COOKIES AND CREAM CAKE

COOKIES AND CREAM CAKE

Why choose between cookies and cake when you can enjoy BOTH together? This Cookies and Cream Cake has ultra-moist layers of devil’s food cake and rich buttercream with cookies mixed right in. It’s finished with a drippy chocolate ganache and adorable mini Oreos. This is a MUST for all chocolate cake lovers! The cake gets its ultra-dark color from the addition of black cocoa powder (the same thing that’s used in Oreo cookies!) It’s a fun ingredient to play with, but if you don’t have it, you can use an equal amount of regular cocoa powder.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE:

1. 12 oz all-purpose flour (2 2/3 cup)
2. 2 1/4 oz black cocoa (3/4 cup), can substitute regular dutch-processed cocoa if desired
3. 2 1/4 oz dutch-processed cocoa (3/4 cup)
4. 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
5. 3/4 tsp baking soda
6. 1 1/2 tsp salt
7. 24 1/2 oz granulated sugar (3 1/2 cups)
8. 1 1/4 cups coffee at room temperature (can substitute water)
9. 1 1/4 cups buttermilk at room temperature
10. 3/4 cup vegetable oil
11. 2 eggs at room temperature
12. 2 egg yolks at room temperature
13. 1 tbsp vanilla extract

FOR THE COOKIES AND CREAM FROSTING:

1. 6 fl oz pasteurized liquid egg whites (3/4 cup, see Note below)
2. 24 oz powdered sugar (6 cups)
3. 1/2 tsp salt
4. 24 oz unsalted butter at room temperature (6 sticks)
5. 2 TBSP vanilla extract
6. 20 Oreo cookies (8 oz cookies)

TO ASSEMBLE AND DECORATE:

1. 20 Oreo cookies (8 oz cookies)
2. 4 oz dark chocolate finely chopped
3. 6-8 fl oz heavy cream
4. Mini Oreo cookies for decorating

INSTRUCTIONS

TO MAKE THE DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line four 8x2-inch round baking pans with parchment paper, and spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, both cocoa powders, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a large stand mixer, combine the sugar, coffee or water, buttermilk, oil, eggs, yolks, and vanilla. Beat with a paddle attachment on low speed until well-mixed.
4. Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. Beat on low speed until the flour is moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for about 4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the batter is smooth. It will be very thin.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the four pans. If you have a kitchen scale handy, each pan should get about 18 oz of batter.
6. Bake the cakes at 325 F for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool the cakes in the pans, then turn them out onto a wire rack. Once cool, wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer until semi-firm—these cakes are much easier to work with when they're partially frozen. The cakes can be made in advance and kept in the freezer for several weeks. When you are ready to assemble the cake, allow the rounds to partially defrost before assembly.

TO MAKE THE COOKIES AND CREAM FROSTING:

1. Combine the whites, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix everything together on low speed, until the sugar is moistened and no dry patches remain. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then turn the mixer to medium speed. Beat on medium for 5 minutes.
2. After 5 minutes, turn the mixer to medium-low and start adding the softened room temperature butter, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Once all of the butter is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix it in. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides once more. Turn the speed to medium and beat the buttercream for 10 minutes. At the end, you’ll have a frosting with a wonderfully light and creamy texture.
3. Place 20 Oreos in a food processor and process until they’re very fine crumbs. Add the crumbs to the frosting, and stir them together with a spatula until well-mixed.

TO ASSEMBLE AND DECORATE:

1. Chop the remaining 20 Oreos with a knife until they’re in coarse crumbs and small pieces.
2. Place the cake rounds on 8-inch cardboard cake circles. Place one layer on a cake turntable.
3. Place a big dollop of frosting on the cake layer—about 3/4 generous cup—and use a metal spatula to spread the frosting into a layer going all the way out to the edges of the cake.
4. Sprinkle a third of the chopped cookies on top of the frosting, leaving a margin around the edge, and press gently to embed them. Add a little more frosting—about ¼ cup—on top of the cookies, and spread it out on top.
5. Top the cake round with a second cake layer, and repeat the frosting and cookie process again. Do it with a third layer, and finally, add the last cake layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with a very thin layer of frosting—this is the crumb coat, which locks crumbs into the frosting and also provides some stability to the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 45-60 minutes, until the crumb coat is set and the cake feels firm and stable.
6. Cover the top and sides of the chilled cake with a thicker layer of frosting. Use a bench scraper or metal spatula to smooth out the sides and top of the cake as much as possible. Chill for 30-45 minutes, until firm.
7. Combine the chopped semi-sweet chocolate and 6 oz of cream in a medium bowl, and microwave for 1 minute. Whisk well, and if any chunks of chocolate remain, whisk again briefly until it is completely melted and smooth. The chocolate glaze should have a fairly thin texture, and if you dip a spoon in and let excess drip out, it should almost immediately blend back into the glaze in the bowl. If it seems too thick, add up to 2 more oz of cream, a little bit at a time, and whisk well to incorporate it. (Different brands of chocolate and cream will yield different textures, so it’s always best to play around with the ratios if it seems too thick or thin.)
8. Transfer the chocolate to a squeeze bottle with a narrow tip. Squeeze a dime-sized amount of glaze along the top edge of the chilled cake, and nudge it gently so it starts to slide down the side. Repeat right next to the first drip, and continue around all the edges of the cake. Squeeze more glaze into the center of the cake, and use a small spatula to smooth it into an even layer that joins with the outer ring. You may not need to use all of the glaze. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes in the refrigerator, or about 20 minutes at room temperature, so that it’s not completely soft and liquid when adding the decorations on top.
9. Transfer the remaining buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip (I used a Wilton 1 M tip), and pipe tall frosting rosettes all along the edges of the cake. Top the rosettes with mini Oreo cookies. Make sure the ganache is full set before slicing the cake and serving.
10. For the best taste and texture, serve this cake at room temperature. The chilled cake is not nearly as good! Leftovers keep well, and can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, but will taste best when eaten within 3-4 days.

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