You’ll love this fluffy, made-from-scratch Oreo Cake—a soft, tender cake studded with cookie pieces and finished with a cookies-and-cream style cream cheese frosting. This recipe can be made as either a two- or three-layer cake and includes a how-to video.
The BEST Oreo Cake Recipe
Why choose between cookies and cake when you can have both? This Oreo cake brings them together into a light, plush, and tender cake packed with cookie pieces and iced in a rich cream cheese frosting flecked with Oreo crumbs. The reverse creaming method and whipped egg whites give the cake a bright white crumb and a delicate, springy texture that still stacks well and holds up to decorating.
What You Need
Key ingredients:
- Oreos. Use the whole sandwich cookies—no need to remove the filling. Break them into larger pieces by hand so the cake shows distinct cookie bits rather than turning gray from over-crushed crumbs.
- Egg whites. Use fresh separated egg whites (not carton whites) and whip them to stiff peaks for volume and a bright white crumb.
- Sour cream. Adds moisture and flavor; full-fat plain Greek yogurt can substitute if needed.
- Vanilla. Clear vanilla extract maintains the whitest possible crumb; regular vanilla is fine if you don’t have clear extract.
- Cream cheese. For the frosting, use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese for proper texture and stability.
SAM’S TIP: Leave larger Oreo pieces in the cake, but pulverize additional cookies for piping decoration—if pieces remain they can clog piping tips.
Reverse Creaming
This cake uses the reverse creaming method: the butter is worked into the dry ingredients gradually until the mixture resembles coarse, sandy crumbs. That fat coating the flour yields a tender, moist cake with a fine, soft crumb and makes it much harder to over-mix the batter.
Whipped Egg Whites
Only egg whites are used to keep the cake crumb very white and to add lightness. Whip the whites to stiff peaks—billowy, opaque peaks that hold their shape—then gently fold them into the batter by hand to preserve that airiness.
SAM’S TIP: Whip whites in a completely clean, dry, grease-free bowl and avoid any yolk contamination so they reach full volume.
How to Make Oreo Cake
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together.
- Reverse-cream the butter. With the mixer on low, add softened butter one tablespoon at a time until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
- Add liquids. Stir in oil, then sour cream and vanilla. Add milk and mix on low until incorporated.
- Whip egg whites. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks in a clean bowl and gently fold them into the batter with a spatula.
- Fold in Oreos and bake. Fold in broken Oreo pieces, divide the batter among prepared pans, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool and frost. Cool in the pans 15 minutes, transfer to a rack to cool completely, then stack and frost with cream cheese frosting.
SAM’S TIP: Press pulverized Oreo crumbs halfway up the sides of the iced cake and pipe swirls on top for a polished cookies-and-cream finish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Cake layers keep at room temperature for 1–2 days, in the refrigerator up to a week, or frozen for several months if wrapped well. Frosting can be made up to a week ahead; bring it to room temperature and stir before using. Keep decorative pulverized crumbs separate until decorating.
Yes. To make a two-layer cake, fill each 8″ or 9″ pan 2/3–3/4 full and discard or use any extra batter for cupcakes. You can also bake this recipe in a 9×13 pan with no ingredient adjustments.
Dry cake usually comes from over-mixing, over-baking, or measuring too much flour. Measure flour correctly and watch baking time closely.
Use clear vanilla and keep Oreo crumbs in larger pieces—avoid adding too many finely crushed crumbs to the batter, which can gray the crumb.
I know you’re going to love this one ❤️
Enjoy!
Oreo Cake (Cookies & Cream Cake!)
Equipment
- 8″ cake pans
- Mixing bowls
- Ateco 848 piping tip (optional for decoration)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour (or 2 ¾ cups cake flour)
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (157 ml) neutral oil (avocado, canola, or vegetable)
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla (or regular vanilla)
- ¾ cup (175 ml) whole milk, room temperature preferred
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature preferred
- 20 Oreo cookies, broken into pieces
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened
- 5 ¼ cups (655 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons clear vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon heavy cream (optional)
- 10 Oreo cookies, pulverized to fine crumbs for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare three 8-inch round pans by lining bottoms with parchment and greasing the sides. To make two pans instead, see notes and fill pans only 2/3–3/4 full.
- In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- With the mixer on low, add softened butter one tablespoon at a time until the mixture resembles coarse, sandy crumbs.
- Add oil and stir until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla, mixing on low until combined. Add milk and mix on low until smooth.
- In a separate clean, dry bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped whites into the batter with a spatula until no large lumps remain.
- Fold in broken Oreo pieces. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake 30–35 minutes, or until tops spring back and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans if your oven bakes unevenly.
- Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks and cool completely before assembling.
Cream Cheese Frosting (makes enough to decorate as pictured)
- Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar to avoid a cloud of sugar. Scrape the bowl, then add salt and vanilla. Add cream, increase speed, and beat until light and smooth, 15–30 seconds.
- Frost the cake (about two-thirds of the icing will be used). Press pulverized Oreo crumbs gently halfway up the sides. Mix a few tablespoons of crumbs into remaining frosting if you want speckled piping, fill a piping bag with a large tip, pipe swirls on top, and serve.
Notes
Cake flour: You may substitute 2 ¾ cups (315 g) cake flour if desired.
Clear vanilla: Helps keep the cake very white; regular vanilla can be used instead.
Egg whites: Fresh separated whites are recommended. Carton whites can be inconsistent in whipping.
Frosting alternatives: Swiss meringue buttercream, chocolate cream cheese frosting, or ermine frosting are all good swaps.
Baking in two pans: Use two 8″ or 9″ pans, fill only 2/3–3/4 full, and expect about 35–40 minutes for two 8″ pans; adjust time for pan size and color.
Storing: Store in an airtight container at room temperature 1–2 days, refrigerated up to a week, or frozen for several months. Refrigerators can dry cakes—wrap well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.
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