Cookies and cream cake combines a moist white cake with the irresistible taste of chocolate sandwich cookies. With a chocolate cookie crust, fluffy vanilla cake and a frosting that tastes like the filling in Oreo cookies. You'll love how quickly this easy recipe comes together. Perfect as a birthday cake or for any celebration!
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If I have learned anything over my 25+ years of baking, it's that people love the cookies and cream flavor! AKA Oreos, chocolate sandwich cookies or Joe-Joe's. From cookie bars to donuts, cookies and cinnamon rolls, it's a flavor my family can't get enough of.
This simple snack cake recipe takes a fluffy and moist vanilla cake and stuffs it with chocolate sandwich cookie pieces. The frosting is like the one on top of my Oreo pound cake. It tastes like the filling in Oreo cookies!
My recipe is different than many others. The ultimate cookies and cream cake sits on top of a cookie crust similar to the graham crust in my banoffee cake. This gives another layer of cookies and cream flavor. Easy to make {hello one layer cake!} and yet impressive enough that people will think you worked much harder than you did to make it!
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🛒 ingredient notes
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
- Chocolate sandwich cookies ~ use your favorite brand, whether it's Oreos, Back to Nature, Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's or your favorite store brand. Each brand can have a slightly different weight and being off a few grams won't make a big difference in this recipe. As long as the cookies are standard size, use the number of cookies listed.
- Sugars ~ granulated sugar is used in the vanilla cake and it's a little less than a traditional cake. When I tested with more sugar, the cake was too sweet with the addition of the cookies and frosting. Confectioners' sugar, aka powdered or icing sugar is used in the frosting. I don't sift mine, but if you want a super smooth frosting you can.
- Milk, eggs and sour cream ~ you will get the best moist and tender cake texture if these ingredients are at room temperature. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, pull them out 1 - 2 hours prior to baking the cake. Full fat sour cream will give the best results. I use 1% milk, but 2% or whole milk will also work.
🍰 how to make this easy cake recipe
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
For the chocolate cookie crust: Crush the chocolate sandwich cookies into fine crumbs in a food processor or in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin. Then add the melted butter and mix until well combined.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment {or using a hand-held mixer}, cream together the unsalted butter, granulated sugar and kosher salt. Cream until light, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl at least once during the creaming process.
Scrape up and down the bowl and add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after the first egg and add the vanilla with the second egg, mixing until combined, about 1-2 minutes.
Now scrape the bowl again and add the sour cream, baking powder and baking soda and mix on medium until combined about 30-60 seconds. The mixture can look a little curdled at this point, but don't let it worry you.
With the mixer on low slowly add the flour and mix until some large streaks of flour remain. Scrape up and down the bowl.
Then with the mixer on low, slowly drizzle in the milk mixing until the batter just comes together. Use a spatula to do a final stir while you fold in the chopped/broken chocolate sandwich cookies.
Press the cookie crust firmly into the bottom of a parchment lined 8x8 baking pan.
Pour/spread the batter over the cookie crust and place the cake in the preheated oven.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack. Once the cake is cool, use the parchment to remove the cake from the pan.
👩🏻🍳 how to make an Oreo filling frosting
Combine the confectioners' sugar with the melted butter, vanilla extract and whipping cream in a mixing bowl with a stand mixer or handheld mixer.
Start on low and once combined, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until it reaches a thick fluffy frosting.
Now fold in 3 - 4 crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies, if desired. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and serve.
💬 questions about this homemade cake
can I bake this cake in a different pan?
Yes, a 9-inch round cake pan can be used with no changes to the recipe.
The cake recipe can also be doubled and baked as a 9x13 sheet pan. The bake time should be similar.
can I make this sheet cake a layer cake?
Yes, double the recipe and split the batter between two 9-inch round cake pans. I would use the Oreo filling frosting in between the layers and then cover and decorate with a chocolate buttercream or vanilla buttercream.
🫙 how to store
Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
The cookies and cream cake can be frozen with the frosting for up to 2 months. You can either chill the cake well; then wrap the whole thing tightly in a double layer in plastic wrap. Or cut the cake into individual slices and chill; then wrap each slice tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Allow to defrost at room temperature before serving.
