Oreo Cake

This Oreo Cake is made of deliciously moist black cocoa powder cake layers filled and frosted with the most amazing Oreo Frosting! 

Where are my Oreo lovers at? You’ll be excited to know I have a mouth-watering Oreo Cupcakes recipe if you are wanting a cupcakes version of this delicious cake! Or try your hand at my moist Oreo Donuts for a fun twist on Oreo treats. Looking for more of a grab-n-go snack? Oreo Muddy Buddies are for you!

Why This Recipe Works

• Black cocoa powder cake. This oreo cake recipe uses a Black Velvet Cake that is ultra rich, moist and flavorful. 
• Best Oreo frosting. I’m not kidding when I say this Oreo Frosting Recipe will totally change your world! It’s so delicious and is the perfect complement to the Oreo cake. 
• 6-inch Oreo layer cake. I love 6-Inch Cake Recipes because you get the beauty of the layer cake but in a much more manageable size. 

Ingredient Notes

• Cake Flour: Cake flour has a lower protein content than other flours. It is also finely milled this will give the cake a lighter and more delicate texture. 
• Black Cocoa Powder: I love black cocoa powder! It’s so yummy, makes this Oreo cake taste so much like an Oreo and provides that rich black color. For more information about black cocoa, see my Black Cocoa Powder Guide. 
• Vegetable Oil: Using oil in cakes makes the texture so moist! 
• Sour Cream: You can use full fat sour cream, light sour cream, or even substitute Plain Greek Yogurt if you want. This will just provide more moisture. For best results, use full fat sour cream.
• Buttermilk: The acidity in the buttermilk will help to tenderize the cake. 
• Black Food Coloring: I like adding a bit of black gel food coloring just to really deepen the black color even further. 
• Unsalted Butter: Use unsalted butter so we can control the amount of salt in the Oreo frosting recipe. 
• Powdered Sugar: You don’t really need to worry about sifting the powdered sugar for this recipe since you have the Oreo crumbs so the texture of the Oreo buttercream won’t be smooth anyway! 
• Heavy Cream: Add heavy cream by the tablespoons until you get the right consistency. 
• Oreo Cookies: Keep the filling inside the Oreos when you add them to the food processor to pulse into crushed Oreos. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Make the Black Cocoa Cake Layers

1. Prepare your cake pans. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray three 6-inch round cake pans generously with nonstick cooking spray that contains flour (can also add a circular piece of parchment paper to the bottom of the cake pans, then spray again).
2. Combine dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment add 1 3/4 cups cake flour, 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, 2/3 cup black cocoa powder, 3/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix to combine.
3. Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, add 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 large eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp white vinegar, and some black gel food coloring. Mix until fully combined.
4. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the stand mixer bowl with the flour mixture. Mix using the paddle attachment on low until just combined. Do not over mix. 
5. Bake the black cocoa layers of cake. Using a kitchen scale, evenly distribute an equal amount of batter among the three prepared cake pans. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer in each pan. Place the cake pans on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25-28 minutes. Remove when a toothpick inserted into the center of the Oreo cake layers comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Remove and let cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Make the Oreo Frosting

1. Cream the butter. Add 1 1/2 cups butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes). 
2. Add the powdered sugar and heavy cream. Add 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1/3 cup heavy cream and whip until smooth and incorporated. 
3. Add the Oreo crumbs. Add in 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt, and the Oreo crumbs (from 22 full Oreo cookies. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).Add any extra heavy cream (1 tablespoon at a time) to help loosen up the consistency of the frosting as the Oreo crumbs make it really thick.

Frost the Oreo Cake

1. Stack the cake layers with frosting in between each layer. Place one of the cake layers on a cake stand or plate. Spread and even layer of Oreo frosting on top of the cake layer using an offset spatula. Add a second layer and repeat. Place the third cake layer on top.
2. Frost the entire Oreo cake. Using the remaining frosting, frost the entire cake with Oreo frosting. If you want to add any piping to the cake, use a piping tip that is wide so the Oreo crumbs don’t clog it. Once frosted, you can slice and serve the cake. Enjoy! 

Recipe Tips

Don’t over mix the cake batter or else the cake will be tough and will have a harder time rising. If you don’t have a stand mixer, an electric mixer is fine! 

Be sure to bake all three cake pans on the same oven rack. Make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven. 

You want the oven temperature to be accurate. Use an oven thermometer to make sure. I always have my oven thermometer in my oven! 

The cake will be more moist if you don’t over bake it. I like to remove the cake from the oven when the toothpick has moist crumbs on it but no wet batter. 

To make the Oreo crumbs, place the whole Oreos in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs. Use the entire cookie! Meaning, keep the cream in the middle. 

If you don’t have a food process, add the Oreo cookie to a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush into crumbs. 

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

You can make the cake layers ahead of time! Let them cool completely and then wrap them in plastic wrap (2 layers) and then store in the fridge overnight. Frost them the next day and serve! 

If you want to make the cake layers more ahead of time than just a day in advance, you would need to add an additional layer of aluminum foil after the 2 layers of plastic wrap. Then store the cake layers in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remove and let thaw in the fridge overnight. 

You can make the Oreo frosting ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days before using. It also freezes well.

Just let the frosting come to room temperature (will take about 1-2 hours at room temperature to soften) and then beat it again to return to a fluffy, spreadable texture. Add additional heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time to help the consistency of the frosting. 

Store the cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days. Cake is always best enjoyed within the first day or 2! If you want, you can slice the cake into pieces and wrap and freeze those following the same freezing instructions for the cake above. 

For more information on storing and freezing cakes, including how to freeze cake layers, buttercream and a whole cake, check out my How to Store and Freeze Cakes guide!

Recipe FAQs

More Oreo Recipes

• Fudgy Oreo Brownies
• Oreo Red Velvet Cake
• Oreo Ice Cream Cake
• No Bake Oreo Dessert