Oreo Layer Cake from Forever Baking

Just the right amount of wow factor for a special occasion and who doesn't love Oreos?

This bake is by Emma Richards from the blog Forever Baking, one of our favourite places to go for the trend-led, tasty recipes! Emma says this one is "delicious and not as sweet as it looks.".

Oreo Layer Cake

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Chocolate Cake:

• 100g plain flour
• 40g cocoa
• 200g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 60ml buttermilk
• 60ml vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 60ml hot water
• 10 quartered Oreos

For the Vanilla Cake:

• 180g plain flour
• 200g granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 110g butter, chopped into 1″ cubes
• 2 eggs
• 120ml milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 quartered Oreos
• For the Oreo Filling:
• 230g softened cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 200g icing sugar
• 480g double cream

Garnish:

• Crumbled Oreos (about 10)
• Halved Oreos
• Chocolate ganache
• Star piping tip
• Chocolate Ganache:
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 160ml double cream
• 225g dark chocolate chips/dark chocolate broken into small pieces

Method

Chocolate Cake: 

• Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line two 8″ cake pans.
• In a stand or electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and mix until combined.
• Add the two eggs and mix.
• While the mixer is beating, slowly add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla.
• Then add the hot water slowly.
• Once the batter is combined, add quartered Oreo’s and gently stir using a wooed spoon or spatula until the Oreos are evenly dispersed.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Allow to sit on a wire rack before removing from pan and allow to cool completely.

Vanilla cake:

• In a stand or electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
• While mixer is turning, add the cubes of butter one at a time and mix until the butter has broken up into tiny pieces and the mixture resembles sand.
• Add eggs and continue to mix.
• While mixer is turning, slowly add milk and vanilla.
• Mix until batter is smooth. Once batter is combined, add quartered Oreo’s and stir a couple of times, being careful not to break up the Oreo’s.
• Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.   Allow to sit on a wire rack before removing from pan and allow to cool completely.
• While cakes are cooling, prepare filling. In a stand or electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the double cream until stiff peaks form.

Filling and Icing:

• Set aside in the fridge.  In a clean bowl switch to a paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese until soft.
• Add the icing sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth.
• Next add the whipped double  cream to the cream cheese mixture, and mix until smooth.
• Ensure that both cake layers are even and level by trimming the tops if they are domed. Place the chocolate cake on a cake board and smooth about 100g of filling onto it in an even layer.
• Next place the vanilla cake layer on top and repeat with another thin layer of filling (crumb coat).
• At this point, I  place the cake in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes, which helps to set the icing. Then once removed from the freezer apply a second coat to the cake with the filling.  Place remaining filling into a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip and place in the fridge for later.
• Chop up about 10 Oreos or more if needed and place around the bottom of the cake.
• To prepare the chocolate ganache heat the double cream in the microwave for about 1 minute. Then while the cream is still hot add the butter and chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate and leave for another minute.
• Then start to stir the cream with the chocolate. It may look like the cream and chocolate has split but keep going until you have a thick dark ganache
• Using a spoon pour the chocolate ganache onto the edge of cake, a small amount at a time.
• Place some crumbled Oreos in the centre of the cake, and using remaining cream cheese filling, pipe large open stars in a circle.  Place a half Oreo between every star.