Oreo Cake is a rich chocolate dessert layered with cookies-and-cream frosting everyone will love! Great for holidays or any celebration.
Oreo recipes are something readers can’t get enough of including Oreo Cheesecake, Oreo Balls, and Chocolate Covered Oreos.
Sabrina’s Oreo Cake Recipe
Oreo Cake is moist chocolate cake with buttercream frosting that contains Oreo cookie crumbs. This is an Oreo version of this go-to Easy Chocolate Cake, which is an all-time favorite because it uses coffee to really add an extra depth of flavor to the chocolate. It’s extra fun to save some Oreos on the side, for decorating the cake later.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee (you can substitute boiling water)
Oreo Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 cup oreo crumbs , finely processed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and dust with cocoa powder two 9-inch cake pans.
- In a stand mixer on low speed mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla then add it to the stand mixer on low, then medium speed until just combined
- Add in the water carefully and stir it in by hand until just combined (do not turn on the mixer, it may splash on you).
- Pour half of the batter into each of the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes then remove, let cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting add the butter to your stand mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds until light and fluffy then add in the powdered sugar and milk in alternating amounts.
- Add in the oreo crumbs and vanilla last until just combined.
- To frost cleanly without crumbs showing through add frosting to the middle of the cake as normal, a thin layer to the outside of the cake and refrigerate 2 hours before frosting a second finished layer.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
About this Recipe
You can use chocolate frosting for this recipe, but the lighter color of the buttercream looks nice against the dark color of the Oreos. You could also make this with a drizzle of Chocolate Ganache over whole Oreos on the top of the cake.
Chef’s Note: Dry Chocolate
This recipe happens to have one of the best cake textures ever made, and the flavor of the Oreos just throw it over the top. If your cake is coming out dry instead of moist, there are a few ways you can troubleshoot.
- Set your oven timer for a few minutes before the cake is supposed to be done. If your oven is cooking hotter than it should be, your cake might accidentally over-bake. It is also recommended to get an oven thermometer to check the temperature.
- If you’re going to substitute lower-calorie ingredients, your cake texture might suffer. Try to keep some of the higher-fat ingredients in there, like the oil and eggs. If you absolutely must substitute the oil, try using equal parts of applesauce.
- Don’t over-mix your cake batter, and measure your ingredients properly. Make sure you’re leveling the measuring cups, as adding too much flour can dry out a cake.
- If your cake is still dry after trying these steps, you can add some sour cream to the batter to add some extra moisture to the cake.
Baking Tips & Tricks
- This recipe uses two round non-stick cake pans to make cake layers. You can double this recipe to make a larger cake, or add more layers. Dusting pans with cocoa powder keeps the chocolate cake brown, but you can use all-purpose flour, too.
- This Oreo frosting calls for milk, but you can use heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, or regular whipping cream if that’s what you have on hand.
- You can easily make Oreo crumbs by pulsing the cookies in the food processor, or adding Oreo cookies to a plastic ziplock bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. Try different flavors of Oreos to mix it up!
- Always bake desserts with unsalted butter because the level of salt in the butter is not always the same each time you buy it, and this way, you can control the flavor of your cake.
Variations
- Extracts: This dessert uses vanilla extract in the frosting. You can replace the vanilla extract with almond or peppermint extract for great-tasting recipe variations.
- Cupcakes: This recipe calls for making cake layers, but you can also use this to make cupcakes. Use a #2 tip to pipe the Oreo cookie frosting onto the top of the cupcakes. You want to use the bigger tip so the cookie crumbs don’t get stuck in the piping bag.
- Decorative Topping: Try topping this with Chocolate Covered Oreos, or Valentine’s Day Chocolate Oreos! It is delicious with Meringue Cookies, too. You can also add crushed Oreos decoratively to the top of the cake. Add whole Oreos in a ring around the top of the cake, and crushed Oreo cookies to the middle and sides.
- Chocolate Chips: Add semisweet chocolate chips to the batter for even more chocolate.
- Frosting: You can make this cake recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting or Homemade Cool Whip, blended with the finely processed Oreo crumbs.
- Cake Pops and Truffles: In a large bowl, crumble the cake and mix with Oreo frosting for cake pops. Dip in chocolate for truffles.
- Shortcut: If you’re really short on time, just bake the chocolate cake using a cake mix, then top with the Oreo buttercream frosting for the cookie flavor.
How to Store
- Serve: To keep the Oreo Cake moist, cover in an airtight container and store at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- Store: Chocolate cake by itself is fine to leave at room temperature for about a week.
The Oreo buttercream with this cake recipe will last 2-3 days at room temperature. If you use Cream Cheese Frosting, you should refrigerate the cake, which will last up to a week
Freeze: If you’d like to freeze frosted this, place it in the freezer for about 1 hour to harden the frosting, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature the day before serving.
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These photos were used in a previous version of this post
This cake batter was very soupy. It never really rose and was almost flat when baked. Not happy with this recipe
I’m sorry the cake didn’t turn out for you! I’m happy to help you troubleshoot. Make sure that your batter isn’t over-mixed, that your ingredients are fresh, ingredients are carefully-measured, and dry ingredients are leveled, check the temperature on your oven with an oven thermometer, and be careful when substituting any ingredients. I hope this helps!
