Oreo Bliss Cake

I don't even eat Oreos!

The first thing you should know is that I don't really like Oreos. Is that un-American?? Maybe, but I just don't like them much. The crisp cookies are great but the filling is too sweet for me.

But I had a request for an Oreo cake so off I went to create a cake that Oreo lovers would want to devour. I thought about the possibility of a white cake with crumbled Oreo's in the cake but I thought that the cookie flavor would just get lost. The crunch would definitely be non-existent once the cookies were folded into the batter and baked.

The best cake for the job

I already have a killer Chocolate Cake recipe that I LOVE but there are a couple of reasons that I couldn't use that recipe. First, I wanted a darker, deeper chocolate cake - both in color and flavor. So in stead of using just dutch processed cocoa powder, I added some black cocoa powder to the recipe.

Also, I need to be able to stack this cake. This Oreo cake will be the center tier of a 3-tier cake for my nieces wedding but my usual recipe is very soft and crumbles easily. So, not good for stacking!

I increased the flour a bit but then replaced some of it with oreo crumbs. The liquid was decreased but I made sure to keep a good amount of oil to help keep the cake moist longer.

After these minor changes, the cake was perfect! Rich, dark chocolate cake that moist enough for me to make it a day or two before serving.

On to the filling...

Now, what to fill it with? This cake needs a lot of filling to simulate a true double-stuffed Oreo. I decided to go with a swiss meringue buttercream with some white chocolate and a ton of crumbled Oreos folded in. For my demo cake, I swiped some buttercream on the top and sides so that it is mostly a naked style cake. For the three tier wedding cake, the cookie and white chocolate buttercream will only be used as the filling. The outside will match the other two tiers and will be a vanilla buttercream with a chocolate drizzle.

And just because I had to finish off this cake so that I could take a quick snapshots and then let the fam dig in, I piped a few dollops on top as well then topped it with both crumbled cookies and some cookies that are cut in half.

TIP: If you plan to pipe any of the icing, make sure that your cookie crumbs are really fine (like blended in a food processor!) or they will get stuck in the piping tip! You can also choose to keep some of the icing plain for piping before adding the cookie crumbs.

Oh yeah, and I crumbled some Oreos in between each layer as well! From what I've been told, you can't have enough Oreos!!

I may be a convert...

This cake is rich and moist and filled with oreo flavor! Since New Years Resolutions are in full swing, I will not be eating a lot of this cake or munching out of the package of leftover cookies. But I will DEFINITELY make this cake again when I get a craving for cookies and cream!

Makes one 4-layer 8 inch cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 5 ounces all-purpose flour
• ½ cup Oreo cookie crumbs, about 6 or 7 oreos, cream removed
• 10 ½ ounces granulated sugar
• 35 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
• 35 grams black cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 60 mL vegetable oil
• 180 mL buttermilk (or make your own with ¾ cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 180 mL hot strong brewed coffee or hot water

For the Oreo Buttercream:

• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 10 ½ ounces granulated sugar
• 450 grams (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, cool but not cold
• 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
• 113 grams white chocolate, melted and cooled
• ¾ cup Oreo cookie crumbs

For Assembly:

• 10 - 14 Oreos

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 8" round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment paper cut to fit.
2. Place dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together all wet ingredients except for the coffee.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 30 seconds. Turn mixer off and slowly pour in half of the coffee or hot water. Mix on low until just incorporated. Pour in the remaining coffee or hot water with mixer on low. Mix for about 2 minutes. Batter will be very thin.
5. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. I weigh the pans on a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
6. Bake until a cake tester comes out mostly clean. A total of about 30 minutes. All ovens are different so yours may bake faster or slower. Keep an eye on the cakes starting at about 23 minutes. They may take up to 35 minutes or so,
7. Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, cut each layer in half horizontally to get 4 layers. Wrap in cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator first to make cutting easier.

To make the Oreo Buttercream:

1. Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk until combined.**
2. Place bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is no longer grainy to the touch and reaches 160°.
3. Place the bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins).
4. Melt white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on 30 second bursts. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool.
5. Switch to mixer to the paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
6. Add vanilla, Oreo cookie crumbs and cooled white chocolate. Continue to whip until smooth.***

Assembly:

1. Slice each layer of cake into two layers using a long sharp knife or cake leveler – this is easier after chilling for at least an hour. Place one layer of cake on a cake stand. Top with about ¾ cup buttercream and sprinkle with chopped Oreos. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost and smooth the outside. Add additional Oreo cookie crumbs pressed into the sides along the bottom and on top if desired. Use additional icing to pipe several dollops on top and insert a whole cookie into each if desired.

Notes:

** Ensure there is NO trace of egg yolks in your whites and that your mixer bowl and whisk is completely grease free or your meringue won't stiffen. 
***If the mixture is very loose, place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, then beat again until smooth. If the mixture looks curdled, just keep mixing until it becomes smooth!