Chocolate Oreo Cake

This Chocolate Oreo Cake recipe has rich chocolate cake layers filled with chocolate pudding and is covered in an oreo swiss meringue buttercream and topped with chocolate ganache and oreo crumbs. This is the ultimate oreo cake for chocolate lovers.

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My sister, Hillary, is the inspiration for this cake. It is one of two cakes I developed for her birthday this year. She is a HUGE chocolate and oreo fan, so naturally this cake had to include both. I took decorating inspiration from Cambrea Bakes cookie butter cake.

I adapted the cake layer recipe from Hershey’s “perfectly chocolate” chocolate cake, but I gave it a black cocoa and coffee upgrade to bring more oreo flavor and richness. I love baking with black cocoa. It has such a smoother chocolate taste, in my opinion. I’ve used it in my Oreo Scones and my absolute favorite Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts.

Why you'll love this recipe

• The cake layers taste like oreo too, thanks to black cocoa powder.
• The chocolate pudding in the middle keeps the cake moist and adds richness.
• The oreo frosting is buttery and creamy, without being too sweet.

Ingredients

• Oreos flavor the frosting and are the perfect garnish.
• Semisweet chocolate is the base of the chocolate ganache.
• All-purpose flour provides a tender crumb to the cake layers and structure to the pudding.
• Cocoa powder and black cocoa powder, flavor the cake and the pudding.
• Granulated sugar sweetens the cake, pudding and frosting.
• Whole milk adds moisture to the cake and is the base of the pudding.
• The fat in the cake comes from vegetable oil which keeps the cake moist for longer.
• Heavy cream makes up one half of the ganache.
• Coffee deepens the chocolate flavor.
• Vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract and kosher salt balance the overall flavor profile.
• Unsalted butter provides richness to the frosting and the pudding.
• Eggs give structure to the cake, pudding and frosting.
• Corn syrup gives the ganache a shiny appearance.
• Baking soda and baking powder give rise to the cake.
• Corn starch gives structure to the pudding.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Substitutions and variations

Here’s how to customize this cake to your liking:

• No black cocoa — substitute for dutch process or natural unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Crumbs in the middle — add some of the crumbs for garnishing to the middle layer of the cake on top of the pudding.
• Different frosting — make a traditional American buttercream or Hershey’s chocolate frosting, instead.
• Another oil — substitute vegetable oil with another oil, such as canola or grapeseed. Olive oil will also work, but you will taste a difference.
• Another chocolate — substitute semi-sweet chocolate for dark or milk, if preferred.
• No coffee — substitute warm water for coffee.
• Cake soak — make a simple syrup with equal parts water (or coffee) and sugar and add a tablespoon of cocoa powder. Douse the cake layers evenly before assembling.

This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!

How to assemble chocolate oreo cake

Step 1: On a cake turntable with a cake board or serving tray, put down a small dollop of the frosting (this will help the cake stick and not slide around). Place the first layer of cake on top. Pipe a thick ring of frosting on top near the edge of the cake. Fill the middle with some of the chocolate pudding.

Step 2: Place the second layer of cake on top. Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of the buttercream to create a crumb coat to seal in any crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes to seal this coating.

Step 3: When the crumb coat is set, pipe or dollop more frosting around the outside and on top. Spread evenly with an offset spatula before scraping down the outside with a bench scraper. Pour the chocolate ganache on top of the cake, smoothing out to the edges with an offset spatula.

Step 4: Dust the bottom, sides and top of the cake with oreo crumbs and whole oreos, if desired.

Hot tips

1. If your buttercream becomes too stiff, remove a small amount to a microwave-safe container. Heat for a few seconds at a time until completely melted. Quickly add this to the rest of the frosting and beat until combined. This should warm up the rest and make it more spreadable and pipeable.
2. To remove air bubbles from your buttercream, spread the buttercream onto the inner side of a large bowl in a back and forth motion. I like to do this with small bits at a time as it is easier.
3. For even more moisture, make a cake soak. Make a simple syrup with equal parts water (or coffee) and sugar and add a tablespoon of cocoa powder. Douse the cake layers evenly before assembling.

Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe

Chocolate Oreo Cake

Heather Janak

Chocolate cake layers filled with chocolate pudding, covered in an oreo swiss meringue buttercream and topped with chocolate ganache.

