Chocolate Oreo Cake

What I Love About My Chocolate Oreo Cake

This cake started as a way to combine my son’s two favorite things, and it’s become my go-to birthday cake.

• You get chocolate cake and Oreos in every bite, since I fold crushed cookies right into the batter.
• The Oreo cream cheese frosting is completely homemade, and I mix real crushed cookies right into it.
• I finish every layer with a drizzle of warm hot fudge, so it feels special enough for any birthday.
• Three cake pans bake at the same time, so this cake is done in under twenty minutes of oven time.
• I can bake and wrap the layers a day ahead, so birthday morning only needs frosting and assembling.

Key Ingredient Notes

• Unsweetened cocoa powder: This is what gives the cake its deep chocolate flavor and dark color. Natural cocoa works well here, though Dutch-process is a fine substitute if you want a slightly darker, less acidic flavor.
• Oreo cookies: I use these in the batter, the frosting, and the topping, so a family-size pack covers the whole recipe.
• Sour cream: It adds moisture and a light tang that balances the sweetness in the frosting and the fudge.
• Vegetable oil: Oil stays liquid at room temperature, which helps this cake stay soft for days. You can substitute another neutral oil like canola oil or avocado oil.
• Cream cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese in a block, not the spreadable kind in a tub. The tub-style spread is softer and has more moisture, so the frosting turns out runnier.
• Hot fudge topping: This is what gives the cake its shiny finish and one more layer of chocolate on top of everything else.

How to Make Chocolate Oreo Cake

1. Bloom the cocoa. In a small saucepot, I whisk the cocoa powder into the hot water. I bring it to a low boil for about a minute, then set it aside to cool.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In the bowl of an electric mixer, I combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients. I whisk the oil, vanilla, eggs, and sour cream together in a separate bowl.
4. Combine the batter. On low speed, I pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, then raise the speed to medium and beat for about two minutes. Lowering the speed again, I slowly pour in the cooled cocoa mixture and mix just until combined.
5. Fold in the Oreos. I crush and chop the cookies by hand, then fold them into the batter so they stay in coarse pieces.
6. Divide and bake. Between three greased and floured 8-inch pans, I split the batter evenly. I bake them at 350°F for about 18 minutes, all at once so the layers turn out even. A toothpick in the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
7. Cool completely. After ten minutes resting in the pans, I turn the layers out onto a wire rack. I let them cool completely before frosting, since warm layers will melt it.
8. Make the frosting. Starting with the cream cheese and butter, I beat them together until smooth. Then I mix in powdered sugar until the frosting turns light and fluffy. Last, I mix in the crushed Oreos just until combined.
9. Chill the frosting. I refrigerate the frosting for about 20 minutes and give it a good stir before frosting the cake.
10. Level and frost. Using a large serrated knife, I trim the domed tops off the layers for a flat, even cake. Then I frost between the layers and all around the outside.
11. Chill, then finish. I refrigerate the frosted cake for at least two hours to set. Before pouring it over the cake, I make sure the fudge is warm, not hot. Fudge that’s too hot will melt straight through the frosting. I finish by pressing quartered Oreo cookies into the fudge before it sets.

How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Chocolate Oreo Cake

• Store: in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days. I’m food safety certified, and cream cheese frostings are one of the things I’m strict about with refrigeration. Two hours out at room temperature is my limit before I cover and chill it again.
• Freeze:
  • Unfrosted layers: wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.
  • Frosted cake: I do not recommend freezing frosted cake because the cream cheese tends to get gritty when thawed.

Chocolate Oreo Cake Recipe FAQs

More Recipes From Me

• The Ultimate Oreo Cheesecake
• Layered Oreo Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Marble Cupcakes with Marble Cream Cheese Frosting
• Boston Cream Cake Roll
• Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

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