This cookies & cream cake combines a soft and buttery white cake with plenty of sweet Oreo cookies. The recipe begins as my white cake, but with a few updates to the batter to make room for the cream-filled cookie pieces. Top the cake with sturdy yet light whipped cream frosting, which is a combination of heavy cream, cream cheese, vanilla, and a bit of confectioners’ sugar. The frosting is lightly sweetened, so there’s plenty of room for more Oreos. This is a fun, simple, and manageable cake for a crowd of Oreo lovers!
One reader, Anna, commented: “I made this recipe for a birthday celebration for a few friends and it was a huge hit! It was easy to make and both the cake and the frosting were delectable. Can’t wait to make this recipe again! โ โ โ โ โ ”
Details About This Cookies & Cream Cake
- Flavor: All Oreo! If you love vanilla cake, whipped frosting, and Oreo cookies, you will ADORE this cookies & cream cake. I was going to add chocolate ganache or chocolate buttercream, but decided to keep everything vanilla so nothing overpowers the actual Oreos in the cake batter and frosting.
- Texture: The cookies and cream cake is buttery, soft, and moist and the frosting has a creamy whipped texture that’s slightly heavier than regular whipped cream, but much lighter than vanilla buttercream. The Oreo cookie crumbs in the cake aren’t crunchy at allโinstead, they take on a soft and cakey texture. The cake batter doesn’t require anything complicated, but make sure that you use egg whites (no yolks) and cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Both of these ingredients help guarantee a softer, lighter cake crumb. Since we’re not using egg yolks, which often weigh down a cake, let’s add fat back into the batter with sour cream. Sour cream keeps the cake light, but adds unbeatable moisture.
- Ease: Sheet cakes are renowned for being easier than layer cakesโno leveling off cake layers, no fancy decor, no crazy assembly required. Slicing and serving is a breeze and you’ll appreciate that this dessert can feed a crowd, but is still completely manageable to make. The whipped cream frosting comes together quickly and most of the work is done by your mixer. Honestly the hardest part about this entire recipe is resisting the urge to eat all those chopped Oreo cookies. (Ok, go ahead and sneak some!)
If you love Oreos, try this super easy cookies & cream pie, cookies & cream Oreo cupcakes (the individually portioned version of this cake!), homemade Oreos, cookies & cream puppy chow, or 4 ingredient Oreo balls next.
Cookies & Cream Cake: What Works & What Doesn’t
This vanilla cake batter and this reverse-creamed vanilla sheet cake batter proved to be too heavy and thick for the Oreo cookie piecesโboth cakes tasted pretty dense. My versatile white cake is my chameleon cake, proving successful when flavored, altered, or doctored up. It’s the starting point for burnt sugar cake, espresso cake, coconut cake, fresh berry cream cake, pineapple coconut cake, pistachio cake, and strawberry cake.
It is, without a doubt, my favorite base cake recipe.
For this cookies and cream cake, I reduced the sugar since we’re adding Oreo cookies. The sweetness was perfect, but the cake tasted greasy and wet as a result of the slightly melted cream filling in the cookies. I removed 1 egg white and reduced the milk, then added a little sour cream since I removed milk. Removing some liquid made the batter thicker, which held onto and soaked in the cookie pieces a bit better.
How to Make Oreo Whipped Cream Frosting
This frosting recipe yields 4โ5 cups and there’s only 3/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar in all of it. (Plus the Oreo cookie pieces!)
When it comes to cake or cupcake decor, I usually stick with buttercream or cream cheese frostingโand both are quite sweet. I wanted something different today, so I turned to my creamy, fluffy, thick whipped frosting. It’s made with cream cheese, but you can’t taste the cream cheese. And when you fold in the chopped Oreo cookie pieces, the frosting itself tastes like the cookie’s cream filling! It would be delicious paired with chocolate cake or atop chocolate cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes.
Making whipped cream frosting is very easy. Let me review it with you:
- Beat softened brick-style cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract together until completely smooth. (Below left.)
