Layered vegan Oreo cookies and cream cake, just like how you remember it! Layers of vanilla sponge packed with Oreo or chocolate cookies, decorated with an American-style buttercream and chocolate ganache.
This cake is incredibly fluffy and is deceptively easy to make. It's perfect for birthdays, celebrations or when you just want something extra special.
Ingredients for the vegan Oreo cake
This recipe is basically a regular vanilla cake with Oreo cookies! You will need:
All-purpose plain flour which is the lightest and fluffiest out of common flours. This is a nostalgic cake, so let's do it properly!
Granulated sugar a light colored sugar which doesn't blend in with the dark color of the Oreos/chocolate cookies.
Vegan butter and a liquid oil. The butter provides a classic flavor but oil helps keep the cake moist!
Plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar. Combining these ingredients makes buttermilk. This helps tenderize the flour which creates a more delicate cake crumb. Yum!
Baking powder and soda. I used double baking agents in this sponge cakes because I want it to be extra fluffy (and approved by non-vegans). Since it's an eggless Oreo cake, you need to add extra raising agents.
Vanilla because it adds the extra fragrant and homely factor in any cake recipe.
A complete list of ingredients, quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to prepare the Oreo cake batter
What I love about this recipe is that the cake batter comes together in ONE BOWL.
First, add all your dry ingredients (except the Oreo cookies) to a large mixing bowl and mix until combined. Add your wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Add your crushed Oreo cookies and fold through!
Evenly divide the cake batter into 3 cake tins then bake!
Tips for baking the cake
I bake my cake layers at 160°C (320°F) because a lower temperature helps create flatter cake layers which is essential for layer cakes!
To make your cake layers extra flat, I'd recommend wrapping the cake tins with cake strips. Alternatively, you can make your own using Youtube tutorials.
Making Oreo buttercream frosting
The Oreo buttercream frosting is absolutely divine! Just imagine cookies and cream ice cream but in a sweet creamy frosting!
First, you'll need to make your vanilla buttercream the classic way. This involves whipping the room temperature butter until it's pale and fluffy. Adding the powdered sugar and whipping it for another few minutes.
Crush up your Oreo cookies finely. The key is to make sure your cookies aren't too fine that they are only crumbs. But not too rough that it's impossible to pipe with! Add the cookies to your frosting and fold the mixture until combined.
Decorating the vegan Oreo cake
I decorated my cake with extra vanilla frosting, a ganache drip and crushed cookies. However, you can also decorate your cake with:
- Whole Oreo cookies
- Chocolate shards
- Chocolate fudge sauce
More epic vegan cakes
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Vegan Oreo Cookies and Cream Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 200g oreos, or vegan-friendly chocolate cookies
- 3 ½ cups (440g) all-purpose plain flour
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of any good-quality salt
Wet ingredients
- 2 cups (500g) dairy-free milk,
- ¾ cup (165g) melted vegan butter
- ¼ cup (65g) neutral flavored oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- 150g oreos, or vegan-friendly chocolate cookies
- 1 ½ cups (340g) vegan butter, chilled
- 4 - 6 cups (400-600g) powdered sugar / icing sugar, to taste (use more for a firmer frosting)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Ganache Drip (optional)
- ½ cup (50g) roughly chopped vegan chocolate or chocolate chips
- ¼ cup (60g) thick scoopable canned coconut cream
To decorate (optional)
- 50g oreos, or vegan-friendly chocolate cookies, crumbled
- extra vegan chocolate, optional
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Line 3x20 cm (8 inch) cake pans with with baking paper or brush with oil.
- Break the chocolate cookies into large crumbs with your hands and set aside.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Mix until there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix until combined. Add the cookie crumbs to the cake batter and gently mix until combined.
- Evenly divide the cake batter into the 3 cake tins. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer can be inserted into each cake and it comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 20 minutes then place them on a wire rack.
To make the frosting:
- Add the cookies to a food processor. Process until the cookies form fine crumbs.
- Add the vegan butter to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Alternatively, add the butter to a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer. Beat on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until the butter has increased in size and turned pale yellow or white.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla to the mixer or bowl. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds or until the sugar is fully incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
- Add the cookie crumbs to the buttercream and mix gently.
To make the ganache:
- Add both ingredients to a small saucepan over low heat. Heat for 5-10 minutes until the chocolate has melted and combined with the coconut cream. Stir until combined and set aside to cool.
To assemble:
- Using a serrated knife, slice the domes off the cakes, ensuring each is as flat as possible
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate and generously spread a layer of frosting on the top. Gently place the next cake layer on the frosting making sure it is level. Repeat until all layers of the cake have been used up.
