Chocolate Layer Cake with Cookies and Cream Filling

Please step away from your computer so that the drool that is about to flow does not damage your keyboard.

Don't want to scroll through the page to get to the recipe? Use the table of contents to click on the section you want to go to.

❤️ Why you'll love it

• Simple cake method and easy steps are great for beginner-bakers
• Every Oreo-lover's dream (there are actual crushed Oreos in the filling!)
• Dark chocolate cake layers are moist but sturdy for stacking

Creamy, rich, and decadent, this chocolate layer cake with cookies and cream filling has everything you crave in a mouthwatering dessert.

Adults love this delicious cake for its nostalgic flavors—and kids? Well, kids always love Oreo cookies!

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

📖 Variations

• Get creative with the Oreo filling. Swap regular Oreos with mint, peanut butter, Golden, or one of the double-stuffed varieties.
• Use whatever frosting you prefer on the top and sides of the cake. Pick up some from the grocery store, or make easy American buttercream.
• Add a little tang with cream cheese filling. Substitute half of the butter (from the filling section of the recipe card) with cream cheese. You'll have to refrigerate the cake if you do use cream cheese, though!
• Feeling extra fancy? Melt down some chocolate chips to make a chocolate drip decoration around the sides of your cake.
• Instead of (or in addition to) extra cookie crumbs, feel free to decorate the top of the cake with a few whole Oreos, chocolate candies, sprinkles, candles, and cake toppers. Have fun with it!

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Mix dry ingredients
2. Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs.
3. Beat in ⅓ of the flour.
4. Blend in ½ the buttermilk. Repeat the flour and buttermilk once more then end with the last ⅓ of flour.

5. Spoon chocolate cake batter into 2 high sided cake pans. Bake.
6. Make the filling according to the instruction in the green recipe card below.
7. Split each layer into two. Add some of the filling. Repeat, ending with a cake layer.
8. Frost the cake and add Oreos to garnish.

🥫 Storage

If you manage not to eat the entire cake in one sitting, I applaud your willpower. It's hard to resist

This chocolate layer cake is safe at room temperature, so you can keep it (and any leftovers) on your counter for about three days. Cover the cake in a cloche or cake carrier if you have one, and keep it out of direct sunlight.

Buttercream seals moisture inside the cake, so you don't have to cover it before cutting—unless you're worried about bugs, dust, or other contaminants.

However, once sliced, it's best to cover the exposed section with plastic or store slices in an airtight container to keep them from drying out. And, remember: refrigeration dries cakes out more quickly!

You can freeze this for up to 3 months.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: For best results, be sure to use dark cocoa powder—not regular cocoa. They each interact differently with baking powder/soda, so swapping one for the other can prevent your cake from rising properly.

• I like to use cocoa powder to dust my cake pans so the chocolate cake layers don't have any white residue on the outside. However, cocoa powder is more pricy than flour, so use whichever you prefer.
• A simple spray-type vegetable oil works fine to grease the pans, as long as it's not a flavored oil, like olive oil. You can also use butter!
• Pulse the Oreo cookies in a food processor for easy prep. Just don't obliterate them into fine crumbs. You want nice chunks for texture.
• You can also place the cookies in a freezer bag and whack them with a rolling pin—I recommend this way if you need to release some angst!
• It's always a good idea to make sure you can swap ingredients before doing so—some recipes are more finicky than others. In this cake, if you need to replace the buttermilk with something, try one of these buttermilk substitution ideas.
• Alternating the dry ingredients with the buttermilk helps combine everything together evenly. By dumping everything in at once, your cake might end up a little greasy and dense.
• Don't let the cake batter sit for too long after it's mixed up. It needs to go in the oven pretty quickly!
• For best results, let the layers of chocolate cake cool fully before attempting to cut or stack 'em.
• If you're nervous about cutting the layers of cake in half, use a ruler and a knife to make small notches all around the edges. Then, as you cut, you can follow the notches as a guide.

Just a hint -- If you have trouble with your cake tops being domed try making a hollow in the center of the cake batter once it is in the pan It doesn't have to be real deep but the sides will rise a little differently than the center and your cake will be flat on top.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

📚 Related recipes

• Oreo Banana Bread features everyone's favorite cream-filled chocolate dessert cookie in a recipe that's absolutely acceptable for breakfast!
• With Butterfinger candy, hot fudge, caramel sauce, and whipped cream, Holy Cow Cake is perfectly named for what you'll say after trying a bite!
• Fun and so addicting, Deep-Fried Oreos are even tastier than regular ones—I know, I didn't think it was possible, either!
• Chocolate Mayo Layer Cake might sound odd, but it's the most moist, tender cake you'll have! (The mocha buttercream is really good, too.)
• No-Bake Oreo Crust is fabulous for oven-free, easy recipes. It makes any pie taste better—get creative and experiment with all of your faves.

🍽️ Serve with...

