Irresistible Cookies and Cream Cake

This is the cake you make when you want people to gasp and then immediately go quiet because they’re busy having a moment. It’s a rich, tender chocolate cake piled high with cookies-and-cream frosting, speckled with crunchy Oreo bits, and finished with a glossy chocolate drip if you’re feeling extra. It’s bakery-level drama with totally doable steps, and honestly? It tastes like childhood and date night at the same time.

My husband requests this for his birthday every single year, which is hilarious because he pretends he’s “not a dessert guy” until the first slice mysteriously vanishes… followed by a second one standing at the counter with a fork. The kids pick the cookie shards off the top like little crows and call dibs on the corner with the most frosting. We’ve made it for neighbors, for Tuesdays, for no reason at all. It’s a house staple, and there are never survivors.

How to Make It

Grab two 8-inch cake pans, trace some parchment circles, and grease them like you mean it. Oven at 350°F. In a big bowl, whisk all your dry stuff—flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda/powder, salt. Now whisk in eggs, milk (or buttermilk), oil, and vanilla until smooth. Here’s the fun part: stream in very hot coffee (or water) and don’t panic when the batter looks thin. That’s the secret to a plush crumb.

Divide the batter between pans and bake 28–32 minutes until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pans 10 minutes, then flip onto racks and let them chill out completely. Like… completely. Warm cake + frosting = slip-and-slide.

Frosting time: beat softened butter and cream cheese until fluffy-cloud status. Add powdered sugar in batches, a pinch of salt, vanilla, and a splash of cream until it’s spreadable and swoopy. Fold in crushed Oreos—crush some fine for flavor and leave some chunky for crunch.

Assemble: slap a dollop of frosting on your board to anchor, stack cake layer, swoop on frosting, sprinkle a little extra cookie rubble, then the second layer. Do a quick crumb coat (thin layer to catch the crumbs), chill 20–30 minutes, then finish with a thick, joyful coat. If you want a drip, warm cream, pour it over chocolate chips, stir smooth, cool to room temp, then nudge it over the edges. Decorate with extra cookies like a maximalist. Slice, serve, and accept compliments you didn’t even ask for.

Yield: 12–14 slices. Active time: about 45 minutes. Bake time: 30 minutes. Cooling + chilling: 1–2 hours depending on your patience and the weather.

✔Ingredient Notes

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– All-purpose flour: Keep it simple; measure by weight or fluff-scoop-level so you don’t pack it and get a dry cake.
– Granulated sugar: Balances the cocoa and keeps the crumb moist. Cutting too much can make it sad and dense.
– Unsweetened cocoa powder: Natural cocoa works great; Dutch-process gives a darker, slightly richer vibe. Both work.
– Baking soda + baking powder: The lift team. Make sure they’re not ancient—flat leaveners = flat cake.
– Salt: Don’t skip. It’s the “wow” switch for chocolate.
– Eggs: Room temp if you can; they blend better and the batter behaves.
– Milk or buttermilk: Buttermilk = extra tender. No buttermilk? Mix 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp vinegar, wait 5 minutes.
– Neutral oil: Oil keeps the cake soft even straight from the fridge. Melted butter tastes good but dries faster—ask me how I know.
– Hot coffee (or hot water): Coffee boosts chocolate flavor without tasting like coffee. Water works if coffee isn’t your thing.
– Oreo cookies (or similar): Crush some fine, some chunky. I leave the filling in for sweetness and that classic flavor.
– Cream cheese: Gives the frosting that tangy, not-too-sweet balance. Full-fat is best for structure.
– Unsalted butter: Soft, not melty. If it’s greasy-soft, your frosting will slide around like a toddler in socks.
– Powdered sugar: Sift if it’s clumpy. Add gradually so your kitchen doesn’t look like a snow globe.
– Heavy cream: Loosens the frosting to swoopable heaven. Milk works in a pinch.
– Vanilla + a pinch of salt: Rounds out the sweetness; that tiny salt pinch matters.
– Chocolate chips (for drip): Semi-sweet or dark; warm ganache should be cool to the touch before you drip.

✔Recipe Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F; grease and line two 8-inch pans with parchment.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and whisk smooth.
3. Stream in hot coffee (or water); divide thin batter evenly between pans and bake 28–32 minutes until set.
4. Cool 10 minutes in pans, then invert to racks and cool completely.
5. Beat butter and cream cheese fluffy; add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and cream, then fold in crushed Oreos.
6. Stack cake with frosting between layers; crumb coat, chill 20–30 minutes, finish frosting, and add optional chocolate drip + cookies.