- Spread a thin layer of icing on the sides and top of the cake and use a cake scraper to level it out.
- If desired: Fill a piping bag with a small round nozzle with the chocolate ganache. Create a drip on the edges of the cake with the ganache. Use the remaining frosting to decorate the top of the cake. Top the cake with cookie crumbs and vegan chocolate.
- Serve immediately or set aside in the fridge in a large airtight container until ready to serve! Store the cake in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
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Hi Anthea,
Is the oven temperature for normal or fan oven?
Could I use dairy milk and butter
instead? As I don’t need the cake to be vegan.
Thanks.
Hi,
I just tried to make this one, but unfortunately it's all crumbling 🙁 I tried to put it back together with the frosting... Is it possible this is due to the fact I used 3 tablespoons of baking powder instead of 3 teaspoons? 🙂
Many thanks in advance for your help!
Kind regards,
Isabelle
Hi Isabelle! Oh no! Yes you're right - 3 tablespoons rather than 3 teaspoons would make the cake crumble. It makes the cake a lot fluffier but it means there's less 'structure' to hold the cake. I'm sorry that happened to your cake!
Hi!! Just wondering if there is an alternative instead of coconut cream on the chocolate ganache?
Yes, you can use any dairy free cream or a smaller amount of dairy-free milk (start with 2 tablespoons and increase it a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a drip-like consistency)!
I made these as cup cakes and they turned out really well, The recipe made 20 muffin sized cup cakes, I used the frosting and decorated with mini Oreos and they looked great.
I love this recipe and have used it several times to make the larger cake complete with ganache drip and it is always very popular with everyone (including the non vegans)
Thanks for another great recipe 🙂
I'm so so stoked that you enjoyed this recipe and have made it many times! And oh my goodness, mini oreos sound fantastic and so adorable! Thanks very much for your kind feedback 🙂
Hi Anthea, recipe sounds great and I’m looking to make it. Would this recipe work for cupcakes? Or i might try as a cake but I only have one 8 inch cake tin, would it be ok to divide the recipe by 3? Thanks!
Hi Sophia, yes they would work as cupcakes! Also yes, the recipe will work divided by 3 (or even by 2 if you want a taller cake) :).
If using oreos do you need to remove the cream?
No you don't 🙂
Hi.
Can I bake a cake 3-4 days before and freeze whole cake ?
Hi, the cake part can be frozen. However, when some brands of vegan butter are made into buttercream, they 'leak' in the freezer. If your butter doesn't do this, you should be able to freeze it.
Hi! Will this recipe fulfill a sheet cake? I'd like to make a layered sheet cake and if ×1 can fill a sheet then I can double it for the layers.
Hi Maureen! Yes it will fill a sheet pan which is around 33 cm x 23 cm (13 in x 9 in). Doubling it for the layers sounds perfect :). Hope that helps!
Hi Anthea! I'm planning on making this for my iso birthday dinner this week, would this be okay if I halved the recipe? And do you have any biscuit recommendations? I'm thinking of using choc ripple bikkies but if there's something better at Coles or Woollies I'm open to suggestions 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Millie! Great idea to make this for your iso bday! Yep, you can totally halve the recipe - if you don't have a smaller cake tin, it'll just make less layers (or 1 big one which is fine). Choc ripple are the ones I used and they worked well! Let me know how you go and happy birthday in advance!
Great, thanks so much! One more q, what butter do you recommend for frosting?
For the frosting, I've used Nuttelex Buttery and Naturli spreadable and block and they've all worked well ?
I made this cake for my 9 year olds birthday and it was amazing! The recipe was perfect and not too sweet. Thanks for sharing yet another brilliant recipe.
Soo glad to hear Nicola!! What a treat it'd be for a 9 year old :). Thanks for the lovely comment xo
Another excellent recipe, which works to perfection! My family labelled this a Celebration Cake, and it definitely is a bit special. Such a good recipe with accurate and clear instructions. I wasn't sure about which vegan biscuits to use but opted for bourbon-type biscuits, which worked really well. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Aw that's amazing Sal! Celebration cake sounds so special and love that bourbon cookies worked for this recipe :). Thanks so much for your feedback xo
Hi, I need to make an eggless cake (not vegan). Can I please use regular sugar and butter as substitutes?
Thanks 🙂
Nadine
Yes you can 🙂
Hi!! does this cake freeze well? As I am making layers in advance before I assemble them a few days later??
Yes it does! As long as you cover it very well in the freezer, it'll be fine 🙂
Made this cake for a family party and it was a HIT ! they loved it.
Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
That's so great to hear Elena! Thanks for such a lovely comment xo