Cookies and Cream Oreo Cake

This cake looks and tastes amazing. And it is HUGE! A fluffy cookies and cream filling, sandwiched between two light, moist chocolate cakes topped with smooth and creamy chocolate ganache. Unlike some chocolate cakes, these are not dense and fudgy, but really fluffy and light, which is great because it avoids the whole thing being overly rich. Perfect for a birthday party cake too!

Cookies and Cream Oreo Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:
220g all-purpose (plain) flour, extra for dusting tins
450g sugar
85g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking (bi-carb) soda

120mls vegetable oil

240mls buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
240mls hot coffee

For the filling:

300mls thickened cream
1 packet oreos, crushed


For the ganache and decoration:
380mls thickened cream
350g dark chocolate, chopped
1 container mini oreos


Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease two 20cm (8 inch) round cake tins, then line with baking paper. Then, grease the baking paper (with butter – not cooking spray!), and dust with extra flour.


Whisk together oil, buttermilk, vanilla and eggs, set aside.


Using an electric mixer on a low speed combine flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. With mixer still running, slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture. Beat until just combined. Then carefully beat in the coffee until mixed through.


Evenly divide cake batter into the two tins (I used my digital kitchen scales to help make sure). Bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.


Transfer cake tins from oven to cooling racks, and let cool in tins for 35-40 minutes. Then turn out cakes from tins to the racks to finish cooling. Remove the baking paper.


Meanwhile, make the filling. Whip the cream until light and fluffy – don’t make it too stiff. Reserve a little whipped cream for decorating. With the remaining cream, fold through the crushed oreos.


To make the ganache, pour cream into a medium saucepan, and stir over a medium-low heat until it comes to the boil. Add the dark chocolate. Leave mixture on the heat a little more to allow the chocolate to melt more, stirring until smooth and combined. Take of the heat and allow to cool completely to a spreadable consistency.


To assemble the cake, place one cake flat side up on a plate/cake stand. Spread cream mixture on top in a circle, leaving room around the outside to allow the cream space to spread when the other cake is placed on top.


Carefully place the other cake flat side down on top, pressing a little to push the cream to the edges. Spread a layer of ganache on top, and pipe around the edges, using a small fluted tip, and around the bottom (if desired).

Fill a small piping bag fitted with another fluted tip (or whatever tip you like) with the reserved whipped cream, and pipe small rounds evenly around the edges of the cake. Place a mini oreo on each.

Source: Inspired by Brown Eyed Baker and Annie's Eats, Cake adapted from Food & Wine, Ganache adapted from Donna Hay Simple Essentials - Chocolate