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This Chocolate Oreo Cake is to die for. Three layers of moist chocolate cake are filled and frosted with chocolaty, Oreo-packed buttercream, plus more Oreos are layered between the cake layers. It’s an Oreo lover’s dream.
Table of Contents
- Rich & Decadent Chocolate Oreo Cake
- Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cake with Oreo Buttercream
- What You’ll Need
- How to Make Chocolate Oreo Cake
- Can This Chocolate Layer Cake Be Prepared in Advance?
- Tips for Success
- Serving Suggestions
- How to Store Leftovers
- More Oreo Cake Recipes:
- Watch How To Make Oreo Cake
- Get the Recipe
Rich & Decadent Chocolate Oreo Cake
I am such a big fan of desserts made with Oreos, as you can see with from all my dessert recipes made with Oreos. The flavor is just so good. This cake combines the wonderful Oreo cookie with cake and chocolate. The result is one delicious dessert that is nothing short of a dream come true.
Three layers of tender, moist chocolate cake are stacked on top of one another, filled with thick layers of fluffy, Oreo-filled buttercream. Between each cake layer there is also more chopped Oreos! There’s no shortage of Oreo flavor in this cake! It is then frosted with more Oreo buttercream, drizzled with a rich chocolate ganache, and decorated with buttercream swirls and whole Oreos. It’s practically irresistible.
And even better – it’s super easy to make! The chocolate cake itself is my classic chocolate cake recipe that is super moist and gets into the oven in about 10 minutes. The buttercream is also a classic vanilla buttercream that’s easy to make – you just have to grind up the Oreos to flavor it!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cake with Oreo Buttercream
Chocolate cake plus Oreos? What’s not to love!? Here are some of my favorite things about this delicious dessert.
- Packed with Oreos. If you love Oreos as much as I do, this is the cake for you. The recipe uses an entire package of these delicious sandwich cookies. Between the frosting and the garnish, you will not miss an Oreo in a single bite.
- The cake is so moist. The layers of cake themselves are some of the moistest ever. Your search for the perfect chocolate cake is over. It’s amazing.
- No fancy mixing method. Some cakes require a lot of fancy whipping, fluffing, and folding. Not this one. Just mix everything together right in the bowl. It’s as simple as that.
What You’ll Need
Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make this decadent, Oreo-filled chocolate layer cake. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
Chocolate cake
- All-purpose flour – Feel free to use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free substitute instead.
- Sugar
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder – You can use dutch processed cocoa powder for a more bitter chocolate flavor.
- Baking soda – For the optimal rise and cake texture.
- Salt – For flavor. Don’t leave it out.
- Large eggs – It is best if the eggs are at room temperature. They will incorporate into the batter more easily, helping to prevent over-mixing.
- Milk – For more moisture and fat.
- Vegetable oil – For a super moist cake.
- Vanilla extract – For a little extra flavor.
- Boiling water – The hot water will help the flavors in the cocoa powder “bloom”, yielding a more powerful chocolate flavor.
Oreo Buttercream
- Butter – The butter should be at room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – For volume and consistency.
- Oreo crumbs – To flavor the buttercream. I like to put my Oreos in a food processor and grind into crumbs.
- Vanilla extract – Also for flavor.
- Heavy cream – To give the frosting creaminess and the best consistency.
- Oreos
Chocolate Ganache and Toppings
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heavy whipping cream
- Oreos
How to Make Chocolate Oreo Cake
Cake. Buttercream. Ganache. Just three simple components and you’ll be ready to assemble one of the best layer cakes on the planet. Here’s how to do it. Make sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
Chocolate cake
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F, line the bottom of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles, and grease the sides.
- Make the cake batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, and vegetable oil and mix to combine. Add vanilla to the boiling water and mix into the batter.
- Bake. Divide batter between the three cake pans and bake for 30-33 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool for 5-10 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Oreo buttercream
- Beat the butter until smooth.
- Mix in half of the powdered sugar followed by the vanilla and Oreo crumbs. Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar. Slowly mix in the heavy cream until you get a smooth consistency.
- Set aside 3 1/2 cups of the buttercream and add chopped Oreos to the rest.
To assemble
- Level the cakes. Use a serrated knife to remove the cake domes.
- Stack and fill. Place first layer of cake on cake plate and spread half of the icing with chopped Oreos on top in an even layer. Repeat with the second cake and the second half of the icing with Oreos. Top with the last cake layer.
- Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting.
