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, 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 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 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 2 9-inch round pans or 3 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.
PrintCookies & Cream Sheet 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 don’t recommend making substitutions.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (285g) cake flour (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 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 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 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.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Cake Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Small Offset Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | 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 more 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 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.
This cake and frosting are absolute PERFECTION in flavor and texture!! I am visiting my bff and made this for her and her family. We all just loved it! Funny story that I used her liquid measuring cup that she’d bought from the Dollar Tree and I poured the milk into it, setting it off to the side to come to room temp. A while later, I realized the darn cup was leaking so I transferred the milk to a mug and added a little bit more to make up for what had leaked. When it came time to add the milk to the batter, I have this ridiculous inability to pour things without a proper spout so the milk started leaking everywhere (yet again!) so I poured a little extra into the batter then poured the milk from the mug into a 1 cup measuring cup, only to realize that the amount of milk (from the stupid Dollar Tree measuring cup that was supposed to be 3/4 cup measured almost all the way to the top of the 1 cup measuring cup, which meant both my milk measurement and my egg white measurements were off. Lol! So the fact that the cake still turned out AMAZING is clearly an act of God. 🙂
This cake is absolutely delicious. I’ve used the white cake recipe in a few other things and it’s a hit every single time – tender, delicious, and never dries out. The addition of Oreos is genius. I’m not a big frosting person but this whipped frosting is light and not too sweet. Plus you can’t beat the ease of a sheet cake!
I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. I delivered a few pieces to neighbors and and one texted me, “Really light sponge. Have you been watching The Great British Baking Show? LOL” Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Hi Sally! Do you think it would be ok to use your “very vanilla cupcakes” with the oreos included as well?
Definitely!
Came here just for the frosting (to top Sallys favorite chocolate cupcakes) and it came out beautifully and tastes good but it tastes 100% like cream cheese frosting- no hiding the cream cheese taste.
Just made this cake today exactly as written for my Oreo-loving son’s 15th birthday and everyone absolutely loved it!! Amazing recipe.
Is it possible to make this cake with double layers rather than as a sheet cake? I making this for my daughter’s birthday, and she loves the look of a two layer cake. Would I need to increase the amount of icing?
Hi Lyn! See the section of the post just above the recipe with the heading “Can I Make This as a Layer Cake?” – hope your daughter loves it!
Hi Sally,
My son wants to make this for his birthday :-). But we live in Switzerland and can only get the smooth Philadelphia cream cheese in a tub. How can I make this frosting with it? Thanks for any tips (I encounter this problem often … )!
Hi Meg, In the U.S. block cream cheese is very different than the tubs and is the only cream cheese that will work. However, we have been told by readers outside the U.S. that cream cheese in a tub is different from ours and can work, but we have not tested it. Please let us know if you try!
I’m definitely not an expert baker and this cake turned out great!
Note you definitely need an electric mixer for the frosting.
Hi Sally,
How do you think this cake would taste with a chocolate cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream frosting? I want to make this cake for my sons “construction” theme birthday which I plan to use Oreos for the decoration on top. I want the frosting to be brown/black and know white frosting is harder to color so I was thinking about making a chocolate frosting. Do you think it would be to rich?
Thanks!
Hi Jillian! Either of those would be a perfect compliment to this cookies and cream cake. Let us know how it goes!
Hi! I would like to use the whipped cream frosting (without Oreos) to go with the coconut cake recipe. It is hot where I live so I’m wondering if it is possible to stabilise it with gelatin? Usual cream cheese frosting usually turns watery before serving 🙁
Hi Melissa, we haven’t added gelatin in our testing, but you can certainly feel free to do so if you’d like. We’re unsure of the best amount. Let us know what you try!
I’ve made this a few times and it is incredible. The icing is my favourite part – not too sweet and so light. I’ve been a big fan of your recipes for a long time and this one is no exception!
This was delicious! The cake was light and airy, had amazing flavor, and was so easy to throw to together. Annnnd that frosting was a perfect match. Non of my guests knew there was cream cheese in the frosting. Overall, this cake was a great ending to a heavy dinner, airy cake and not overly sweet frosting.