I made this recipe before and it turned out amazing but the second time I made it , I put the cocoa on the bottom of the cake pan like the recipe says and the cake stuck terribly. I couldn’t even use it. I would not recommend putting the Cocoa on the bottom of the cake pan as I also don’t think it would add anything to the cake.
BEWARE!! This batter is extremely runny and will leak from springform cake tins. It’s currently dripping all over the bottom of my oven!
I would be disappointed too. That’s why we call for regular cake pans for this recipe. If you want to use a springform cake tin, wrap in tin foil like you would for cheesecake. Hope you try again another time.
All else could fail you, but this recipe will not.
Aww…this was sweet to read today Nicee. Thanks for your kind words and five star review.
This cake was Fabulous my nephew and niece’s love how moist this cake was..10..?
My caked over flowed and did not rise, I followed directions not sure where I went wrong. Was the batter supposed to be liquid?
Sorry it took me so long to see your question. A couple questions come to mind, did you use 2 round non-stick cake pans? Did you happen to try these tips I offered in the blog?
Set your oven timer for a few minutes before the cake is supposed to be done. If your oven is cooking hotter than it should be, your cake might accidentally over-bake. It is also recommend getting an oven thermometer, to check the temp.
If you’re going to substitute lower calorie ingredients, your cake texture might suffer. Try to keep some of the higher fat ingredients in there, like the oil and eggs. If you absolutely must substitute the oil, try using equal parts of applesauce.
Don’t over-mix your cake batter, and measure your ingredients properly. Make sure you’re leveling the measuring cups, as adding too much flour can dry out a cake.
The batter consistency is such that it easily pours into the pans. Not sure what you meant by liquid.
I’m sorry the cake didn’t turn out the way you had hoped.
The cake was nice and moist but the buttercream made the cake too sweet for me personally. Also the buttercream got kind of hard to work with after a little bit because the crumbs started to absorb some of the cream and it turned into a playdohish consistency. Everyone loved the cake though and I got a lot of compliments for it!!
Hi Marlo, was the cake warm when icing? If you’re having that issue I’d suggest frosting with a very thin layer first and refrigerating for 20 minutes to create a crumb coat to catch all the crumbs. Then the rest of the cake should ice easily over your crumb coat.
Ladies! This is a YES YES YES! So decadent. The chocolate is perfectly amazing. 12 stars!
THE Best chocolate cake! This will be my go to chocolate cake Wethersfield I use the oreos or not. Thank you for sharing!
This is the best “from scratch” recipe I’ve found, they are usually dry, this one is super moist! Thank you! I’m getting ready to make it a 2nd time!
Delicious
This was an incredible cake. Easy and moist. My son loved it.
THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE EVER!! I JUST LOVE ITTT! I TRIED IT AND THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST AND THE MOST TASTIEST !!
Thank you so much for your support! It means a lot. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
What was the coffee you used I don’t drink it so I’m not sure what to buy?
THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE EVER!! I JUST LOVE ITTT!
Oreo cake is the perfect combination of moist bread, sweet buttercream frosting and full of oreo icing and crushed up oreos.
Would a 9×13 pan work for this recipe?
Sorry for the delay, I would! It should fit perfectly.
I want to make this for my brother on his Birthday , I hope he likes it ? ?
I am not a big chocolate cake fan but this is delicious! Will make this cake again tomorrow for one of my friends birthday.
I’m so glad you decided to give it a try!
The batter seems very thin. Is this normal? I’ve rechecked my recipe and measurements. Its been a long time since I’ve made a cake from scratch. Box mixes are not this thin. Is th oil s normal? Please & Thank you
Hi! This is normal for this recipe.
Made this for my son’s birthday last December 17, 2020. He and my other children loved it. Relatively easy to make too.
That’s awesome, Mara. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
I made this cake yesterday and it was Unbelievably good and exceptionally easy: Rich, moist, fluffy, perfection! I reduced the sugar to 1.5 cups, next time i will try it with only 1 cup of sugar. So many comments from guests that i ended up passing the recipe around. This will be my go-to chocolate cake from here on in !!!
You just made my day, Nina! Thanks for coming back to let me know.
Love to bake
And get nice recipe
Thank you
Do I remove the oreo filling before i crush the oreos and add them to the icing?
No need to remove the filling. Enjoy!
Can you please give me a measurement for a small cake since i have a small mould ?
What size is your cake pan?
I am going to be making this cake for a kid so will not be using coffee, is the recipe still ok to use minus the coffee or does something liquidy need to be substituted?
If you’re not using the coffee, you’ll want to substitute with 1 cup of boiling water instead.
This easy and delicious! I am 11 and I could still bake it easily! Amazing recipe and definitely recommend it!??
Can I bake the whole thing in one single 9” pan?
You’ll have to cut the recipe in half. Good luck!
My daughter can’t have dairy but she wants an Oreo cake for her birthday. Can i use almond milk? Is there an egg substitute? She wants birthday cake flavored Oreo middle so I will have to do my own middle but I like your chocolate recipe.