- As the mixer is running, slowly pour in cold heavy cream.
- Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until thick and airy. (Below right.)
It holds a sturdy peak!
Add Oreo Cookies
If you want to use this whipped cream frosting for other flavor cakes, the process stops there. But for a cookies and cream cake, let’s fold in chopped Oreo cookies. I wanted piping around the edges of the cake, so I left some frosting plain since the Oreo cookies get stuck in a piping tip. I find a small offset spatula is best for frosting 9×13-inch sheet cakes.
And as you can see, the plain frosting pipes beautifully! I used a Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe a zigzag border design.
Can I Make This as a Layer Cake?
If possible, I always choose making a sheet cake instead of a layer cake because sheet cakes are quicker and easier to decorate and slice. Plus there’s no assembly required and you can serve it right out of the baking pan. (Three of my favorite quarter sheet cakes are this vanilla sheet cake, this banana cake, and this yellow sheet cake, and we always enjoy this chocolate sheet cake that’s made in a half sheet pan.) That being said, you can absolutely turn this into a cookies & cream layer cake if needed. Divide the batter between two 9-inch round pans or three 8-inch round pans and use parchment paper rounds to help the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. See recipe note for details. The frosting yields enough for filling and frosting a 2- or 3-layer cake.
Can I Use Other Flavors of Oreos?
Yes! You just want to avoid Double-Stuf varieties in the cake batter because it would throw off the texture.
You can also swap out the whipped cream frosting for another flavor of frosting if you’d like.
More frosting suggestions:
- Chocolate fudge frosting from this yellow sheet cake
- Whipped vanilla buttercream from this vanilla sheet cake
- Peanut butter frosting from this chocolate sheet cake (try pairing with peanut butter-flavored Oreos!)
Cookies & Cream Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is soft and buttery white cake filled with cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos!). Top with light and fluffy whipped cream frosting. Each ingredient serves a purpose so for best results, I donโt recommend making substitutions.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (285g) cake flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- 1 and 1/4 cups chopped Oreos (110g, about 10 whole Oreos)*
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 6 ounces (170g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup chopped Oreos (90g, about 8 whole regular Oreos)*
- optional: mini or regular Oreos for garnish
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Generously grease a 9ร13-inch cake pan.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย how to cream butter and sugar.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the egg whites. Beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Mixture will appear curdled and that’s ok. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not overmix. Whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl, then fold in the chopped Oreo pieces. Avoid over-mixing.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for around 32โ35 minutes or until the cake is baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. The cake must be completely cool before frosting.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract, and then beat on medium speed until combined and completely smooth, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl. Switch the mixer to low speed and with the mixer running, carefully pour in the cream in a slow and steady stream. After all of the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until thick and stiff peaks form, about 1โ2 minutes.
- Frost the cake: If you’d like to pipe any frosting on the cake like I did in the photo above, set aside about 1 cup of frosting. Fold chopped Oreos into remaining frosting (or all of the frosting if you are not piping any of it). Spread onto cooled cakeโit will be a thick layer of frosting. I find a small offset spatula is best for frosting 9×13-inch sheet cakes. For the pictured piping, I used a Wilton 1M piping tip and piped a zigzag design around the border.
- Serve immediately or cover and set aside for a few hours before serving. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day, then bring to room temperature before serving. You can definitely serve the cake cold, but many preferred it closer to room temperature. Frosting is sturdy enough at room temperature or in warmer weather for a few hours.
- Cover leftover cakeย tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. The frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Assemble and frost the cake the next day when you are ready to serve. Frosted cake can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. Here’s my how to freeze cakes page.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9ร13-inch Cake Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Small Offset Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) |ย Wilton 1M Piping Tip
- Whole Milk & Sour Cream/Room Temperature Ingredients: Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work instead of the sour cream, but the cake may not taste as light. Same goes with a lower-fat milk. All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for moreย information.