- Make the chocolate ganache. Heat the heavy whipping cream until it begins to boil. Pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes and whisk until smooth.
- Finish the cake. Drizzle the chocolate ganache around the edge of the cake and spread the remainder over the top. Allow the ganache to firm up before piping the remainder of the frosting around the top edge of the cake. Add Oreos between swirls.
Can This Chocolate Layer Cake Be Prepared in Advance?
Yes! You can prepare all of the elements for this cake (aside from the ganache) in advance. Bake the cakes, allow them to cool, and store them in an air-tight container or cake carrier (or wrap them in clear wrap) until you are ready to assemble the cake. You can also make the buttercream a day or two in advance so long as you store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
When you are ready to enjoy this delicious dessert, bring your buttercream to room temperature (it’ll be very hard straight out of the fridge). Then all you have to do is stack, fill, frost, and decorate the cake.
Tips for Success
Layer cakes can feel intimidating, I get it. Rest assured, though. This chocolate Oreo cake will turn out perfectly if you follow a few simple tips and tricks.
- Measure carefully. Especially the flour. If you don’t have a food scale, I recommend spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it.
- Room temperature ingredients. The eggs in the cake batter as well as the butter in the buttercream should be at room temperature before beginning. The eggs will incorporate into the batter more easily, preventing you from over-mixing. Starting with room-temperature butter will set you up for a smooth, creamy buttercream as opposed to a lumpy one.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. Over-mixing the batter will cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop giving you a tough, overly dense cake.
- Frost with ease. Check out my tutorial for how to frost a smooth cake while the cake is cooling.
- Study up on how to make the perfect chocolate ganache.
Serving Suggestions
This chocolate layer cake is magnificent on its own but that doesn’t mean you can’t doll it up with a topping or two or wash it down with a delicious beverage. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve it.
- Ice cream. Serve this Oreo cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Feeling adventurous? Whip up a batch of my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream or this Birthday Cake Ice Cream.
- Whipped cream. Pick up a tub of Cool Whip or hop in the kitchen and make Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe. You could even try my Baileys Chocolate Whipped Cream. Yum.
- Sauce. Drizzle this Easy Caramel Sauce or my Easy Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce over a slice of this chocolate cake with oreo buttercream.
How to Store Leftovers
If you find yourself with leftovers, store this cake in an airtight cake carrier in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. No cake carrier? No problem. Wrap the cake in a double layer of saran wrap and store it in the refrigerator. Use toothpicks to prop the plastic away from the cake decorations. Already sliced it? Arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator.
If you want to freeze the cake, do so before assembling it. Wrap the cooled cake layers in clear wrap and aluminum foil and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy, allow the layers to thaw in the refrigerator before stacking, frosting, and decorating.
More Oreo Cake Recipes:
I love Oreos. And I love cake. So naturally, I have done my best to dream up as many cakes featuring Oreos as my imagination will allow. Here are some of my favorites.
- No-Bake Funfetti Oreo Birthday Cake Cheesecake
- Oreo Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cake
- Ultimate Oreo Cheesecake
- Oreo Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake
- No Bake Oreo Cheesecake
- Oreo Brookie Ice Cream Cake
- Oreo Brookie Layer Cake
- Oreo Brookie Cheesecake
- Cookies and Cream Layer Cake
Watch How To Make Oreo Cake
Print
Chocolate Oreo Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Total Time: 58 minutes
- Yield: 14-16 Slices
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Chocolate Oreo Cake is to die for! A moist chocolate cake full of Oreo icing! And not just any Oreo icing – it is FULL of crushed up Oreos. An Oreo lover’s dream.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour (measured properly)
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) boiling water
Oreo Buttercream and Chopped Oreo Filling
- 3 cups (672g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8–9 cups (920g-1035g) powdered sugar
- 3 cups (414g) Oreo crumbs (about 33 Oreos)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6–7 tbsp (90ml-105ml) heavy cream
- pinch of salt
- 12 Oreos, chopped
Chocolate Ganache
- 6 oz (1 cup | 169g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
- Oreos, optional
NOTE: You’ll need at least one full package of Oreos. If you plan to decorate the outside of the cake with more Oreos, as shown, you might need a second package.
Instructions
- Make the cakes. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides.
- Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together.
- Add eggs, milk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Add vanilla to boiling water and add to mixture. Mix well.
- Divide batter between three cakes pans and bake at 300 degrees for about 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
- Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
- Make icing while cakes cool. Beat together butter until smooth.
