Cookies and Cream Elegant Stacked Oreo Cake

Mr Sweet just had his Birthday and seeings as he likes Oreo's I came up with this kinda elegant Oreo stack cake instead of making an elaborately decorated cake he wouldn't enjoy.

 I have seen those pictures around where you just stack up a few boxes of Oreo cookies and I guess he would have been happy.

But I don't think it would have made me totally happy so this cake is the perfect balance of cake and cookies.

I did do a stack of Oreo's up on top as shown in the pictures but as it turned out Mr Sweet preferred the cake without the extra cookie stack, so I ended up taking them off.

I think it's because he wanted all those extra cookies to eat himself later ;)

I often get asked how the tall cakes slice up and this one cuts quite well. I served each of those tall slices up into 3 pieces (so 1 Oreo each) and there was no falling apart.

You could definitely make this cake into a double or triple tiered cake and it would make a fun and quirky wedding cake. The chocolate cake I have used in quite a sturdy cake, of course you would need to dowel it properly.

Cookies and Cream Elegant Stacked Oreo cake (serves 24 to 33 depending on how you cut the cake)
I find that the Oreo cookies become a little soft if you stick them on the cake too soon. You can make the chocolate cake 3 days before, fill and frost 2 days before serving and then stick the cookies on as soon before serving/displaying as possible.

Ingredients
2 X 15cm (6") chocolate cakes cut horizontally in half (recipe below)
1 batch cookies and cream Italian Meringue Butter cream (recipe below)
plus reserved 1/2 cup plain butter cream
5 boxes X 150g Oreo cookies approx 70 cookies (US 2 boxes) - use some of these to make cookies and cream butter cream.

Spoon around 3/4 cup butter cream onto the top of one chocolate cake layer and smooth with spatula. Pop a second layer on top of the smoothed butter cream making sure the cakes line up and then top with another 3/4 cup butter cream once again smoothing flat with a spatula.

Place cake in fridge to chill for around 10 minutes.

Remove cake from fridge add a third layer of cake and then another 3/4 cup butter cream and smooth flat with spatula.

Add the final layer of cake making sure the cakes are even and aligned and then give the cake a crumb coat of butter cream (a thin rough coat off butter cream).

Chill cake for another 10 to 30 minutes (depending on the weather) until cake is firm. Cover cake with remaining butter cream making sides and top as even as possible. Chill for 15 to 30 minutes until butter cream is firm and then use a tall cake scraper to make the edges an top of cake as even as possible.

When ready to serve use the reserved butter cream to stick the Oreos around the edge of the cake as per picture. I used 33 Oreos in total to surround the cake (11 rows with 3 in each row).

Stack remaining Oreos on top of cake as per picture. If you will be moving the cake you can stick them on with extra butter cream.

Cookies and Cream Italian Meringue Butter cream
Make sure your bowl and mixer are clean to whip egg whites. I use a stand mixer with a pouring shield to make this butter cream, the sugar syrup is very hot, make sure you take appropriate safety precautions when pouring the hot sugar syrup mixture. Not suitable for young children to make.

300g white sugar (12oz)
75g (2 3/4oz) water
5 egg whites
450g (1 pound - 4 sticks) unsalted butter cut into smallish cubes
1 tsp vanilla extract
Around 8 - 10 Oreo cookies (from the 5 boxes required above)

Place sugar and water into saucepan over high heat and bring to boil. Conintue to  heat until the sugar syrup mixture reaches 115 C (240F). Brush down the the sides of saucepan with a wet pastry brush as required to stop sugar crystals from forming.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of your mixer (make sure the bowl is quite large). When the sugar syrup reaches 110C (210F) start to whip the egg whites at high speed.

Once the sugar syrup reaches 115C (240 F) carefully pour the syrup into the whipped egg whites whilst the mixer is still beating on high.

Continue to beat until the egg and sugar mixture cooled to room temperature (or the bowl feels cool to touch) and then start to add a few cubes of butter at a time. Add the vanilla.

The mixture will probably become quite liquid, but continue to beat until it thickens and all the butter is evenly distributed. May take around 10 minutes.

Place the Oreos in a plastic or ziplock bag and crush using a rolling pin or mallet until the Oreos are broken down into crumbs. I like mine a bit chunky in bits.

Reserve 1/2 cup of butter cream for cake assembly.

Using a spatula gently fold the broken Oreo cookies through the remaining butter cream. Use immediately.

Chocolate Cake

220g (7 3/4oz) unsalted butter
220g (7 3/4oz) dark chocolate
2 Tbsp (US 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp) instant coffee granules
135g (4 3/4oz) hot water
125 g (4 3/8 oz) plain flour (all purpose flour)
125 g (4 3/8 oz)self raising flour
50 g (1 3/4 oz) cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
480 g (1 lb 7/8 oz) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
115g (4oz) light olive oil
100 g (3 1/2oz) plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

Grease and flour 2 x 6 inch (15cm) baking tins and line the bottom with parchment (baking) paper.

Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F)

In a large bowl sift together both flours, cocoa, baking powder and sugar.

Place chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat at medium heat (50%) for 2 minutes. Stir and then heat for a further 2 minutes at medium heat. All the chocolate should be melted, if not continue to heat in microwave.

Combine hot water and granulated coffee and mix until dissolved.

Add the eggs, chocolate mixture, vanilla, oil, coffee mixture and yogurt to the dry ingredients and using a whisk mix until just combined.

Divide mixture evenly between the 2 tins and bake for around 1 hour 10 minutes checking with a skewer after 1 hour.

Cool for 10 minutes and then turn out of tin to cool on rack.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

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Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.