- Layer Cake: Grease 3 8-inch or 2 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake at 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) for around 24โ26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cakes are done. The frosting yields enough for filling and frosting a 2 -or 3-layer cake.
- Cupcakes: My vanilla cupcakes recipe is essentially this same recipe, only halved, so I recommend using that. Fold in about 3/4 cup of chopped Oreo pieces before spooning/pouring batter into liners. Halve the frosting recipe above. For close to 3 dozen cupcakes, follow the the cookies & cream cake batter recipe above and the baking instructions for cupcakes. Use the frosting recipe as written above.
- Amount of Cake Batter & Frosting: If it’s helpful for using different size cake pan sizes and conversions, this recipe yields about 7 cups of cake batter and 4โ5 cups of frosting.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this cake for my son’s birthday today. I made a 2 layer cake and it was absolutely delicious and beautiful. Everybody loved it! I will definitely make it again.
why is the time 4 hours when the real time would be 1 hour and 5 minutes where did those 2 hours and 55 minutes come from
Hi Lucas, that includes the time for the cake to cool before frosting.
I want to make this cake for a coworker but several people do not like cream cheese. Does it really not have the sour tang of cream cheese? Iโd like to try something other than buttercreamโฆthank you!
We wouldn’t say so, but everyone’s tastes are different!
The second time I made this the frosting turned an ugly gray when mixed with the cookies. What happened?
Hi KK, a little bit of gray coloring is natural with the chunks of Oreos. If you have smaller chunks and crumbs, there will be more gray. If your chunks are larger with fewer small crumbs, it will stay whiter. Hope you still enjoyed the cake!
I love all your recipes! I just made the strawberry cake for a birthday last weekend and I’m making the cookies and cream cake for another birthday this weekend! I am wondering about using oil instead of butter for the cake batter– I am wanting a lighter cake, and I found the strawberry cake to be a bit more dense and rich than I hoped for (with all the butter.) Would vegetable oil work alright instead?
Thank you!!
-Bethany
Hi Bethany! We donโt recommend swapping any of the butter with oil, as you need a fat that is solid at room temperature to cream properly with the sugars.
Can you use food coloring with cookies and cream frosting or will it turn a yucky color? My son is turning 5, so we were going to do a Monster Truck theme.
Hi Ann, Hereโs the plain version of this whipped frosting recipe. The whipped frosting holds onto food coloring nicely and we strongly recommend using gel food coloring or natural food coloring powder. Itโs best to add the food coloring when you add the heavy cream.
Wow! This was really good cake!! Made it for a birthday. His favorite flavor is cookies and cream. Totally new one for me to make . Made it exactly as stated. I would definitely make this again. Great flavor . Icing was great as well. Had little extra and used it for a little decorations for another cake.
Hi! Can I freeze the 9inch layers for 2 days before assembling in Saran Wrap+ foil? If so, do they need to thaw completely before frosting/assembling? Want to get the baking done in advance for a Sunday morning bday party. Thank you!
Hi Brittany! Here’s our guide to freezing cakes ๐
I LOVE Sally, all her recipes have worked for me except this one, in particular, the cream cheese frosting. It was so runny, despite following all the instructions (including cold whipped cream). Not sure what happened, but had to pour it down the drain.
Hi Annette, I’m so sorry to hear that! Happy to help troubleshoot. What type of cream cheese did you use?
This looks great! I was just wondering, is there a way to swap out the cream cheese in the icing for something else? We have an allergy ๐
Hi Sarah,You could use the whipped buttercream frosting from this recipe for vanilla sheet cake instead. It will be sweeter. Hope this helps!
Hi there! Our oven is currently broken so Iโll be using our Emeril Lagasse toaster oven/ air fryer combo to bake this. Do you think I will need to bake for the same time and at the same temp? Iโm clueless and my son wants this for his bday on Monday. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Hi Candice! We can’t speak to how this cake will bake in that specific toaster oven. Do you usually have success baking with it? I find baked good often bake quicker in my countertop oven. Let us know if you try!