What to Serve It With

– Cold milk or a big iced latte (I’m a dunker, no regrets).
– Fresh berries to cut the richness.
– Vanilla ice cream if you want full birthday-party energy.
– A sprinkle of flaky salt on top—tiny detail, big payoff.

✔Tips & Mistakes

– Weigh your cocoa and flour or spoon-and-level—packed cups make dry cake.
– Don’t skip parchment circles; Oreos in frosting make the layers a bit wobbly and parchment saves your sanity.
– Thin batter is correct. If it’s thick, something went sideways.
– Chill the crumb coat before the final swoop; it’s the difference between rustic and wrecked.
– Let ganache cool to about 85–90°F (just slightly cool) before dripping or it’ll race to the bottom.
– If frosting gets too loose, pop the bowl in the fridge 10–15 minutes and whip again.

✔Storage Tips

Explain where/how to store leftovers in a casual, friendly tone. Mention what happens if you eat it cold. Or for breakfast. No shame.
Pop the fully frosted cake in the fridge, lightly covered, for up to 5 days. The oil-based cake stays soft, and the cream cheese frosting appreciates the chill. Slices eaten cold taste like an ice cream cake situation and honestly slap. For longer storage, freeze slices wrapped well for up to 2 months—thaw in the fridge or eat half-frozen over the sink like a gremlin. Zero judgment.

✔Variations and Substitutions

– Swap cookies: chocolate sandwich cookies, mint Oreos, peanut butter sandwich cookies—go wild.
– No coffee: use hot water or hot milk; still delish, slightly less intense chocolate.
– Gluten-free: use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend and a gluten-free sandwich cookie; texture stays nice if you don’t overbake.
– Dairy-free: use plant butter, dairy-free cream cheese, and dairy-free milk/cream; also check your cookie brand.
– Less sweet: reduce powdered sugar in frosting to taste and bump salt a pinch; keep cookie bits for texture.
– Cupcakes: bake 18–22 minutes, makes about 24; same frosting.
– No drip: leave it naked or crumble cookies around the base for easy flair.

Frequently Asked Questions

Irresistible Cookies and Cream Cake

Rich, moist chocolate cake layered with cookies-and-cream frosting packed with real chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs—decadent, crowd-pleasing, and easy to decorate.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 12

Calories: 120kcal

Ingredients

 

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Main Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• ▢ 1.75 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 0.75 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder not Dutch-processed
• ▢ 1.5 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1.5 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1 tsp fine salt
• ▢ 2 large egg room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk room temperature
• ▢ 0.5 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 0.5 cup sour cream full-fat
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract for cake batter
• ▢ 1 cup hot brewed coffee hot; enhances chocolate flavor
• ▢ 1 cup chocolate sandwich cookies finely chopped; for batter
• ▢ 1.5 cup unsalted butter softened; for frosting
• ▢ 5 cup powdered sugar sifted; for frosting
• ▢ 0.5 cup heavy cream plus more as needed; for frosting
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract for frosting
• ▢ 0.25 tsp fine salt for frosting
• ▢ 1.5 cup chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs filling removed; finely ground for frosting
• ▢ 1 cup chocolate sandwich cookies coarsely chopped; for filling
• ▢ 10 count whole chocolate sandwich cookies for garnish

Instructions

Preparation Steps

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment, and dust sides with cocoa powder.
• In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
• In a separate bowl whisk eggs, milk, oil, sour cream, and vanilla (for batter) until smooth.
• Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk to combine. Slowly stream in the hot coffee and mix until a smooth, thin batter forms.
• Fold in the finely chopped cookies for the batter. Divide batter evenly between pans.
• Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out to a rack to cool completely.
• Make the frosting: Beat softened butter on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar, then beat in vanilla (for frosting) and salt.
• Add heavy cream and whip until light and spreadable. Mix in the finely ground cookie crumbs until evenly speckled.
• Level cooled cake layers if needed. Place one layer on a board, spread a generous layer of frosting, and sprinkle with the coarsely chopped cookies. Top with the second layer.
• Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting and chill for 20 minutes. Finish with a smooth final coat and pipe swirls if desired.
• Garnish the top with whole cookies. Slice and serve.
• Storage: Keep covered at room temperature up to 1 day or refrigerate up to 5 days. Bring chilled slices to room temperature before serving.

Notes

For a whiter frosting, scrape the filling from the cookies used for crumbs before pulsing. If frosting is too thick, add heavy cream 0.5 tbsp at a time; if too thin, add powdered sugar 0.25 cup at a time. For clean slices, chill the assembled cake 30 minutes before cutting.