Cookies and Cream Sheet Cake

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 via sour cream. Sour cream keeps the cake light, but adds unbeatable moisture.
• Ease: Sheet cakes are notoriously 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.

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, 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 notoriously sweet. I wanted something different today, so I turned whipped cream into a creamy, fluffy, thick frosting. It’s made with cream cheese, but you absolutely cannot taste it. 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:

1. Beat softened cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract together until completely smooth. (Below left.)
2. As the mixer is running, slowly pour in cold heavy cream.
3. 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.

Cookies & Cream Sheet Cake

★★★★★ 4.9 from 9 reviews

• Author: Sally
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 4 hours
• Yield: serves 12
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This is soft and buttery white cake filled with cream-filled sandwich (Oreo!) cookies. Top with light and fluffy whipped cream frosting. Each ingredient serves a purpose so for best results, I don’t recommend making substitutions.

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Ingredients

• 2 and 1/2 cups (263g) sifted 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 (regular, about 12)*

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 (regular or Double Stuf, about 8-10)*
• optional: mini or regular Oreos for garnish

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Instructions

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Generously grease a 9×13 inch cake pan.
2. Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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Notes

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Oreos/Cookies: Use the entire sandwich cookie including the cream filling. You need about 12 for the cake and 8-10 for the frosting. Chop them up with a knife or break apart into small 1/2 inch pieces. It’s best to use regular, not Double Stuf. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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