By: Jill Mills Updated: Jun 17, 2025

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This Oreo Cake features a soft vanilla cake mixed with crushed Oreos, layered with creamy vanilla buttercream, and topped with cookies-and-cream piping. Finished with extra Oreos for the ultimate cookies-and-cream dessert.

Surprisingly, despite the many Oreo recipes on this site, from no bake Oreo pie to classic Oreo balls, I’ve never shared an Oreo cake before! Today’s recipe is not your basic cake. It’s a show-stopping layer cake with three layers of vanilla cake dotted with crushed Oreos and Oreo buttercream. It’s beautiful but easy to assemble. A true Oreo lover’s dream!

Why I Love This Oreo Cake Recipe

Here are a few of my favorite things about this recipe.

SO many Oreos! There are Oreos in almost every part of this recipe – crushed Oreos in the cake batter, Oreo crumbs in the piped buttercream, and lots of Oreos for decorating. That means each and every bite is filled with incredible cookies-and-cream flavor.
Tender white cake. The Oreos are the star of the show in this cake but the cake layers themselves offer wonderful support. Using egg whites and clear vanilla helps to keep them white instead of yellow and they’re so light, tender, and moist.
Easy to make & assemble. I know that layer cakes can feel intimidating for some bakers but this Oreo cake is truly so easy to make. The cake layers and buttercream are so simple and there’s no fancy skills required for assembling. If you can bake a regular cake, you can make this Oreo layer cake!

What You’ll Need

Each part of this recipe is made with basic baking ingredients and, of course, lots of Oreos! Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

Vanilla Oreo Cake:

All-purpose flour
Cornstarch – Cornstarch helps to create a super tender crumb in the cake.
Baking powder – Helps the cake rise in the oven.
Salt
Unsalted butter – Softened but not melted. If using salted butter, reduce or omit the added salt. I recommend unsalted because each brand of salted butter contains a different amount of salt.
Granulated sugar
Egg whites – Using just egg whites helps to keep the batter white instead of yellow. You can use whole eggs but the cake will have a more yellow color and a slightly denser texture. If using whole eggs, use 3 large eggs instead of 4 egg whites.
Vanilla extract
Whole milk – Adds moisture and richness to the cake. 2% would work but avoid skim milk.
Sour cream – Adds a bit of flavor and also works to create a tender, moist crumb.
Oreos – Chopped into small pieces to evenly distribute throughout the cake.

Buttercream Frosting:

Butter – Be sure to use unsalted butter in the frosting, since two cups is used. It should be softened but not melted.
Powdered sugar – Stabilizes and sweetens the frosting.
Vanilla extract – I recommend using clear vanilla for a whiter frosting. Regular vanilla will slightly tint the buttercream.
Salt – Helps to balance the flavors.
Heavy cream – Use only as much as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency.

Decorating:

Oreos – Crushed Oreos are used to decorate the edges.
Mini Oreos – For additional decorative garnish.

Overhead view of ingredients needed to make Oreo cake

How To Make Oreo Cake

Don’t be overwhelmed by the number of steps in this recipe! Each part of the recipe is very simple and assembling it requires no special skills or equipment. The printable version of the instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line the cake pans with parchment paper.
Make the batter. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Mix the egg whites in one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir in the sour cream. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Bake. Divide the batter between the cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Chill. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Once cooled to room temperature, chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before assembling.

Buttercream Frosting

Beat the butter and sugar. Beat the butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until smooth and very light in color. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar.
Add the heavy cream. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Then add the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time, adding just as much as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
Continue beating. Continue beating the frosting for 3-5 minutes until smooth, fluffy, and easy to spread.

Oreo Buttercream for Piping

Add the Oreos. Add the finely crushed Oreos to a cup of the buttercream prepared above. Set aside.

Frosting an Oreo cake with buttercream frosting

Assemble the Oreo Cake

Layer the cakes and frosting. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a layer of buttercream on top. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the entire cake with the plain buttercream.
Add the Oreos. Press crushed Oreos around the bottom edge of the cake.
Pipe the buttercream. Use a large star tip to pipe swirls of Oreo buttercream on top.
Decorate. Sprinkle crushed Oreos on top of the cake and place mini Oreos between the swirls.
Chill. Refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.

Tips & Tricks

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you make this Oreo cake.

Use room temperature ingredients. Cold butter, eggs, or milk can affect how the batter mixes and bakes, so let them sit at room temperature before starting.
Chop Oreos into small pieces. Large chunks can sink or create uneven pockets in the batter, so aim for small, bite-sized pieces.
Fold Oreos into the batter gently. Overmixing can cause the cookies to break down too much and turn the batter gray. This is also important when folding the crushed Oreos into the frosting.
Use a large star tip for piping. I used 195 from this set but a Wilton 1M or similar works great for the Oreo buttercream swirls.
Press the Oreo crumbs onto the cake immediately. The frosting should be soft so the crumbs stick easily before it sets.
The secret to smooth buttercream. Beat it on medium speed rather than high, and add the powdered sugar gradually. If it’s too thick, add an extra splash of heavy cream.

Make Ahead & Storage

Make ahead. The cake layers can be baked and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days before frosting. The buttercream can also be made a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge.
Fridge. Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best texture.
Freezer. You can freeze the unfrosted cake layers for up to 3 months. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and thaw in the fridge before decorating. The fully assembled cake can be frozen for up to 1 month, but the Oreos may soften slightly.

Can I Make This As A Two Layer Cake?

This Oreo cake can easily be made with two cake layers instead of three. If you prefer two layers, divide the batter between two 9-inch cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes.

Oreo Cake

Why I Love This Oreo Cake Recipe