This is the ultimate Cookies and Cream Cake recipe! A fun chocolate and vanilla torte, filled with vanilla Buttercream and Oreo cookies.
My Cookies and Cream Cake was one of the most popular cakes on my custom cake menu, and you can make it at home! A fun chocolate and vanilla torte, filled with vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Oreo cookies.
Originally posted June 23, 2011. Most recently updated 5/29/2024
This cookies n' cream layer cake was absolutely our MOST popular selection for birthday cakes when we were still taking custom cake orders.
It features alternating layers of our vanilla and chocolate cakes, filled with our delicious Swiss Meringue Buttercream that has been loaded with smashed-up Oreo cookie pieces!
It was always surprising to me, the variety of events that would order this flavour.
... But this was also ordered for elegant engagement parties, fancy fundraisers, even weddings!
If you look through my old Cake Gallery ... a shocking number of the fancy, elegant ones had this Cookies N Cream Torte underneath the decoration you see!
Anyway, this recipe is sure to please all of the Oreo lovers you serve it to.
Happy baking!
Ingredients
This Oreo cake recipe uses really basic ingredients, they’ll be easy to find in any grocery store.
I do have a few notes for you, though:
Cake Flour
I tend to use Cake Flour when baking cakes.
It’s a lower protein flour, which means less gluten. That makes for a more delicate crumb and a nicer texture.
If you don’t have cake flour, you can use all purpose flour instead.
Yes, some people will have you swap part of the flour for corn starch, but you’re fine skipping that.
Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
Using Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix in a cake gives it a much better moisture level and texture, IMHO.
I think of it as a kind of emollient, and it makes the texture more like a cake mix - it also make the recipe more foolproof, IMHO.
For best results, I wouldn’t recommend skipping it.
Butter
I generally use unsalted butter, but salted tends to work fine as well.
If you’d like to save a bit of cost, you can swap the butter in the cake batter (NOT the frosting!) out for the same amount of vegetable oil.
It won’t taste QUITE as good (butter really does make everything better, but - as a bonus - the cake won’t get as hard when chilled, either.
Cocoa Powder
These days, I use regular Unsweetened Cocoa Powder.
Not having a cake business anymore, I usually can’t be arsed to track down Dutch Process Cocoa Powder, or just have 2 types on hand.
If you’d like a darker chocolate cake, feel free to use the Dutch process stuff. (The older photos, at the bottom of this post, used Dutch process. The new photos - throughout the post - use regular.)
Everything Else
Rounding out this recipe, you will need:
Granulated Sugar
Large Eggs
Baking Powder
Vanilla Extract
Salt
... I just really don’t have anything to add, for these last few ingredients
Oreo Frosting
This recipe uses 2 batches of my Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream, as well as one (family size!) package of Oreo cookies.
Swiss Meringue involves cooking egg whites and sugar over hot water, beating them to stiff peaks, then beating a TON of butter into it.
It’s glorious stuff - very smooth, creamy, and without the cloying sweetness that other frosting tend to have. Really, it tastes like ice cream.
It is a bit more work than some other buttercream recipes, but easy enough for anyone to do - and absolutely worth the time and cost!
The key to a really good Cookies and Cream Cake, IMHO, is balance.
The dark chocolate cake layers are balanced out with the white cake layers. The crunch of the Oreo cookies is balanced out with the smoothness of the buttercream.
Using a powdered sugar based vanilla buttercream won’t provide the same balance.
Mint Cookies N Cream Cake Variation
While this cake was always most popular in its original, basic form - as pictured throughout this post, for that form of the recipe - sometimes we’d shake it up a bit.
While you can flavour - and even colour - the vanilla layer any way you want*, mint cookies N cream was the most popular of our variations on this recipe.
To make this a Mint Cookies N Cream Torte:
- In the cake, cut vanilla extract down to 1 Tbsp, only include it in the bowl that will become chocolate batter.
- Add 1.5 teaspoon of mint extract to the bowl that does not have chocolate added to it, along with a small amount of green food colouring. I liked to aim for a mint green colour, in both cake and frosting.
- In the frosting, instead of using 1 tablespoon of vanilla, use 2 teaspoon of mint extract, or to taste. Add a small amount of green food colouring.
* Try Orange (Orange extract and colour in the vanilla cake and the frosting), chocolate, or even mocha! They are all great options!
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How to Make Cookies and Cream Cake
The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. This is a pictorial walk-through for the visual learners out there!
Get Ready
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Liberally grease two 8″round cake pans with vegetable shortening, and/or spray with baking spray.
Personally, I like to grease with shortening, the swirl some flour around to coat it. You may be more of a “grease, then parchment paper” person - it’s all good.
Make the Cake Layers
In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a whisk attachment - or in a large bowl, if using an electric mixer - combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix.
Add in water and eggs to the dry ingredients, beating on low speed just until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as you go.
Once again, be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl partway, to make sure everything is well incorporated into the cake batter.
Add cocoa powder to one medium bowl, stirring until evenly distributed.
Pour batter into the prepared cake pans, one flavor per pan.
Note: Baking time can vary wildly based on your cake pan and oven!
Ideally, allow to cool to room temperature, cut the domes off to level them, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Allow cakes to sit overnight.
