Gluten-free Oreo Cookie Cake (single-layer)

Dark chocolate cake, frosted with luscious cookies and cream buttercream and topped with cookie crumbs and whole Oreos— this cake is every bit as decadent as it sounds. Intensely rich and chocolatey, it’s just like eating an Oreo in cake form!

***

I’ll never forget the day when my husband discovered that Nabisco had come out with gluten-free Oreo cookies. He couldn’t stop talking about it, and indeed, visited three supermarkets in one day to try to find them. No luck. We spend months looking for them in Czech grocery stores and specialty shops— nothing. While gluten-free Oreos are now fairly easy to track down now in the US, unfortunately, they are not available in the Czech Republic yet.

Determined to get my hands on them, I ended up ordering two packs from Amazon.co.uk. When they arrived, my husband and I sat down eagerly together to try our new gluten-free goodies. Our verdict: pretty darn tasty. The cream filling seemed to be identical, and the texture and taste of the cookie were almost the same as the original. The only difference we noticed was that the gluten-free version had a slightly savory aftertaste, like a cracker. Overall, we were very satisfied with our purchase.

As we had more than enough for snacks, my husband requested that I use some of the Oreos in a baked good. Excited, I thought about my favorite desserts; I love cookies, but I love cake even more. Especially chocolate cake. So, what could be better but to combine the two?

I ended up making this beautiful, indulgent cake for our wedding anniversary. While the recipe could easily be doubled, I chose to make a single-layer cake for the two of us (I cannot bear the thought of cake going to waste). With its dark chocolate sponge, delicious Oreo buttercream, and chunks of whole Oreo cookies, this cake was a huge hit in my house. I hope you will love it just as much as I do.

What you will need

This cake is very easy to make, and most of the ingredients are pantry staples. The only unusual items are gluten-free Oreos (essential, for obvious reasons) and black cocoa powder (optional, but highly recommended). Here is the full list:

• gluten-free plain white flour (I used Doves Farm Freee)
• caster sugar
• cocoa powder (I used half natural and half black cocoa powder)
• baking soda
• baking powder
• salt
• an egg 
• milk
• sunflower oil (or other neutral oil)
• vanilla extract
• hot coffee (I used hot water with instant coffee)
• xanthan gum
• unsalted butter (soft)
• powdered sugar
• gluten-free Oreos

Black Cocoa Powder

While not required, if you can get your hands on black cocoa powder I would highly recommend using it for this cake. Black cocoa powder has a rich, intense taste and is much darker in color than natural cocoa powder, which will not only deepen the chocolate flavor of the cake but will make it appear almost black— just like an Oreo!

For best results, I suggest combining black cocoa powder with another type of cocoa powder in baking. For this recipe, I used 20g of natural cocoa powder and 20g of black cocoa powder.

How to make Gluten-Free Oreo Cookie Cake

First, preheat the oven to 350⁰ F /180⁰ C / 160⁰ C fan. Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the sifted dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum) until nicely combined and all clumps have disappeared.

In a separate larger bowl, add the milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat everything together with a mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Easy peasy!

Stir in the hot coffee. Don’t worry, this will not make your cake taste like coffee, it will just enhance the chocolate flavor. The batter will be shiny and fairly thin (and that’s okay).

Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Bake for 35-38 minutes. To test for doneness, stick a toothpick through the center of the cake— if it comes out mostly clean, it’s done! If the toothpick comes out sticky, put the cake bake into the oven for another 1-2 minutes.

Once the cake is baked, let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to let it cool completely.

If the cake is domed (like mine), you can trim off the top with a serrated knife or cake leveler. However, if you do this, do not throw out those cake scraps from the top! They are actually the moistest part of the cake and are absolutely delicious. Enjoy them as a snack, or freeze them for later to make cake balls/pops/truffles.

How to make Cookies and Cream Frosting

First, we’re going to blitz some Oreos. Put 7 gluten-free Oreos in a food processor and pulse until they become fine crumbs. Set aside, and try not to nibble.

Now for the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, whip the soft butter with a stand mixer or electric mixer for 4-5 minutes until pale and fluffy. 

Add half the (sifted) powdered sugar into the butter, and mix on low for 1-2 minutes until combined. Turn up the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the second half of the sifted powdered sugar and repeat.

Add the vanilla extract and then add the milk, one tbsp at a time, to loosen up the frosting. If the frosting is too stiff, add a little more milk. If it’s too runny, add a little more powdered sugar.

Once it’s nice and spreadable, reserve approximately ⅓ of the frosting and place it in a covered bowl or container for decorating at a later stage (this is the vanilla frosting).

With the remaining ⅔ of the frosting, add the Oreo crumbs gradually, one small handful at a time, mixing as you go. Add as many crumbs as you like, depending on your preference, and stop once your frosting has achieved its desired look and consistency (this is the cookies and cream frosting).

Decorating time! You can frost the cake however you want, but I started by doing a crumb coat with the cookies and cream buttercream. A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting that helps seal in all the crumbs before adding the final coat. I put my crumb-coated cake into the fridge to set for 30 minutes.

Next, I added a second, thicker layer of Oreo buttercream to the cake. I used a palette knife to make it nice and smooth, then decorated the sides of the cake with extra Oreo cookie crumbs. Personally, I think the crumbs add a nice texture and also create a lovely visual contrast with the white frosting.

I finished off the top of the cake with large swirls of vanilla buttercream and, of course, whole Oreos cut in half. It is an Oreo cake, after all.

And there you have it: a delicious gluten-free Oreo cookie cake. What a beautiful thing to behold (and eat).

Tips for success!

• I recommend weighing your ingredients for better accuracy. Since I bought a kitchen scale, I find it so much easier and faster than measuring by cups.
• To avoid overbaking the cake, always start with the minimum amount of baking time. Check for doneness with the toothpick test, then add an extra minute or two as needed.
• You need soft, room temperature butter for the frosting. If the butter is too hard or too melty, the recipe will not work. In the summertime, I usually leave my butter out of the fridge for a few hours before using it.
• When making the frosting, I strongly suggest sifting the powdered sugar before adding it to the butter. This helps give the frosting a nice smooth texture and helps to reduce graininess.
• Add the Oreo cookie crumbs to your frosting gradually until you achieve the look and consistency that you want. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take away!
• You can make vanilla buttercream a day in advance, but only add the Oreo crumbs just before you’re ready to frost the cake. The crumbs can become soggy if they sit out too long.

The nutritional information is based on the brands and ingredients I used for this recipe. They may not be 100% accurate for you. Please check your nutrition labels for more precise information.