This cookies & cream sheet 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!
Details About This Cookies & Cream Sheet Cake
- Flavor: All Oreo! If you love vanilla cake, whipped frosting, and Oreo cookies, you will ADORE this cookies & cream sheet 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 all—instead, 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 cakes—no 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 next.
Video Tutorial
Cookies & Cream Cake: What Works & What Doesn’t
This vanilla cake batter and this reverse-creamed vanilla cake batter proved to be too heavy and thick for the Oreo cookie pieces—both 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 4–5 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 frosting—and both are quite sweet. I wanted something different today, so I turned to my creamy, fluffy, thick whipped cream 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!
Making whipped cream frosting is very easy. Let me review it with you:
- Beat softened block-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 2 9-inch round pans or 3 8-inch round pans. See recipe note for details. The frosting yields enough for filling and frosting a 2- or 3-layer cake.
Print
Cookies & Cream Sheet Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 12 1x
- 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 don’t recommend making substitutions.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (285g) cake flour (spoon & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks; 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) block full-fat 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 350°F (177°C). Generously grease a 9×13-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. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber 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 32–35 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 hand-held mixer 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 1–2 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 cake—it 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 cake 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.
- 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 more information.
- Oreos/Cookies: Use the entire sandwich cookie including the cream filling. You need about 10 for the cake and 8 for the frosting. Chop them up with a knife or break apart into small pieces. It’s best to use regular, not Double Stuf, for the cake. I found the more cream filling, the sweeter and greasier the cake tasted, so stick with regular. Double Stuf would be fine for the frosting.
- Cream Cheese: Use 3/4 of an 8-ounce block of full-fat cream cheese. (6 ounces or about 170g.) Do not use cream cheese spread or whipped cream cheese.
- Layer Cake: Divide the batter between 2 9-inch round pans or 3 8-inch round pans. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for around 24–26 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 4–5 cups of frosting.
Keywords: cookies & cream cake, oreo cake
Reader Questions and Reviews
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Can I make a layered and sculpted cake with this? I have a request for a ‘cookies and cream’ doll/dress cake, so I will be carving it into a dome/skirt.
Hi Kelly, We have not ever tried carving this cake before but let us know if you try!
Hi Sally, how do I make it into 3 layer 9 inch cake for both the cake batter and frosting? Totally making this for my husband’s birthday! Thanks xx
Hi Liz, See recipe note 5 for making this as a layer cake. Enjoy!
I made these as cupcakes (but using the full recipe so I can take them to a gathering), and they are so delicious! The cake is lovely and light and the frosting is so good. Doesn’t leave you with that overly sweet buttercream feeling, but is just the right amount of sweet. My 10 year old requested them for his birthday next month!
★★★★★
How many cupcakes were you able to get from this recipe ?
About 3 dozen. See recipe notes for more cupcake details!
Any idea whether I could use Bob’s GF 1-to-1 flour instead of regular cake flour? I have to bake for a crowd and I know some are GF.
Hi Veronica, we haven’t tested this recipe with GF flour but let us know if you do!
Hello Sally, good evening!
I want to know if it is possible to “use” (put) this recipe in a bundt cake pan instead of a sheet pan.
I look forward to your reply.
Best regards.
This batter will fit into a Bundt pan. We haven’t tested it so we’re unsure of the bake time needed. We’d bake it at 350. Let us know how it turns out for you!
I doubled the recipe to make a construction site cake for my grandson Elliott’s 2nd birthday. One cake was left whole and one was cut up. Used Favorite Chocolate Buttercream icing as we needed “dirt” color. We had a lot of fun decorating and the cake was a big hit!
★★★★★
Hi. This looks delicious. Can I do the DIY version of cake flour for this cake or would it affect the taste ? Thank you
Hi Vandana, Yes you can use this cake flour substitute if needed. Let us know if you give it a try!
I made this for my son’s birthday and it was incredible! The cake, the oreos, the frosting…perfection! Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
I made this recipe yesterday (as a 3 layer cake, not a sheet cake) and it is perfect! The cake is moist, flavorful, and the chopped Oreos add a nice little crunch. For the whipped cream frosting I put the Oreos in a food processor because I didn’t want to separate the cream for decorating and it didn’t get stuck in the piping bag. A wonderful and easy recipe I can’t wait to make again!
★★★★★
I would give this 10 stars if I could. I have a Cookies & Cream lover in my family, and he came home from college this weekend and I made it for his birthday. We all loved it. The cake is light and fluffy and the frosting is the least sweet frosting I have ever made. In fact, our other adult son isn’t a cake person (too sweet) and he really loved this. We served it with a side of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. Thanks for another winner, Sally!
★★★★★
Can’t wait to try this one for my daughter’s birthday! Would this recipe cover with fondant well?
Hi Cherie, We don’t typically decorate with fondant, but this cake should hold up just fine under it. Enjoy!
Just another fantastic recipe from Sally! I made this as directed for a birthday party. Then made the same recipe into mini cupcakes – delish!!! I love how light this cake is. And the whipped cream frosting is a nice change from standard buttercream. This is a keeper for sure.
Hi Sally! I love all your recipes…I’ve not made this before but I trust it bc all the recipes I’ve tried from you in the past have been incredible. I’m making this for my daughter’s bday. Silly question coming…can I substitute monk fruit for the sugar do you think? Thanks!
Hi Yaela! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Hi Sally. Can this cake be baked in a glass dish?
Hi Sandra, absolutely! Bake time may be just a few minutes longer.
EVERYONE of your recipes I have tried turns out FANTASTIC. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I usually follow your recipes to the T and love them. However, I have not got all the ingredients for this one and need to bake it today! Please can you let me know if I can make the following substitutes?
1. Use 5 medium egg whites instead of 4 large
2. Use All purpose flour (I don’t have cornstarch handy either)
3. Use buttermilk + a little extra butter or use just plain yogurt, instead of sour cream
Also, will it make a difference if I remove the filling from the cookies for the cake? I am afraid it may be too sweet as I am planning to make a buttercream icing instead of the cream cheese one.
I am trying to bake in 2 x 8″ square cake tins.
Thank you very much!
Hi Priya, we may be too late in replying, so sorry! We generally don’t recommend making that many substitutions. If you are missing that many ingredients, you may want to look for a different recipe altogether. We have lots of cookies and cream recipes on the site to choose from–happy baking!