Cookies and cream cake is the perfect dessert for Oreo cookie lovers! Dark chocolate cake layers, cookies and cream filling, vanilla and cookies and cream buttercream frosting, chocolate ganache, and even more Oreo cookies. All you need is a glass of milk!
Ingredients for Cookies and Cream Cake
Chocolate cake
- All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour does the trick.
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake layers.
- Dark cocoa powder: Dark cocoa powder gives the cake a deep chocolate flavor and dark color.
- Baking soda: Interacts with the acid from the buttermilk to make the cake layers rise.
- Baking powder: Another leavening agent to help the cake layers rise.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the cake.
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs help bind the cake batter and add moisture to the cake.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds moisture and helps activate the baking soda.
- Vegetable oil: Adds moisture to the cake. Canola oil or another neutral oil can also be used.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract surprisingly, makes chocolate taste more chocolatey.
- Boiling water: Boiling water helps bring the butter together.
- Espresso powder: Just like vanilla extract, espresso powder makes the chocolate taste more chocolatey.
Vanilla and cookies and cream buttercream frosting
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar.
- Salt: To contrast the sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: To add a delicious vanilla flavor.
- Heavy cream: Creates a smooth and fluffy buttercream.
- Chocolate sandwich cookies: Crush your cookies SUPER fine! (See tips below!)
Cookies and cream filling
- Cream cheese: Room temperature for easy creaming!
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar for some sweetness.
- Heavy cream: Cold heavy cream is best.
- Vanilla extract: To add a bit of vanilla flavor.
- Chocolate sandwich cookies: Roughly chopped for a bit of texture.
Chocolate ganache
- Chocolate chips: I use semisweet chocolate chips.
- Heavy cream: You can also use half & half in a pinch. Do not use milk! It will seize up!
Tools & Supplies for Making Cookies and Cream Cake
How to Make Cookies and Cream Cake
Chocolate cake
The chocolate cake layers are easy to make and only require a mixing bowl and a whisk. To find out how to make the chocolate cake layers, head to my blog post to get more information!
Vanilla and cookies and cream buttercream frosting
The buttercream is my classic Vanilla American Buttercream recipe. It takes just a few minutes to make and only has 5 ingredients! I recommend using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer. You can check out the information for the buttercream on my blog post.
The buttercream is divided in half and finely crushed chocolate sandwich cookies are added to half of the frosting to create a delicious cookies and cream buttercream.
Cookies and cream filling
To make the cookies and cream filling, I recommend using an electric hand mixer.
- Whip together cream cheese and granulated sugar.
- Add in heavy cream and vanilla extract and continue to whip on medium-high speed until thick.
- Fold in crushed chocolate sandwich cookies.
Chocolate ganache
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and heavy cream.
- Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted.
- Stir the ganache until all the chocolate is melted and it is smooth and shiny.
Assembling the Cookies and Cream Cake
- Place one cake layer on an 8 inch cardboard cake circle.
- Pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream around the edges of the cake to create a border for the filling.
- Scoop half of the cookies & cream filling to the cake layer and spread using a small offset spatula.
- Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the ring of buttercream and cookies & cream filling.
- Add the third cake layer to the top of the cake. Ensure that the layers are even vertically and horizontally.
- Using vanilla buttercream, frost the cake with a thin layer of frosting which will serve as the crumb coat.
- Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes to set the buttercream.
- To create a striped buttercream look, fill a disposable piping bag with the vanilla buttercream and another with the cookies & cream buttercream.
- Pipe alternating buttercreams around the sides of the cake and on the top.
- Using a cake scraper, smooth the frosting on the sides and top of the cake. Chill the cake for another 30 minutes.
- Create a chocolate ganache drip by drizzling the chocolate ganache down the sides of the cake with a squeeze bottle. Spread ganache on the top of the cake.
- Use a disposable piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip to create swirls of buttercream on the top of the cake. Decorate with additional chocolate sandwich cookies if desired.
Cookies and Cream Cake Recipe Tips
Bake the perfect cake
Check out my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips to Bake Perfect Cakes for great tips and tricks to use to make the best cakes.
Keep things simple
If you want to simplify the recipe and process, I recommend making the buttercream entirely cookies and cream. Simply add 14 finely crushed chocolate sandwich cookies to the buttercream recipe. You can also omit the chocolate ganache if you do not want to do a chocolate drip.
Chocolate ganache
For the best results for a chocolate ganache drip, you want to be sure that your frosted cake is chilled and the chocolate ganache temperature is between 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I love using a plastic squeeze bottle to apply the chocolate ganache drips, but you can also use a spoon or a disposable piping bag.