Prepare the Oreo Buttercream
Prepare a double batch of my Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream, seta side.
Run about ⅓ of the Oreo cookies through a food processor until they’re fine crumbs.
Crush another ⅓ of the package by hand, yielding medium/large chunks of cookies. Add Oreo crumbs to frosting, beating on medium-high speed until well combined.
Note - I like to set aside about ⅓ of the frosting, at this point, for the sides and decorating.
If you want to use the filling to frost the cake as well, you can skip separating it out.
This chunkier mixture will be the filling.
Assemble & Crumb Coat the Cake
Remove plastic wrap from cake layers.
Carefully cut each cake in half, horizontally, for 4 thin rounds of cake in all.
Top with a round of vanilla cake, spread with some cookies and cream filling.
Spread with a final layer of buttercream, and top with final cake layer.
Note: If you have leftover chunky filling, use an offset spatula to spoon it into any voids it between the layers, or at the bottom of the cake. Chill again until firm
Frost and Decorate the Cake
Usually, I’ll crumb coat the cake.
This is when you use an offset spatula to cover the entire cake with a really thin layer of frosting. You then chill it, before actually frosting it.
The goal is to prevent cake crumbs from getting into the frosting.
With this Cookies and Cream cake.. Sometimes I don’t bother, and I didn’t when doing this one. The frosting is already full of cookie crumbs, you can be a bit lazy if you want to!
Use your offset spatula to bring the frosting down over the top edges of the cake, to spread evenly over the sides of the cake.
Some people like to make Cookies and Cream cake with a drippy chocolate ganache pouring over the side.
Someday, I’ll post a recipe for chocolate drip ... but in the meantime, just Google for a recipe that suits your needs!
Important Notes About Serving
This cake gets VERY hard when chilled - both frosting and cake itself. This means it will CUT nicer when cold, but won’t have a great taste or texture.
Always serve cakes at room temperature!
Cold cake is DRY cake.
Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic or stored in an airtight container in the fridge until a little while before you want to serve it.
Cut your slices, cover with plastic wrap, and allow them ample time to warm up to room temperature, before serving.
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More Cake Recipes!
Looking for more ridiculously delicious cake recipes? As the "Evil Cake Overlord", I've got you covered! (Ps: Check out my instructions for making Marshmallow Fondant, as well!)
Tortes:
B-52 Torte
Bahama Mama Torte
Blood Orange Truffle Torte
Citrus Splendor Torte
Raspberry Tiramisu Torte
Schmoo Torte
Spumoni Cake
Tiger Tail Cake
Bundt, Sheet, & Upside Down Cakes
Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake
Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake
Deep N Delicious Cake
French Martini Bundt Cake
French Martini Upside Down Cake
Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake
Pina Colada Bundt Cake
Strawberry Mango Marble Cake
Cupcakes:
3D Monarch Butterfly Cupcakes
Black Velvet Cupcakes
Chai Cupcakes
Easy Butterfly Cupcakes
Fat Elvis Cupcakes
Lynchburg Lemonade Cupcakes
Pink Grapefruit Daiquiri Cupcakes
Fillings, Frostings, & Etc
American Buttercream
Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix
Homemade Yellow Cake Mix
Milk Chocolate Whipped Ganache
Stabilized Whipped Cream
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Also: I have Cake Decorating Tutorials, and posts about previous Decorated Cakes that I've made.
Layered Cookies and Cream Cake
Equipment
- 2 x 8 inch cake pans
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Cake Flour
- 2 ¼ Cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 ½ oz Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
- 1 ½ Cups Water
- 6 Large Eggs
- 1 ½ Cups Butter, Melted
- 2 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder
- 2 Batches Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 1 Package Oreo Cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Liberally grease two 8″round cake pans with vegetable shortening, and/or spray with baking spray.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl. Add in water and eggs, beating just until smooth. Carefully add melted butter and vanilla to the batter, mixing on medium speed until smooth.
- Divide batter evenly into two bowls. Add cocoa powder to one bowl, stirring until evenly distributed.
- Divide batter among prepared cake pans, one flavor per pan. Bake until golden and knife inserted into center of batter comes out clean and cake springs back – about 45-60 minutes.
- Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before turning cakes out onto baking rack to cool fully. Ideally, allow to cool to room temperature, wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Allow cake to sit overnight.
- Prepare Swiss meringue buttercream. Run about ⅓ of the Oreo cookies through a food processor until finely ground. Crush another ⅓ of the package by hand, yielding medium/large chunks of cookies. Add cookie powder to frosting, stirring until well combined. Add cookie chunks, to taste – as many as you’d like.
To Assemble Cake
- Remove plastic wrap from cake layers. Carefully slice the domed top off each round, leveling the surface of the cake. Carefully cut each cake in half, horizontally, for 4 thin rounds of cake in all.
- Place one round of chocolate cake on cake plate, spread with buttercream. Top with a round of vanilla cake, spread with buttercream. Top with second round of chocolate cake. Spread with a final layer of buttercream, and top with remaining layer of cake.
- Frost sides and top of cake with remaining buttercream. Garnish with remaining cookies, if desired. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
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Looking for a tasty ways to indulge your inner chocoholic? I've got you covered!
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OLD PHOTOS
This post was recently overhauled, including new photography. Here are the older photos, for posterity:
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