- Slowly add 4 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add vanilla, Oreo crumbs and salt and mix until smooth.
- Add another 4-5 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add heavy cream, as needed, until you get a smooth consistency.
- To make the filling for inside the cake, measure out about 3 1/2 cups of Oreo buttercream and add chopped Oreos. Set chopped Oreo filling aside. Set remaining Oreo buttercream aside as well.
- Assemble the cake. Once cakes are cool, remove cake domes from top with a large serrated knife.
- Place first layer of cake on cake plate. Spread 1/2 of the chopped Oreo filling on top in an even layer.
- Add second layer of cake and add the rest of the chopped Oreo filling on top in an even layer.
- Add final layer of cake on top and frost the outside of the cake with the Oreo buttercream frosting. Feel free to use my tutorial for how to frost a smooth cake.
- To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl (see my tips on making chocolate ganache).
- Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
- Drizzle the chocolate ganache around the edge of the cake, then pour the remainder of the ganache on top of the cake and spread evenly. I like to use a squeeze bottle for drizzling around the edges.
- Allow the ganache to firm up a bit, then pipe the remainder of the frosting around the top edge of the cake (see my tips on making a chocolate drip cake) and add an Oreo between each swirl. I used Ateco tip 844.
- Sprinkle a few Oreo crumbs onto to the cake, if desired, then serve. Cake is best when well covered for 3-4 days.
Notes
Feel free to reduce the overall amount of buttercream if you plan on decorating your cake differently. I use a fair amount based on my method of how to decorate a smooth cake (linked in the recipe instructions above).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 995
- Sugar: 93.8 g
- Sodium: 398 mg
- Fat: 60.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 114.7 g
- Protein: 5.7 g
- Cholesterol: 79.1 mg
Enjoy!
Hi, I plan to make this cake with the combination of vanilla cakes to make a checkerboard cake for my son’s 7th birthday! However, I want yo make 2 layers of this cake as I will make 2 layers of vanilla. So can you share the measurements for 2 9” cakes? I will also make this frosting. Can’t wait to try out this amazing recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
It depends a little on how tall you want the cake to be. If I’m making a 9 inch cake with 3 layers and want it to be 4 inches tall – give or take – I would do 1 1/2 recipes worth. You could do 1 1/2 recipes woth and bake it as 2 layers. Or, if you don’t want it that tall, you can keep the recipe the same and just divide it between 2 pans.
Hey Lindsay,
If I want to make this with 3 layers in 9in cake pans should I 1 1/2 the the whole recipe (batter, icing, and ganache) or just the cake batter?
It depends a little on how much frosting you like. I’d think you can get away with using the same amount of buttercream and ganache, you would just have a thinner layer of frosting, which is usually fine for most people.
Hi, can I use butter instead of olive oil?
Butter might work as far as it baking ok, but it would give the cake a different texture. Not my recommendation, but you could certainly try it.
Hi there. This cake looks so delicious and I’m so excited to make it for my birthday this month. I have a question though. For the oreo crumbs for the frosting, is that just the crunchy part crumbled up? Not the Oreo filling?
You leave the filling the Oreos. Use the whole cookie. I hope you enjoy it!
Hi!
I’ve made this before and LOVED IT. Was wondering if you had an alternative I could use; and an amount of which to us of a substitute for eggs. Thank you for your help!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Unfortunately I don’t know much about egg substitutes. I’m sorry!
I am an experience baker but havent used oreos! Do you remove the cream before crushing just the cookie? Or does the middle not affect your icing? It looked in the video like just cookie crumbs maybe in the icing and crushed full cookies between layers?? The video is so helpful! I do a lot of specialty type cakes, I love icing over the chunks to hold them in place!!
I do not remove the cream from the Oreos. I’m glad the video was helpful!
This is a great recipe! It is easy to make and all my friends loved it (and asked for take home boxes). It is super moist so you have to be careful when handling and icing, but I had no issues. I bloomed the cocoa powder seperately from the rest of the ingredients and added about 200 g of chopped dark chocolate during this time. In the icing, I also subbed a stick of butter for 1 cup of cream cheese. It turned out delicious!
Hey, can I make cupcakes with this recipe ?
Yes, here’s the chocolate cake as chocolate cupcakes (recipe cut in half). And depending on how much frosting you like, could cut that recipe in half (or even more) too.
