Red Velvet Oreo Cake

This red velvet Oreo cake is a fun twist on red velvet cake! This light and fluffy cake is paired with a creamy Oreo buttercream and layers of Oreo cookies baked right into the cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Low Lactose, Vegetarian

Prep Time 25

Bake 25

Total Time 50

Servings slices

Calories 602

Author Gabby Kislanko

Equipment

Ingredients

Red Velvet Oreo Cake

1 cup buttermilk (regular or dairy free) SEE NOTES
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons liquid red food coloring
¾ cup oil (canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or sunflower oil)
2 eggs
2⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour SEE NOTES
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter, softened (regular or dairy free)
28 Oreos

Oreo Buttercream

1¼ cup butter, softened (regular or dairy free)
½ cup + 2 Tablespoons vegetable shortening (or butter if not dairy free, SEE NOTES)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
3¾-4¼ cup powdered sugar (icing sugar)
16-20 Oreo cookies, plus more for decorating

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Red Velvet Oreo Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Prepare two 8 inch round cake pans by spraying the inside of each pan with cooking spray. Cut round pieces of parchment paper out in the shape of the pans and place one into each pan. Place Oreos into the bottom of the pan in an even layer until you can’t fit anymore (16 Oreos per pan).
If making your own buttermilk (see notes), make it and set aside. In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together oil, buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar, food coloring, and eggs, then set aside.
In the bowl of a standing or handheld mixer, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder together.
Add the butter into the bowl with the dry ingredients and use the paddle attachment on your mixer to mix until combined and crumbly like sand (photos in post above). Add in the wet ingredients in and mix until combined, scraping along the sides of the bowl as you go. Mix until there are no more lumps.
Divide the cake batter between the cake pans then bake for 22-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 20 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled. Meanwhile, make the Oreo buttercream.

Oreo Buttercream

Crush the whole Oreo cookies up using a food processor, or put them in a ziploc bag and roll over the bag with a rolling pin. You can also finely chop them, and make the chunks as large or as small as you’d like (I like to use a mix of crumbs with some big chunks as well). Set aside.
Add vegetable shortening (or butter if not using dairy free butter) and butter to the bowl of your mixer, then mix until smooth. Add the vanilla and salt. Add in powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until your desired consistency is reached. If the buttercream is too thick, add in 1 teaspoon of milk to thin it out.
Add in the Oreo crumbs (and chunks) into the buttercream. Set aside and frost the cakes once they've cooled completely. (See post above for tips on assembling and decorating). Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Please Note: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients. Metric measurements are found above under the "Metric" tab.

Measuring Flour: To avoid over-measuring, properly measure your flour and cocoa powder using either a kitchen scale or using the scoop and level method.

Buttermilk: You can make buttermilk at home with any milk you'd like. For dairy free, I find soy works best. Add 1 cup of milk to a measuring cup. Stir in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, until curdled. You only need 1 cup of buttermilk for this cake, so be sure to pour out some of the buttermilk once it’s ready so that you only have 1 cup in total of liquid.

Preparing The Cake Pans: Don't skip the parchment paper lining on the bottom of the pan - this will ensure your cake doesn't stick to the pan when you remove it.

Vegetable Shortening: Vegetable shortening can be replaced at 1:1 ratio with more butter. Note that if you are using a soft dairy free butter, the shortening helps keep it firmer.

Cake Pan Adjustments:

9 Inch Round Cake Pans: The cake layers will be thinner and will bake quicker. Start checking on them after around 16 minutes in the oven.

9x13 Rectangular Pan: To make this into an Oreo red velvet sheet cake, use a 9x13 pan, then bake for around 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Since there aren’t multiple layers for a sheet cake, you can halve the Oreo buttercream recipe.

3 Layer Cake: The easiest way to convert a 2 layer 8 inch cake into 3 layers is to simply divide the batter between three cake pans. With this method, you’ll end up with thinner cake layers, since the cake batter is divided between three pans instead of 2. Another option is to multiply all the ingredients in the recipe by 1.5.

Storage & Freezing Instructions: The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for 3-4 days. I like to store mine in a cake carrier. If you’d like to freeze the cake layers for later, let them cool completely then wrap each individual layer in plastic wrap, and then wrap each one in aluminum foil. Store the cakes in a large ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature.

Store leftover Oreo buttercream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Nutrition