• Dark Chocolate Mint Oreo Chunk Ice Cream—because, if you're already enjoying a chocolate Oreo treat, why not go all-out?
• Red Velvet Hot Fudge Sauce is tangy, rich, and the perfect complement to a chocolate cake ice cream sundae!
• Bailey's Irish Temper cocktail pairs great with the dark chocolate flavors of this layer cake—great for washing down the last bite of decadence.

📞 The last word

Obviously, this is not an everyday cake but for a special occasion, you won't find anything that tops this rich chocolate cake with the creamy Oreo filling!

Here is the deal. Each bite is perfectly balanced between cake and filling. The cake is moist, the frosting is creamy, the cookies add a nice crunch.

This is a cake for those among us with a sweet tooth that may well have once belonged to a giant saber-toothed tiger.

Cut the slices thin and serve with espresso or a stout Earl Grey tea.

We love this with a scoop of homemade French vanilla ice cream.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

4.33 from 31 votes

Chocolate Layer Cake with Cookies and Cream Filling

Print Save Saved!

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Rich chocolate cake is split into four layers and filled with a thick, rich cookies and cream frosting.

Course Dessert - Cake

Cuisine American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Freeze: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings:12 servings

Calories:1038

Author:Marye Audet-White

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Cake

• ▢ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup dark cocoa powder, I use Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ pinch salt
• ▢ ¾ cup butter, room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 3 eggs, room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk

Filling

• ▢ 14.3 ounces Oreos
• ▢ 6 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 cup butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ cup heavy cream, may need a little more or less
• ▢ Chocolate frosting

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

Cake

• Preheat oven to 350℉
• Grease and flour 2- 8 inch layer cake pans
• Blend flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa - set aside
• Beat butter until creamy
• Beat in sugar until light and fluffy
• Add eggs one at a time
• Mix in vanilla
• Add ⅓ of the flour mixture and beat in quickly
• Add ½ the buttermilk and beat until blended
• Repeat ending with the last of the flour mixture
• Spoon batter evenly into pans
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes

Filling

• Crumble the cookies in chunks, not too big - set aside
• Mix the confectioner's and the butter until the mixture is blended and crumbly
• Add vanilla - beat well
• Add about 2 tablespoons of the cream and beat
• Beat in the cream, 2 tablespoons at a time until the mixture is creamy (you may need a bit more cream than ¼ cup)
• Stir in the cookies, reserving ½ cup of cookies for the top of the cake

Assembly

• When cakes are done remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes
• Remove from pans and cool completely
• Slice each cooled cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers total
• Place one layer on a cake plate and cover with ⅓ of the filling
• Press the next layer gently over the filling
• Add ⅓ of the filling
• Press the next layer gently over the filling
• Add the last ⅓ of the filling and top with the last cake layer
• Push 4 straws into the cake around the center to stabilize it and freeze for 30 minutes
• Remove from freezer and smooth a thin layer of chocolate frosting over the cake
• Freeze for 30 minutes
• Remove from freezer and finish frosting the cake
• Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top and refrigerate
• Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature before serving
• Remove straws before serving

Notes

Storage:

This chocolate layer cake is safe at room temperature, so you can keep it (and any leftovers) on your counter for about three days. Cover the cake in a cloche or cake carrier if you have one, and keep it out of direct sunlight.

It will be fine for 3 or 4 days.

You can freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips:

• • I like to use cocoa powder to dust my cake pans so the chocolate cake layers don't have any white residue on the outside.

• • A simple spray-type vegetable oil works fine to grease the pans, as long as it's not a flavored oil, like olive oil. You can also use butter!

• • Pulse the Oreo cookies in a food processor for easy prep. Just don't obliterate them into fine crumbs. You want nice chunks for texture.

• • You can also place the cookies in a freezer bag and whack them with a rolling pin—I recommend this way if you need to release some angst!

• • It's always a good idea to make sure you can swap ingredients before doing so—some recipes are more finicky than others. In this cake, if you need to replace the buttermilk with something, try one of these buttermilk substitution ideas.

• • Alternating the dry ingredients with the buttermilk helps combine everything together evenly. By dumping everything in at once, your cake might end up a little greasy and dense.

• • Don't let the cake batter sit for too long after it's mixed up. It needs to go in the oven pretty quickly!

• • For best results, let the layers of chocolate cake cool fully before attempting to cut or stack 'em.

• • If you're nervous about cutting the layers of cake in half, use a ruler and a knife to make small notches all around the edges. Then, as you cut, you can follow the notches as a guide.

Just a hint -- If you have trouble with your cake tops being domed try making a hollow in the center of the cake batter once it is in the pan It doesn't have to be real deep but the sides will rise a little differently than the center and your cake will be flat on top.

You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 1038kcal | Carbohydrates: 154g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 580mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 123g | Vitamin A: 994IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 7mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Sign up for the emails and never miss another recipe!!

I'M IN!

We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.

First published September 14, 2011. Last updated May 23, 2023 to add better images, tips, and FAQs.