Get ready to sink your teeth into three layers of rich chocolaty cake filled and frosted with fluffy cream cheese frosting with Oreo cookie crumbs mixed in for good measure. Next, this Ultimate Cookies and Cream Layer Cake is topped with a semi sweet chocolate drip and finished off with more cream cheese frosting and Oreo cookies! So if you’re a fan of Oreo cookies, then this is your next favorite cake! Keep scrolling to find out all the cool details on making this cake dream come true.
How To Get The Best Chocolate Flavor In Chocolate Cake
- Using a mix of unsweetened chocolate plus Dutch processed cocoa powder which is less acidic than natural cocoa powder helps enhance the rich chocolate color in this chocolate cake.
- Mixing the chocolate and cocoa together in water instead of milk helps keep the chocolate flavor on the forefront.
- The addition of brown sugar and espresso powder (or instant coffee powder) help to bring out the chocolate flavor.
TIP: Do not substitute natural cocoa powder for Dutch processed cocoa powder.
How To Accurately Measure Boiling Water
- Bring a saucepan full of water to a boil.
- Pour out the required amount for the recipe into a heatproof measuring cup.
How To Get Lump-Free Cream Cheese Frosting
- Start with very soft cream cheese.
- The cream cheese should be added after all the other ingredients have been mixed and beaten together well.
How To Ground Oreo Cookie Crumbs:
Place cookies in a zip top bag and with a rolling pin crush the cookies until finely ground. Alternately you can place the cookies in a food processor and process until finely ground.
Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting Tip: Be sure to finely ground the Oreo cookies before adding them to the cream cheese frosting. Depending on the piping tip you choose to use, large cookie crumbs can jam your piping tip.
Chocolate Drip Tips
Chocolate drips are fun and tasty but planning and timing is EVERYTHING! Check out the tips below for achieving the perfect chocolate drip for this Ultimate Cookies and Cream Layer Cake!
- Be sure your cake is chilled before adding chocolate drips. The chilled cake will help slow down the drips.
- Before adding the chocolate drips be sure your chocolate is the correct consistency. Your chocolate should be fluid but not warm or hot. Let your chocolate cool for about 20 minutes before using.
- Control the drips by using a spoon and strategically place drips on the side of the cake, then fill the top of the cake with enough chocolate to spread out to meet the drips.
- If you’re doing 2 coats of chocolate drip be sure to chill the cake for at least 15 minutes before adding a second coating.
- If your chocolate cools and thickens too much to drip properly, gently reheat and drizzle as needed.
Plan It Out
- Day 1: Bake the cake layers.
- Day 2: Prepare the cream cheese frosting, chocolate drip, assemble and serve.
Make Ahead and Cake Storage Options
Cake layers can be made up to one month in advance and stored in the freezer. Thaw cake at room temperature. Or baked up to 3 days in advance wrapped in plastic in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator.
Cream cheese frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
Assembled cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Lets Connect
The Cake Chica is on Facebook sharing sneak peeks of recipes to come, Instagram for your food porn desires and Pinterest for your board pinning needs.
Ultimate Cookies and Cream Layer Cake
The Ultimate Cookies and Cream Cake is made with 3 layers of homemade chocolate cake, filled and frosted with cream cheese frosting and topped with chocolate drip and Oreo cookies!
Ingredients
SPECIAL TOOLS
- 3 8-inch round cake pans
- Nonstick baking spray
- Stand mixer
- 8-inch round cake board
- Cake turntable (optional but helpful)
- Piping bag
- Ateco piping tip #808
- Large offset cake spatula
- 8 Oreo cookies for decorating
CAKE
- 1 ½ cups (7 ½ ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 1 ¼ cups boiling water
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup (1 ½ ounces) cocoa Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized pieces, at room temperature, about 65-67 degrees)
- 1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups (12 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- 16 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
- 10 Oreo sandwich cookies (discard the cream filling), crushed fine
CHOCOLATE DRIP
- 6 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
Instructions
CAKE
- Adjust an oven rack to the center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 8-inch round cake pans with non stick baking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl whisk boiling water, chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder until smooth and combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add in eggs one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Add in the sour cream, and vanilla extract mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and give the batter a final stir by hand.
- Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth out the batter with a small offset spatula and tap pan gently on the counter to settle the batter. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, (rotating pans halfway through baking) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Let cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then invert the cakes from their pans onto a cooling rack to cool completely (about 2 hours).
FROSTING
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt. Reduce the speed to low and beat for 1 minute.
- Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the cream cheese one cube at a time and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Do not over beat or the frosting will become soupy. Fold in the Oreo cookie crumbs.
ASSEMBLE
- Place one cake layer on a cake board and set on a cake turntable or cake pedestal. Spread 1/2 cup Cream Cheese Frosting on top in an even layer all the way to the edge of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top and spread another 1/2 cup frosting on top, spreading in an even layer all the way to the edge of the cake. Place the last cake layer on top (bottom side up). Spread a thin coat of frosting over the top and sides of the cake creating a crumb coat. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Frost the chilled cake with the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, removing excess frosting as you go. (Extra frosting will be used for decorating the top of the cake.) Chill the cake in the refrigerator while you prepare the Chocolate Drip.
- Fit a piping bag with piping tip #808 And fill with remaining Cream Cheese Frosting and set aside.
CHOCOLATE DRIP
- Place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until melted. Let cool for 20 minutes before using.
- Use a spoon to strategically place drips on the sides of the cake, then pour some of the chocolate drip in the center of the cake and spread it out with a large cake spatula to meet the edges of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set the chocolate drip before applying the second coating.
- Strategically place more chocolate drips with a spoon on the sides of the cake. Pour more chocolate drip on the center of the cake and spread with a large offset cake spatula until it meets the edges. Chill the cake for another 15 minutes to set the chocolate drip before adding additional decorating.
- With the remaining frosting, pipe dollops of frosting on the outer edge of the cake (leaving some space in between the dollops to place an Oreo cookie in between the dollops). Place an Oreo cookie in between each dollop and serve.
Notes
Cake layer can be made up to one month in advance and stored in the freezer. Thaw cake at room temperature. Or baked up to 3 days in advance wrapped in plastic in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator.
Cream cheese frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
Assembled cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 907Total Fat: 70gSaturated Fat: 38gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 209mgSodium: 523mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 4gSugar: 34gProtein: 11g
*Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary.*