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Over the weekend, we celebrated with a family birthday party. The birthday boy got to pick the dinner menu which consisted of grilled pork chops, mushroom risotto, and grilled asparagus. I got to pick the birthday cake and ending up choosing a decadent Oreo Cake.
Clearly I was not on top of my game, because when I preheated the oven to start the Oreo Cake recipe, I realized that I was out of cocoa powder, so I had to improvise because time did not permit a trip to the market for more cocoa powder. I did, however, have a box of Devil’s Food Cake in the pantry, so I went with it. After assessing my refrigerator, I decided to doctor up the cake mix to create a rich, moist and delicious Oreo Cake recipe.
Doctoring up cake mixes is not something that I do often, but it’s not something I’m totally against either. Personally I have had some pretty fabulous results from some boxed mixes and this Oreo Cake is no exception. It is truly one of the most moist, chocolaty cakes that I have ever made and the addition of the Oreo buttercream may seriously make you weak in the knees. I jazzed up the top of the cake with a little ganache which certainly added more chocolaty goodness to an already amazing cake. The scrumptious Oreo Cake is perfect for an upcoming holiday, yet simple enough for every day.
Oreo Cake
Ingredients:
For the Cake
- 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix {with or without pudding}
- 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
For the Oreo Buttercream
- 1 stick salted butter – room temperature
- 1 stick unsalted butter – room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 pounds confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)
- 3-4 tablespoons very cold milk
- 25 Oreo cookies chopped
Directions:
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottoms of (2) 9 inch round cake pans with parchment and grease pans thoroughly.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mix, salt vanilla, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and divide batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating pans half way through baking the baking time. Bake until the top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake for at least 30 minutes before inverting. Allow cake to cool completely on wire rack.
For the Oreo Buttercream
- Cream the butters in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract and combine well.
- Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk… one tablespoon at a time, combining well after each addition until you reach the desired consistency.
- Fold in chopped Oreo Cookies and frost your cooled cake layers.
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My boyfriend is still talking about this cake i made him for his birthday! He was in love with his cake (he’s obsessed with oreos, so this was perfect for him). I’ve decided to make this in capcakes this time for my superbowl party! Excited to see my friends reaction! im sure that they will be a hit! Thank you again!
How did the cupcakes turn out? I’m thinking of making it into cupcakes for my husband’ birthday as well. Did you adjust anything to make them?
The recipe calls for 1 1/2 pounds of confectioners sugar. How many cups does that come out to? Looks great can’t wait to make it. Just want to be sure it comes out right!
If the cake mix already has pudding in it do I still need to add the additional instant pudding to the recipe?
RP-
Yes, you will still add the dry pudding mix. Thanks for stopping by!
Jamie
This sounds heavenly! Question for you….
You say to line pans with parchment paper and to grease.
Do I line just the bottom of pan by cutting parchment paper to fit and grease sides? Or grease then put cut parchment paper on bottom?
Sorry to ask such a silly question…
Thanks!!
carrie
Carrie-
It’s not a silly question, no worries. Line the bottom of the pan with the paper and grease the sides. You won’t need to grease under the paper. Thanks so much!
-Jamie
Hi. I’m making your recipe right now. It says the box is 18.25 oz. But the boxes in the grocery story that I picked up which are pretty standard say 15.25 oz. Was this a mistake or should I measure out 3 more ounces? Thank you.
Hi Jessica,
This recipe was written before cake mix makers started making their mixes smaller. The basics of the recipe (bar the chocolate chips) are pretty similar to my other “doctored up” cake mix posts, so check this one out – https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/cake-mix-recipe/. That should help you adjust this recipe to your needs. The frosting will stay the same.
– Jamie
what is ganache and where do I find it in the grocery store? Can’t wait to make this cake for a holiday party I am having this Friday. I’ll let you know.
Linda, Ganache is a glaze made from chocolate and cream. You can’t typically buy ganache because of the heavy cream it calls for.
– Jamie
I made this cake for my boyfriends birthday on Dec 5 and he absolutely loved it!!!! The cake was so decadent and rich. The buttercream was delicious! However, this might have been a mistakeo n my part but after frosting my cake, I put it in the refrigerater and took it out in the morning to find that the buttercream was stiff. I dont know why that was. Did i do something wrong? Did i whip the buttercream to much? When I let the cake sit out on the table for a while it started to soften up a bit but its not as creamy as i thought it would be. Please let me know what i did wrong!
All in all, I found this really easy to make and one of the best cakes that i have made so far! Thank you for this recipe! I will be making this again. maybe in cupcakes next time! YUM YUM!!
Ashley-
That’s wonderful to hear! I’m so happy that it was a success. When you put the buttercream in the fridge, the butter just hardens up…you didn’t do anything wrong! Happy holidays and thanks for following MBA!
-Jamie
Hi Jamie,
This recipe is a hit! I have to try it this weekend!
By the way, I never use pudding mix for cake batter before.
What’s the advantage using pudding mix?
Fira, the pudding mix makes the cake even more moist.
– Jamie
This is probably a stupid question, but should I keep this refrigerated? It looks great!
Janie, you should definitely refrigerate this cake after a couple of hours, and keep it in the fridge between servings.
– Jamie
This cake was amazing!!!!! My husband said it blew his mind with how much it tasted like a giant Oreo and not just flavored with oreo!!! It was so moist and delicious!!
Nicole,
That’s so nice to hear! I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the recipe! Have a fantastic day and thank you for following MBA!
Jamie