creamy vanilla buttercream in this decadent Cookies and Cream Layer Cake! With more cookies decorating the top and sides of the cake, Oreo lovers will be in heaven.

Want more Oreo dessert ideas? Try my popular Oreo cheesecake recipe!

The Most Epic Oreo Cake of All Time

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t like Oreo cookies. They are iconic. The question is do you like the regular ones or the ones with the double stuf – or even those mega stuffed ones they had a few years ago. There’s no doubt that I’m all about the “stuf”. And as an avid Oreo fan, I’ve made quite a few desserts with them. If you’ve been keeping up with trying them all, this one should definitely be added to the list.

This layer cake is jam-packed with Oreo cookies and it’s frosted with a vanilla buttercream to compliment the loaded Oreos in the cake. It’s moist and tender, yet full of texture from the Oreos. I have a Chocolate Oreo Cake that’s frosted with Oreo frosting and has Oreos between the layers too, but it’s more heavy on the chocolate. This cake has Oreos front and center but brings a little more attention to the vanilla creaminess that is loved from the “stuf” in the cookies.

An Oreo layer cake on a wooden cake stand on top of a gray kitchen towel

What You’ll Need

Let’s break this bad boy down between the frosting and the cake layers.

For the Cookies and Cream Cake Layers

  • All-Purpose Flour: Either use a food scale to weigh your flour or spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off at the top to prevent over-measuring.
  • Baking Powder: Not to be confused with baking soda. This helps the cake rise and have a tender texture.
  • Salt: This helps the batter lock in moisture and gives it flavor.
  • Unsalted Butter: Brought to room temperature.
  • Vegetable Oil: Helps add extra moisture to the cake.
  • Sugar
  • Eggs: These help bind all of the ingredients together.
  • Buttermilk: This adds to the tender texture of the cake.
  • Vanilla Extract: Use a high-quality extract for the best results – yes, it makes a difference!
  • Chopped Oreos

For the Oreo Buttercream Frosting

  • Unsalted Butter: Room temperature.
  • Powdered Sugar: For volume and consistency.
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Water: Or heavy cream.
  • Salt: Once you’re done making the frosting, feel free to continue adding a tiny bit of salt at a time until you’re happy with how it tastes.
  • Chopped Oreos
A piece of Oreo layer cake on a dessert plate with Oreo cookies and more cake in the background

How to Make Cookies and Cream Layer Cake

This cake may look like it came straight from a fancy bakery, but I promise that it’s not hard to make. On the contrary, it’s quite simple!

Make the Cake Layers

  1. Prep for Baking: Prepare three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Combine Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set the mixture aside.
  3. Cream Butter, Oil & Sugar: Add the butter, vegetable oil and sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat until the mixture is light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
  5. Start Adding Dry Ingredients: Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined.
  6. Add Buttermilk & Vanilla: Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined.
  7. Finish Adding Dry Ingredients: Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until the batter is well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  8. Add Oreos: Gently fold the chopped Oreos into the cake batter.
  9. Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake the layers for 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs.
  10. Let Cool: Remove your cake layers from the oven and allow them to cool in the pans for about 2-3 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to finish cooling.

Make the Buttercream

  1. Beat Butter: Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until it’s nice and smooth.
  2. Start Adding Powdered Sugar: Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
  3. Add Vanilla, Water & Salt: Add the vanilla extract, salt and 4-5 tablespoons of the water or cream. Mix until the frosting is smooth.
  4. Finish Adding Powdered Sugar: Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional water or cream as needed to reach your desired frosting consistency.

Assemble the Cake

  1. Flatten Cake Layers: Use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cake layers so that they’re flat. These don’t tend to have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat before I start building the cake.
  2. Frost First Layer & Add More Oreos: Place the first cake layer onto a serving plate or a cardboard cake round. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake, then sprinkle it with about half a cup of chopped Oreos. Press the Oreos down into the frosting.
  3. Continue Layering: Add the second layer of cake, another cup of frosting and another half cup of chopped Oreos. Press the cookies down into the frosting and add the final layer of cake on top.
  4. Frost Exterior: Use an offset spatula to frost the top and sides of the cake. Refer to my tutorial on frosting a smooth cake if needed.
  5. Decorate Sides with Chopped Oreos: Press the remaining chopped Oreos into the sides of the cake immediately after frosting it.
  6. Decorate Top: Pipe swirls of frosting around the top edge of the cake (I used Ateco tip 847), adding half an Oreo in between each swirl.
A smoothly frosted and beautifully decorated cookies and cream cake on top of a cake stand with Oreo cookies underneath it

Can I Make it in Advance?

