Vegan Oreo Cake
This vegan Oreo cake is so decadent and nostalgic. Soft and buttery cake layers packed with Oreo cookies, a rich Oreo buttercream and optional chocolate ganache. You’ll get chocolatey and sweet Oreos in every bite!
Ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Oreo cookies. If you’re in a pinch, you can also use other branded chocolate cream cookies or plain chocolate cookies.
Vegan butter adds depth of flavor whereas a neutral-flavored oil keeps the cake extra moist.
Dairy-free milk. I used soy milk but any variety will work for example oat milk.
Apple cider vinegar. When this is combined with dairy-free milk, it makes vegan buttermilk which makes the cake more tender. You don’t need to mix the milk and vinegar separately as it does its magic in the cake batter!
Baking powder and soda. We’re using two leavening agents to ensure the cake is extra fluffy. Even though this is an eggless cake, it’s undetectably vegan!
Making the cake batter
This Oreo cake batter comes together in one bowl! Mix your dry ingredients, making sure the raising agents are evenly distributed. Then add the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Finally, add your crushed Oreos and fold through. We’re adding the Oreos at the end because they can disintegrate in the cake batter if you mix them too much.
The batter should be quite runny. The Oreo cookies will absorb a lot of liquid during baking so we need a runny cake batter to balance it out!
Tips for baking the cake layers
The cakes will take around 30-35 minutes to bake, depending on how hot/cold your oven runs. They’re ready when you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out mostly clean. It’s okay if there are a few crumbs on your toothpick.
Ideally, we want the cake layers to be as flat as possible so they’re easier to stack. If you have cake strips, they would be ideal for this cake. Otherwise, if your cakes have domes, allow them to cool and trim them off.
Preparing the frosting
The Oreo buttercream is a dream for any lover of cookies and cream! It’s so creamy and fluffy that it reminds me of ice cream.
It’s best to crush the Oreos into a fine crumb. You can use a food processor or place them in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin. If the cookies are coarser, it will be a little more difficult to spread or pipe the frosting.
Once you add the cookie crumbs to the frosting, mix until it’s just combined. If you overmix the frosting, the crumbs will dissolve and the frosting will turn into an unpleasant gray color.
Tips for decorating the vegan Oreo cake
In addition to an Oreo and vanilla frosting, I topped my cake with chocolate ganache, and whole/crushed Oreo cookies. You can also decorate your cake with:
- Dark chocolate chips
- Fancy chocolate bars or shards of chocolate
- Chocolate fudge sauce
Customizing the cake
This cake will bake well in 3 x 6-inch (15 cm) cake pans. You’ll need to bake it for around 30-35 minutes and it’ll be similar in height to my Biscoff cake.
Alternatively, you can scale up the recipe by 150% to serve 18 people. Divide the batter into 3 x 8 inch (20 cm) cake pans and it’ll be similar to the cake in the picture below.
For a large Oreo sheet cake, bake the cake in a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan for about 35-40 minutes.
This recipe will make about 22-24 vegan Oreo cupcakes. I recommend baking them for around 20-25 minutes.
More vegan layer cakes
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Vegan Oreo Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose plain flour, spoon and leveled (note 1)
- 1 ยผ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- โ teaspoon salt, optional
Wet ingredients
- 1 ยฝ cups (375g) dairy-free milk, room ๏ปฟtemperature
- ยฝ cup (125g) neutral flavored oil
- โ cup (75g) melted vegan butter, cooled
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, white vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 20 Oreo cookies, or ~200g vegan-friendly chocolate cookies, chopped
Oreo buttercream frosting
- 1 ยฝ cups (340g) vegan block butter, room temperature (note 2)
- 5 cups (500g) powdered sugar / icing sugar, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 5 Oreo cookies, or ~50g vegan-friendly chocolate cookies, finely crushed
Ganache Drip (optional)
- ยผ cup (45g) roughly chopped vegan chocolate or chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons (45g) thick scoopable canned coconut cream
To decorate (optional)
- Oreo cookies, or vegan-friendly chocolate cookies, crumbled
Instructions
Make the vegan Oreo cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180ยฐC (320ยฐF). Line 2 x 8-inch (20 cm) cake pans with parchment paper.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Mix until there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients (except the Oreo cookies) to the bowl and mix until combined. Add the chopped Oreos and fold until just combined.
- Evenly divide the cake batter into your 2 pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the center of each cake and it comes out with no wet batter on it (a few moist crumbs are fine). Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 20 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Make the Oreo buttercream frosting:
- Add the vegan butter to a large bowl (if using a hand mixer) or the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla to the bowl. Beat until the buttercream frosting is light and fluffy. Add more sugar for a firmer frosting or add some milk for a thinner frosting. If desired, set aside some vanilla buttercream for piping later.
- Add the cookie crumbs to the frosting and mix until just combined. Try to not overmix.
Make the ganache (optional):
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave. When the cream is hot, stir through the chocolate and remove from the heat. Stir the mixture occasionally to encourage the chocolate to melt. Once you have a smooth ganache, set aside to cool.
To assemble:
- When the cakes have completely cooled, slice any domes off your cakes.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread or pipe around 1 cup of frosting on the cake. Place the remaining cake on top. Spread or pipe the frosting on the top and sides of the cake.
- Optional: Use a spoon or a piping bag with a small round nozzle to drizzle the chocolate ganache down the sides of the cake. Pipe the remaining vanilla frosting on top of the cake. Decorate the top and sides of the cake with Oreo cookies and cookie crumbs.
- Slice the cake and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container or loosely covered in plastic wrap for 2 days at room temperature, 3 days in the fridge or up to 1 month in the freezer. If you chill the cake, make sure you let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.
Notes
- Make sure you measure your flour accurately, otherwise your cake will be dry and dense. If you’re using measuring cups, spoon and level your flour by fluffing up the flour in its container, use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Using your measuring cup to scoop flour out of the container will pack too much flour into your cup and batter. Alternatively, use a kitchen scale and the gram measurements.
- If you only have a spreadable vegan butter, use it chilled in the frosting. Room temperature spreadable vegan butter is too soft for frosting.
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It looks like it will be delicious.
I am planning on making this cake for my lactose intolerant grandchild’s birthday. Have you ever made the cake portion ahead of time and frozen it, ready to be thawed and decorated before serving? thank you,mg.
Hi Monika, I haven’t frozen this cake myself, but I have frozen similar cakes with no issues. Normally, I thaw the cake layers covered in the fridge the day before decorating. And of course, please let the cake fully come to room temperature before serving as it has butter in it. I hope that helps!