Could you help me with making a 3 layer 6inch cake. Would I use the cupcake recipe or this one?
Hi Michelle! We would use our Cookies & Cream Oreo Cupcakes to make a 6 inch cake.
Why do you recommend a glass dish for this cake, versus a light-colored metal one? Would either type work equally well?
Hi Betty! we prefer glass baking pans for light-colored cakes, but it might just be Sally’s oven. They bake unevenly and darken considerably on the edges when we use metal pans. For more accurate baking times/temps for light cakes, especially when we’re testing recipes, we prefer glass. The bake time for a metal pan falls in the same time frame given in the recipe.
Whats the best way to double this cake? Two layer sheet cake, two separate sheet cakes?
Need to serve 24-30 people
Hi Mona, we would make the recipe twice!
Loved it!! Made it for my sons birthday and it was a big hit!!!
Hi there! I’m planning to make this but only have a 9in springform round pan. Will this recipe work or do you recommend I halve this recipe or use a different recipe like the 1 layer sprinkle cake? Thanks!
Hi Liliane, this is too much batter as written for just one pan, but you could try baking in batches for 2, 9-inch round layers. Or, you can try halving the recipe as you mention. Make sure you are using a reliable, well-sealed springform pan so that the batter does not leak during bake time.
I just made this for my 6 year olds family birthday party and every one agreed that this was the best cake yet. And Iโve made MANY! Of Sallyโs cakes for our family. This one is superb! The cake is moist and fantastic, the whipped frosting is delightful and not too sweet. 5โญ๏ธ
this is the best oreo cake i’ve ever made and eaten! i’ve made it 3 times now. it’s amazing! thank oyu Sally!
I am not really a baker but can follow a recipe. Iโd like to make this but as a double layer round cakeโฆhow do I need to adjust to do this? โโ๏ธ
Hi Savanna, if you scroll down below the recipe, in the Notes section, note #4 has the instructions for making this as a layer cake: Grease 3 8-inch or 2 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake at 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) for around 24โ26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cakes are done. The frosting yields enough for filling and frosting a 2 -or 3-layer cake.
I found it! Thanks!
Hi! I am looking to make this cake for a friend’s birthday but they want a chocolate cake base. Do you recommend the Chocolate Layer Cake base and just add the Oreos? I worry about imbalance in the cake bases. Any advice is welcome!
Hi Shelley, you can use our chocolate cake batter and add crushed Oreos. Let us know how it goes for you!
Iโm hoping to make in advance and just freeze for a couple days. Can I just bake and frost in my pan and then use the lid of my 9×13 to freeze it? Then do I just take out the day before and thaw in the fridge? I just wonโt want to mess up when preparing it for a party for 30 guests.
Hi Sara! Yes, if the lid is air-tight you can definitely use that during freezing and thawing.
Will the frosting “collapse” when it thaws?
Hi Sara, since you’re frosting a 9×13-inch cake here it isn’t as much of a concern as when you freeze a frosted layer cake, since a completely decorated cake will contract and expand during the freezing/thawing process, ruining some of your hard work frosting the cake. Fresh really does taste best, but freezing works in a pinch!
I was thinking of using this for a double layered sheet cake (9×13) for a birthday party. Do I need to change anything for that? Just double the recipe? I’ve made this as just a single 9ร13 and it was thick!
Hi Hannah, for best results, we’d recommend making 2 separate batches rather than doubling. Enjoy!
I love this recipe! My son is asking that I swap out the original oreos for the golden ones, will the recipe stay the same? should I add more/less of anything?
Hi Sophia, that should work fine!
Help! When I measure out 2 1/2 cups flour it is 335 grams? Which measurement should I use??
Hi Lisa! Weight measurements are always the most accurate. It is very easy to over-measure flour and other dry ingredients, which is why we always recommend weighing if you have the option. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post!