Hi! I’m wondering if I did something wrong along the way if my layers are half an inch thick? They look thicker in your video! I used 8 inch pans and measured my flour using a scale. Any suggestions would be appreciated! I’m planning to try again, and worst case, add a couple of layers to the assembly of the cake, but I would love to know if there is something I can improve the second time around. Thank you!!
Did you perhaps use baking powder instead of baking soda? My sister-in-law did that once and the cake layers were much like you describe.
I baked this cake today for my son’s 21st birthday. I wanted a chocolate cake that was more special than a standard chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.
Unfortunately I cannot recommend it.
I am an experienced cake baker. I followed the recipe exactly as written, including measuring the ingredients.
I didn’t overbake it. I let it cool long enough before frosting.
But my cake came out incredibly crumbly. The layers all broke. The cake started falling apart as I frosted it too. I’ve never had a cake do that before.
Not sure what went wrong. I noticed this is nearly the same cake as the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake recipe, but with a lot more liquid and no baking soda, only baking powder. I’ve had good results with that cake, but not this one.
Hopefully my cake tastes better than it looks.
Hi Laura, I’m so sorry to hear you had trouble. If you look through the reviews though, your experience is unique. I know without a doubt that this is an excellent recipe. That said, I’d love to help. There seems to be a misconception that cakes must have baking powder, but that simply isn’t true. This cake works great with baking soda, so that’s not the problem. What I can tell you is that this is a SUPER moist cake. Perhaps all the moist crumbs made it seem “crumbly”? There’s an excellent video where I walk you through the entire process above the recipe card. You can even see how I add a bit of a crumb coat, which helps to keep those little crumbly bits from getting into your frosting. If your frosting was too thick, that could also make it hard to frost your cake. You may have needed to add more cream to it.
Can I use whipped cream frosting or instead of buttercream?
Sure!
My daughter made this and substituted the dairy to make it vegan. It looks amazing! She used Organic powder sugar, Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer, Silk dairy free Heavy Whipping Cream, Ripple milk and Myokos vegan butter!
I made this for my daughter’s birthday cake (wanted a dirt-looking cake for dinosaurs). Because of circumstances I was unable to make the ganache topping, but it was not missed. EVERYONE raved about it! The biggest compliment was the guest that doesn’t like chocolate cake (and has worked at bakeries decorating cakes) saying how she loved it and polished off a HUGE slice! My daughter had cut the cake into 8 servings – enough for the 6 of us and 2 to take home to the ones that didn’t make it. Most of us had leftovers (they were HUGE slices LOL). The ones bringing a piece home couldn’t wait to share it because it was so amazing! I ate my leftovers a couple days later and it was equally delicious then! The cake itself was so moist and delicious and chocolatey. It was the perfect cake. The frosting, oh the frosting!!! When I made it, I licked every last drop off the beaters, the bowl, the spoon…I couldn’t get enough! We had some by the spoonful even! We actually had some left over and I used them as frosting on sugar cookies I made and it was equally delicious on them! One other thing I did different was instead of separating some frosting and mixing Oreo chunks in, I frosted a layer, sprinkled the chunks over the frosting, and repeated with the next layer. It worked great for me! My husband has been requesting this cake again since the day after the party LOL. Sooo definitely recommend!!
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit!
Have you tried this using white chocolate ganache instead? I would really like to be able to add some color, but don’t want to make it too sweet.
I haven’t used the white chocolate drip on this cake, but I have on others. It should be fine.
I made this cake for my son’s 7th birthday and it was a great hit!! Since I have extra frosting left over, what is the best way to save the remaining frosting?
I’m glad it was a hit! Leftover frosting can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Can I make these into cupcakes? (I know you have a recipe for oreo cupcakes, but we want the chocolate oreo cake) Also, can I use a milk substitute for a dairy free people?
Yes, you can. The chocolate cake can be found as a cupcake in this chocolate cupcake recipe. Then just reduce the amount of oreo buttercream. I haven’t worked with diary free milks, but I imagine it’d be ok.
Thank you! Duh, I didn’t even realize it’s a plain chocolate cake. I’ve made these cupcakes all the time and everyone loves them! You are my go to site when I’m looking for a dessert recipe. Everything always turns out great.
Awesome! Thank you! 🙂 So glad you enjoy everything!
What size box would you recommend buying for this cake?
I’m not sure what’s available. I typically use my cake carriers. This cake ends up being around 8 inches in diameter, plus whatever size cake board you have it on. And depending on how tall your decorations on top are, it should be 4-5 inches tall.