If desired, you can bake your cake layers a day before you make the frosting and assemble the cake. Let them cool completely, then place them in an air tight container and store them at room temperature.

If you’d like to hang onto them for longer, wrap the cake layers in clear wrap and foil, then place them into heavy-duty storage bags and freeze them for 1-2 months. Unwrap and thaw frozen cake in the fridge before using it.

Tips for Success

Even with little to no baking experience under your belt, you can still knock this cookies and cream cake out of the park. Here’s some extra advice to help you out:

  • Cream the Butter, Oil & Sugar Well: I urge you not to skimp on the creaming time for the butter, oil and sugar. Keep beating them together until the mixture fluffs up and lightens in color, typically 2-3 minutes
  • Don’t Over-Mix the Batter: If you over-mix the batter, your cake won’t come out as soft and fluffy. Stop mixing it once everything is well combined, then fold in the Oreo pieces gently.
  • Decorate the Sides of the Cake Immediately After Frosting it: As soon as you’ve spread the frosting onto your cake, go ahead and press the chopped Oreos into the sides. If you wait, the buttercream will “crust” and the cookie pieces won’t stick as well.
  • Frosting Consistency: If you find your frosting is a bit too thick, you can always add a little more cream to thin it out and make it easier to work with.
A half-eaten slice of Oreo cake on a plate with the rest of the cake on a stand behind it

How to Store Extra Oreo Cake

If you end up having extra cake, simply place it in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to keep mine in a cake carrier so as not to smoosh the buttercream. If you used cream in your frosting instead of water, it’s not a bad idea to keep your cake in the fridge instead. I do recommend serving it at room temperature though.

Does This Freeze Well?

As mentioned before, you can freeze the cake layers ahead of frosting the cake, if you like. I don’t typically recommend freezing fully frosted cakes, but you can freeze the slices for later. Cut the slices and wrap the cake tightly in a layer of plastic wrap then foil, then freeze it in an airtight container or freezer bag. Unwrap it and defrost it in the fridge before digging in.

Print
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A piece of Oreo layer cake on a dessert plate with Oreo cookies and more cake in the background
Recipe

Cookies and Cream Layer Cake

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 14
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Three moist and fluffy layers of vanilla cake are loaded with Oreo cookie pieces and topped with smooth vanilla buttercream in this decadent Cookies and Cream Layer Cake! With more cookies decorating the top and sides of the cake, Oreo lovers will be overjoyed.


Ingredients

For the Cookies and Cream Cake Layers

  • 2 1/4 cups (293g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups chopped Oreos (about 24 Oreos)

For the Oreo Buttercream Frosting

  • 3 cups (672g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 12 cups (1380g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 67 tbsp (90-105ml) water or cream
  • Salt, to taste
  • 34 cups chopped Oreos

Instructions

Make the Cake Layers

  1. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
  3. Add the butter, vegetable oil and sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
  5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined.
  6. Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
  7. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
  8. Fold the chopped Oreos into the batter.
  9. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
  10. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

Make the Buttercream

  1. Beat the butter until smooth.
  2. Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
  3. Add the vanilla extract, 4-5 tablespoons of water or cream and salt and mix until smooth.
  4. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional water or cream, as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.

Assemble the Cake

  1. Use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.
  2. Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
  3. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake, then sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of chopped Oreos. Press the Oreos down into the frosting.
  4. Add the second layer of cake and another cup of frosting and another 1/2 cup of chopped Oreos.
  5. Top the cake with the remaining layer and frost the outside of the cake. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed.
  6. Press chopped Oreos into the sides of the cake immediately after frosting it. If you wait, the buttercream will “crust” and things won’t stick as well.
  7. Pipe swirls of frosting around the top edge of the cake, adding half an Oreo between each swirl. I used Ateco tip 847.

Notes

  • To Store: Keep cake in an airtight container and enjoy within 2-3 days.
  • To Freeze: You can freeze the cake layers ahead of frosting the cake, if you like. Wrap them in clear wrap, then foil, then freeze it in an airtight container or freezer bag. Unwrap and defrost in the fridge before frosting.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 1184
  • Sugar: 133.1 g
  • Sodium: 393 mg
  • Fat: 60.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 159 g
  • Protein: 5.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 177.1 mg

Categories

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Lindsay
About Lindsay

I'm a wife and a mom to twin boys and a baby girl! And I've got a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the treats!

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29