Hi Sally, I noticed you didn’t take the cake out of the pan. (I’ve never made a layer cake before, so I don’t know if that is simply how you frost it.) Should I frost the cake in the pan?
Thank you!
Hi Sarah! I usually serve sheet cakes right out of the baking pan, so I frost it in the pan. Feel free to carefully remove the cooled cake before frosting.
I’ve been doing your recipes for over a year and each one is like a miracle. The oreo cookies and cream cake is no exception! I made it today. I made two 8-inch and one 6-inch cake. One is for my neighbor, one is for me (and guests), and the 6-inch I’m halving and leaving one-half frosting free for a friend who doesn’t eat frosting (hard to fathom!). Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes from someone who is just now understanding the joy of baking and who baked my first pie ever last week with your coconut cream pie recipe. (I studied your pie crust recipes for a week before venturing my hand at pies.)
We’re so thrilled to hear that this pie was a hit for you, Gail!
As I said in my email of November 11, this cake is outstanding! It’s now November 16 and I’m freezing the leftovers along with unused frosting. I’m wondering if it’s ok to freeze the extra frosting in a separate wrapping along with the cake. Thanks for any advice, Gail
Hi Gail, you can freeze the leftover frosting. After thawing, bring to room temperature because it will be quite stiff. You could even beat in 1-2 Tablespoons of cold heavy cream to loosen it up if it’s too stiff.
Cant wait to make this for my brothers birthday he loves all things oreos!
Hello Sally, I just made this cake and the cake part turned out great, but the frosting is runny! Maybe my heavy cream wasnt cold enough.. its for tomorrow so I have time to make an alternative frosting, would you recommend (as in what would combine best with this cake), vanilla buttercream, or the cream cheese frosting from the lemon blueberry cake? (Ive made it several times and it always turns out great). Folding in the oreos of course. Thank you!
Hi Beatriz! We recommend the vanilla buttercream with Oreos folded in. Hope it’s a hit!
Hello Sally, this cake was delicious. I made this for a coworkers birthday and she loved it. I love all your cream cheese frosting recipes but, I have to say this frosting was amazing and I would use it for other cakes without the Oreos. Also I came across a vintage recipe for a Cherry Chip cake but, it used a cake mix. I was wondering if you could come up with a recipe using your white cake recipe.
I just made this and the frosting is reeeeally runny. I added more and more powdered sugar, but that didn’t help. I don’t need to frost the cake until tomorrow. Any ideas?! Thanks – the frosting is yummy and the cake came out well, so I am really hopung to salvage this.
Hi Alison, you can try sticking the frosting mixture in the refrigerator for a while before continuing. As you mention, adding more confectioners’ sugar should help to thicken things up. Always make sure you’re starting with room temperature cream cheese, too. Hope this helps!
Hiii Sally
Thank you for another beautiful recipe..
I was just wondering can this cake be halved for a single 8inch round cake without the texture being altered??
Hi Jazz, halving this cake for one 8 inch round pan should work just fine. Fill your pan half way and use any leftover batter for a few cupcakes. Hope you enjoy it!
Fantastic recipe – made it for a party and everyone loved it. Multiplied all ingredients by 1.5 and baked it in a 11″ x 15″ sheet pan. Was a little thinner than it could have been (will probably multiply by 1.75 next time) and cooked in about 25 minutes. Really moist cake, and the frosting was sweet without being overly sweet. Will definitely make again.
Hi,
would this recipe be good for a layered cake? ANd Sally thank you so much for all the delicious recipes!!!!
Thanks!
Hi Klailea, absolutely — see recipe notes for details on making a layered cake.
Hello! Something I have wondered but haven’t tried, I don’t have sour cream but I do have heavy cream and non fat yogurt. I was thinking that I could use the yogurt instead of sour cream and replace a quarter of the whole milk with heavy cream to provide some extra fat. Any thoughts? I don’t want to replace any of the mass the yogurt takes up but thought I’d shift the fat to come from the milk. I don’t know. Curious minds would like to know if I’m completely off target in my assumption this might keep the cake light.