I haven’t tested it but usually substitutes can easily be made. I would try using applesauce (1/4 cup for each egg). I’d love to know what you end up using and how it turns out. Thanks!
Could you please share the measurements one would need to make the cake in a 6 inch pan?
You only need 4 cups of batter to make a 6 inch cake. I wasn’t sure if you plan on still making 2 or not. This recipe makes 16 cups of batter (2-9 inch round pans). You can use the slider tool (hover over the serving size) to adjust the recipe to fit your needs. Hope this helps!
How strong should the coffee be?
Just a regular cup of coffee will do.
Can I use butter instead of oil?
I’ve not tested it but you can usually use melted butter in place of oil in baking. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
This came out very moose’s and rubbery I definitely do not recommend this
This recipe looks amazing! Can I use instant espresso? What measurement to do you recommend for that? Thanks in advance 🙂
I’d use 1 tablespoon of instant espresso. Enjoy!
Hi
Can I just use whisk to mix indgredients? I donor have a stand mixer
I would like to bake this cake for my son’s birthday
Can you reply
Sure 🙂
Can I use canola oil instead of vegetable oil
Yes!
Great recipe, sooo tasty! I used two espresso shots instead of a cup of coffee and the flavor of the chocolate was incredible!
I would recommend if you are using two 9 inch pans to bake your cakes a little past 30 mins. I found that at the 30-minute point my cakes were still raw in the middle and had not fully risen.
Before baking, cover your pans in either butter or cooking spray and cut out a piece of parchment paper that fits the sheet and place inside the pan over the oil. Repeat the coat of butter or spray over the parchment and then, only then, pour in the batter. This makes for an easy transition of the cake and reduces any chance of a crumbly mess.
Amazing recipe Sabrina! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks for all of your feedback. So glad you enjoyed it!
I make this and it turned out great. It is the first ever cake I have made from scratch. The two different layers turned out pretty flat though so I baked two more and made it a 3 tere cake and used the fourth tere as a lunch snack. I was concerned because the batter was really liquidy but it’s supposed to be like that. It tasted rly good and was really big, definitely enough for at least 16 people.
Do you have to use coffee??
If I wanted to add sour cream to this recipe, when and how much would I add?
You don’t need to use coffee, it just intensifies the chocolate flavor. If you want to add sour cream, I would suggest about 1/2 cup. Enjoy!
Hi in your recipe it says baking powder and baking soda. I am English do you mean baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
Yes 🙂
What is vannila in this?? Is it extract or something else?
It is extract. Sorry for any confusion. Hope you enjoy!
Id like to use my kitchen aid hand mixer for the cake it shouldn’t be a problem right? Yummy
Certainly! That’s the kind of mixer I use.
This recipe works great!!! When you make to frosting just make sure to do it quickly or the texture will not be right. I also made a 1 layer cake and 16-18 cupcakes with it. I added Oreos cut in half to top the cupcakes! It looked so cute!! An amazing gift!
Sounds amazing!
My brother is turning 14 and this is the best recipe for it h loves oreo cake!?
Enjoy!
I want to make cupcakes instead of the cake . For this specific recipe how many cupcakes does it make and what temp should I bake them at. Thank you can’t wait to make them. 🙂
Use the same temperature but bake for 15-20 minutes. Depending on your size of cupackes, you should be able to get 24-36 cupcakes. Enjoy!
I just made this cake for the first time. The batter was way thinner than what I am used to- it was actually soupy so I was pretty nervous on how it would turn out. (I followed the recipe exactly). They baked over the top of the 9 inch pans a little, which wasn’t terrible but they also caved in the middle. Any idea why this might have happened? I only tried a little bit of the over-baked edge and the taste is great, I am just concerned with the cave in the middle when I frost it. Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks,
It sounds like perhaps there was a shortage of dry ingredients, perhaps the flour or the cookie crumbs? Or a leavening agent (baking powder or soda) went bad. They can be temperamental and will cause a cave in if they turn.
What size cake pans did you use? Thanks!
I used two 9 inch cake pans for this cake.
I am going to try this recipe in a few weeks for a coworker’s birthday. Can you substitute buttermilk for the milk? Thank you
I’ve not tested it but my gut is telling me yes but you’ll need to use 2 teaspoons less baking powder and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Hope this helps. I’d love to know how it turns out if you decide to try.
HO-LY COW! This is the best thing I’ve seen all day! My husband’s birthday is coming up and I know what I’m making for him. Thank you for the inspiration!
You’re welcome, Lisa!
This is totally going to be my next dessert recipe to bake! It looks absolutely wonderful and I love anything Oreo flavored.
Oreo is always a winning idea!
Yummy, two of my favorite combos cake and Oreos, I need a slice looks so scrumptious. Your photography is so mouthwatering too.
Thanks so much!
Oh yum, this is such a fab idea – I love oreos and my kids would adore this cake. Pinning for later – thanks!
You’re welcome, Kate!
I love chocolate cake. I love Oreo cookies. So, I know I would absolutely love this cake! Especially with all your tips!
It’s a winning combination!