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Prep Time 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Resting Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 slices

Calories 600 kcal

Equipment

• Offset Spatula
• Kitchenaid mixer
• Food Processor
• Piping Bags
• Bench scraper
• Cake turntable
• 8-inch cake tins
• Large Metal Mixing Bowl
• Large Whisk

Ingredients

  

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Chocolate cake

• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (220g)
• ▢ ½ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (45g)
• ▢ ¼ cup black cocoa powder* (29g)
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk (240g)
• ▢ ½ cup vegetable oil (109g)
• ▢ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup coffee piping hot

Chocolate pudding

• ▢ 1 ¾ cup whole milk (450g)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• ▢ 4 egg yolks (60g)
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
• ▢ 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ pinch kosher salt
• ▢ 2 ½ tablespoon cocoa powder
• ▢ 2 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature (optional)

Oreo swiss meringue buttercream

• ▢ 1 batch swiss meringue buttercream from Serious Eats' recipe
• ▢ 100 g oreo crumbs** (12 oreo cookies) with creme removed

Chocolate ganache (optional)

• ▢ ½ cup heavy cream (107g)
• ▢ ½ cup chocolate chips (100g) or chopped high-quality chocolate bar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon light corn syrup optional

Garnish

• ▢ 100 g oreo crumbs (9 whole oreos)

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Instructions

 

Do ahead

• Grease and line 2 8-inch round baking pans with circles of parchment paper on the bottoms.

Make the cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, both cocoa powders, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients bowl. Whisk by hand or with beaters for 2 minutes.
• Stir in the piping hot coffee until fully combined. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before carefully tipping the cake layers out of the tins.

Make the pudding

• Combine the milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat.
• Combine the granulated sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk by hand or with beaters until light yellow and fluffy.
• Add flour, cornstarch and cocoa powder, and whisk until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be thick.
• Slowly stream in the warmed vanilla milk with a ladle while whisking vigorously to prevent cooking the eggs. Continue slowly adding in the milk mixture until it is all combined.
• Return the entire mixture to the medium saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until thickened. This can take 5+ minutes. Remove from the heat promptly and add the room temperature butter. Whisk until fully incorporated.
• Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic and press down to touch the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 1 hour or place over a bowl of ice to chill it faster.

Make the frosting

• Make the swiss meringue buttercream according to Serious Eats’ instructions.
• Add the oreo crumbs and mix until combined.

Assemble the cake

• Prepare the cake layers by cutting off any domed parts with a serrated knife that may have developed when baking.
• On a cake turntable with a cake board or serving tray, put down a small dollop of the frosting (this will help the cake stick and not slide around). Place the first layer of cake on top.
• Pipe a thick ring of frosting on top near the edge of the cake. Spoon some of the pudding in the middle. There will be a decent amount leftover.
• Place the second layer of cake on top. Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of the buttercream to create a crumb coat to seal in any crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes to seal this coating.
• When the crumb coat is set, pipe or dollop more frosting around the outside and on top. Spread evenly with an offset spatula before scraping down the outside with a bench scraper. You may need to do this several times to get a smooth look. If you need a visual on how to frost a cake, check out this video. I left a jagged rim on top of my cake to hold in the ganache (see recipe image). At this point you can freeze the cake for 10 minutes to set the frosting for easier handling, but it is not necessary.

Garnish

• In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine all of the chocolate ganache ingredients. Microwave in 30 second bursts, mixing slowly in between, until all of the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is glossy.
• Pour the chocolate ganache on top of the cake, smoothing out to the edges with an offset spatula.
• Dust the bottom, sides and top of the cake with oreo crumbs and whole oreos, if desired.

Notes

*If you do not have black cocoa powder, use dutch process or natural unsweetened cocoa powder.

**To make oreo crumbs, process oreos in a food processor or blender. You could also crush them with a rolling pin in a resealable plastic bag.

If your buttercream becomes too stiff, remove a small amount to a microwave-safe container. Heat for a few seconds at a time until completely melted. Quickly add this to the rest of the frosting and beat until combined. This should warm up the rest and make it more spreadable and pipeable.

To remove air bubbles from your buttercream, spread the buttercream onto the inner side of a large bowl in a back and forth motion. I like to do this with small bits at a time as it is easier.

Nutrition

Calories: 600kcal

Keyword chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, chocolate oreo cake, chocolate pudding, ganache, layer cake, layers, oreo, oreo cake, oreos

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