Finely crushed chocolate sandwich cookies
When making the buttercream, you will want the finest cookie crumbs possible for smooth frosting and piping. If there are large chunks of cookie in the buttercream, it will be difficult to decorate. I use a food processor to grind up the cookies until they are super fine.
Storing and serving
The cookies and cream cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To serve, bring to room temperature by removing from the fridge at least one hour before serving.
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Cookies and Cream Cake
Yield: 14 servings
Cookies and cream cake is made with dark chocolate cake layers, cookies & cream filling, vanilla and cookies and cream buttercream, chocolate ganache, and even more chocolate cookies! This cake is delicious, impressive, and perfect for cookies and cream lovers!
Equipment
- 3 7" round cake pans
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 tsp espresso powder
Vanilla and Cookies & Cream Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 7 chocolate sandwich cookies finely crushed
Cookies & Cream Filling
- 2 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 5 chocolate sandwich cookies roughly chopped
Chocolate Ganache
- ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
- additional cookies for decorating
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare cake pans using cooking spray and parchment circles.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, dark cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add in room temperature eggs, buttermilk or buttermilk substitute, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk until the dry and wet ingredients are just combined.
- Pour in boiling water and espresso powder and slowly whisk until the water and cake batter are combined and smooth. Do not overmix.
- Divide batter evenly between your cake pans (see equipment for sizes). Use a kitchen scale to ensure that the batter is equally divided.
- Bake cakes for approximately 30-35 minutes in the oven until the cakes spring back when gently touched or toothpick comes out clean. *Please note that baking times may be different for different size pans.
- Remove cakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pans on a wire rack until they are at room temperature.
- Run a knife or small offset spatula between the cake and edge of the pan to loosen from the edges. Invert the cakes to remove from the pan. Allow the cake layers to cool completely.
- Level cakes using a serrated knife so that the layers are flat.
Vanilla and Cookies and Cream Buttercream Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add in room temperature unsalted butter. Whip the butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally. The butter will be light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add one half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined. Add remaining powdered sugar and continue to mix on low until incorporated.
- Add vanilla extract and salt and mix on low until combined.
- Increase speed to medium on the mixer and slowly drizzle in the half and half.
- Once the half and half is added, turn the speed on the mixer to high and whip for an additional 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.
- If desired, switch to a paddle attachment on the stand mixer and mix buttercream on low speed for 2 additional minutes to remove air bubbles to create smooth frosting.
- Divide the buttercream in half, placing half of the frosting in a separate bowl. Add in the finely crushed chocolate sandwich cookies in one half of the buttercream and mix until well combined.
Cookies and Cream Filling
- In a mixing bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese and granulated sugar. Use an electric hand mixer and cream until smooth.
- Add in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Whip on medium high speed until the cream becomes thick.
- Fold in roughly chopped chocolate sandwich cookies.
Chocolate Ganache
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and heavy cream.
- Heat the mixture in the microwave for 30 second bursts, mixing in between each interval.
- Continue repeating this process until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Cool the ganache to between 90°-100° before using to drip onto the cake.
- Transfer the chocolate ganache to a squeeze bottle or disposable pastry bag.
Assembling the Cookies and Cream Cake
- Place one cake layer onto a round cake board. Pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream around the edges of the cake to create a border for the filling.
- Add half of the cookies & cream filling to the cake layer and spread using a small offset spatula.
- Add the second cake layer and repeat the ring of buttercream and cookies & cream filling.
- Add the third cake layer to the top of the cake. Ensure that the layers are even vertically and horizontally.
- Using vanilla buttercream, frost the cake with a thin layer of frosting which will serve as the crumb coat.
- Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes to set the buttercream.
- To create a striped buttercream look, fill a disposable piping bag with the vanilla buttercream and another with the cookies & cream buttercream.
- Pipe alternating buttercreams around the sides of the cake and on the top.
- Using a cake scraper, smooth the frosting on the sides and top of the cake. Chill the cake for another 30 minutes.
- Create a chocolate ganache drip by drizzling the chocolate ganache down the sides of the cake. Spread ganache on the top of the cake.
- Use a disposable piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip to create swirls of buttercream on the top of the cake. Decorate with additional chocolate sandwich cookies if desired.
- Be creative! Decorate the cake however you want!
Notes
Cookies and cream cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
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Comments & Reviews
What is espresso powder?
Instant espresso powder is a strong coffee powder that enhances the flavor of the chocolate. You can omit it from the recipe if you prefer! 🙂