This cookies and cream cake tastes best at room temperature.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make this Cookies and Cream Cake. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
📖 recipe
Fluffy Cookies and Cream Cake
recipe created and tested by:
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Ingredients
cookie crust
- 20 chocolate sandwich cookies crushed to fine crumbs (260g)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted (57g)
cookies and cream cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150g
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 5mL
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream room temperature (60g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 188g
- ½ cup milk* room temperature (120mL)
- 5 whole chocolate sandwich cookies chopped (65g)
vanilla cream frosting
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar 240g
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (57g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream*** 30mL
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8** baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
chocolate cookie crust
- Crush the chocolate sandwich cookies (20 cookies/260g) into fine crumbs in a food processor or in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin. Then add the melted butter (¼ cup/57g) and mix until well combined. Press firmly into the bottom of a parchment lined 8x8 baking pan and set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or using a hand-held mixer), cream together the unsalted butter (½ cup/113g), granulated sugar (¾ cup/150g) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon). Start on low and once incorporated increase to medium-high (6 on a KitchenAid) and cream until light, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl at least once during the creaming process.
- Scrape up and down the bowl and add the eggs one at a time (2 large total), scraping the bowl after the first egg and add the vanilla (1 teaspoon) with the second egg, mixing on medium-high until combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Scrape the bowl again and add the sour cream (¼ cup/60g), baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons) and baking soda (¼ teaspoon) and mix on medium (speed 4 on KitchenAid) until combined about 30-60 seconds. The mixture can look a little curdled at this point, but don't let it worry you.
- With the mixer on low (stir on KitchenAid) slowly add the flour (1 ½ cups/188g) and mix until some large streaks of flour remain. Scrape up and down the bowl.
- Then with the mixer on low, slowly drizzle in the milk (½ cup/120mL) mixing until the batter just comes together. Use a spatula to do a final stir while you fold in the chopped/broken chocolate sandwich cookies (5 whole cookies/65g).
- Pour/spread the batter over the cookie crust and place the cake in the preheated oven.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack.
- Once the cake is cool, use the parchment to remove the cake from the pan.
vanilla cream frosting
- Combine the confectioners' sugar (2 cups/240g) with the melted butter (4 tablespoons/57g), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) and whipping cream (2 tablespoons) in a mixing bowl with a stand mixer or handheld mixer. Start on low and once combined, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until it reaches a thick fluffy frosting. Fold in 3 - 4 crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies, if desired.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
Michelle says
Wanted to make a snacking cake for the boys since it's Spring Break and this fit the bill! Baked it in a 9" by 13" pan and made it a sheet cake. The cake is actually fluffy and lightened up, despite it being cookies and cream, which can be really rich and heavy.
Tasia says
Happy to hear you love this cake Michelle! My family absolutely adores this one too!
Samantha says
My cakes (I made 2) came out sunken and moist in the center. I tried baking them again longer & with foil, but same result. What did I do wrong?
Tasia says
Hi Samantha, let's see if we can figure out what happened. The list of things that can cause a cake to sink is quite long. Your first inclination was a good one - maybe the cake was underbaked, which will cause it to sink when cooling. Do you use an oven thermometer to know the oven is at the correct temperature? If the oven is too hot, it will make the cake rise quickly and then sink during the rest of the baking time. Are your baking powder and soda fresh and active? Was your butter over softened? Room temperature butter should still be cool to the touch and will be slightly soft if pressed with your finger; it should not be greasy and allow a finger to sink into it. Were your eggs, sour cream and milk at room temperature? Is it possible that you over mixed the ingredients? Are you at a higher altitude? Finally, did you bake in a light colored aluminum pan or glass? I'm happy to help you troubleshoot this!
Bryanna says
Do I double the recipe to make it in a 9x13 pan?
Tasia says
Yes, I just baked this cake today for a party! Watch the baking time, as it might need a few extra minutes. Happy baking!