Hi Kelly, Sour cream really is best here, but you could definitely use plain non fat yogurt instead. Of course, you will lose a little richness and moisture, but it shouldn’t be much. We haven’t tested adding some fat back into the cake with heavy cream, but that shouldn’t be a huge issue. Only use a small amount of heavy cream to replace the same small amount of milk. Heavy cream is very thick, so you don’t want too much in the batter.
Love your recipes. Do you think this could work with chocolate chip cookies (Tate’s) instead of Oreos? Thanks.
Hi Joanna, We haven’t tried this recipe with chocolate chip cookies, but let us know how it turns out if you do!
Would this cake work in a half-sheet pan with the ingredients scaled up to match the larger area, or would it rise too much for the 1-inch lip of a sheet pan?
Hi Laura, this cake pan sizes and conversions guide should be helpful for scaling this recipe for different pan sizes. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Hi Sally!
In your recipe when you mention to beat the egg whites on high speed for 2 minutes, what number are you using on a kitchen aid stand mixer? 6 or 8?
Hi Jessica, we usually use 8. Happy baking!
I made this cake for a birthday party. The cake turned out amazing and everyone loved it. Even my boyfriend, who usually doesn’t like Oreos, LOVED the cake! But sadly, the frosting didn’t turn out. I followed the instructions and tips, but it didn’t form stiff peaks and was too running. I made a vanilla buttercream instead and folded in crushed Oreos. Still delicious. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Hi Sally, this cake sound like the perfect cake for my daughter’s birthday. We don’t have cake flour or block cream cheese in UK. Can I use the flour+cornflour substitution to make cake flour? What can I use instead of block cream cheese please? ( I tried the cream cheese tubs before in icing recipes and it didn’t work. Thank you! Xx
Hi Rania,
I live in Suffolk and have access to cream cheese and cake flour. I can drop them to you if you’re nearby!
Hi Elizabeth
That is so nice of you I live in Dorset, not close to you. From where do you buy them please? I can only find the cream cheese tubs which is much creamier than the block ,so the icing doesn’t hold at all.
I also live in the UK. I make cream cheese frosting with a different method, (I use the same ingredient list apart from less icing sugar as they’re all too sweet for me). Firstly make traditional vanilla buttercream. And then add or rather whisk in cold (full fat or light) Philadelphia cream cheese at the end until combined. Make sure you clean the whiskers too, as cream cheese gets stuck on them. I get vanilla buttercream style with the tang and creaminess of cream cheese, it’s a beautiful thing! I have also adapted a chocolate buttercream (with cocoa only, no melted chocolate) to include cream cheese too for reference too 🙂 As for the cake flour, I personally prefer replacing plain flour gram for gram as I find the light texture weird (I grew up on Vicotoria sponge density lol) But! Using the plain flour and cornflour sub, full fat sour cream and skimmed or semi skimmed milk (what I stock) did give me the texture that I beleive the original should of tasted like. Hope that helps!
Hey Sally, my husband won’t eat cream cheese icing. What can I do to change this?
Hi Rachel, you could use regular whipped cream or even our vanilla buttercream for topping, folding the crushed Oreos into either. (However, you can’t taste the cream cheese in this whipped topping!)
I have a friend who hates cream cheese frosting because of the tang. I use this recipe specifically for him bc he says the HWC cuts it down. I try to limit my cream cheese usage to pumpkin or carrot cakes. They’re already heavily spiced, which works with the tang, too. There are thousands of buttercream recipes. Maybe you could find one you both like instead of a cream cheese-based frosting?
Hi Sally
What a fun recipe and really delicious. I’m wondering if you could help me figure out why mine seems “greasy” I know it’s not possible but it’s almost too moist lol
I weighed my ingredients so I’m not sure if that’s a factor. Do you grease and flour your pan?
Sadly my whip cream/ cream didn’t whip up enough to use as a frosting so we are just pouring it on the slices.
Thank you
Robyn
Hi Robyn! To grease our cake pans, we generously spray with non stick spray (like pam). We find the greasing with solid fats (like butter or shortening) can be a bit too heavy. You can read more about making whipped cream (with lots of tips and tricks) in this post. Thank you so much for giving this cake a try!
Hi sally,
If I use a cookie sheet to bake the cake would it be able to make two
Thanks, Harper
P.S happy thanksgiving