Red Velvet Oreo Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup vegetable or canola oil (225g)
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature (240g)
• 1/2 full-fat sour cream, room temperature (125g)
• 3 large eggs, room temperature (170g)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (8g)
• 1 tsp white vinegar (4g)
• red gel food coloring or 1 Tbsp liquid food coloring
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (500g)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (12g)
• 1 tsp baking soda (6g)
• 1 tsp baking powder (4g)
• 1 tsp fine salt (6g)
• 1 cup chopped Oreos (90g)
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (339g)
• 1 cup full-fat cream cheese, room temperature (226g)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (12g)
• 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
• 7 cups powdered sugar (875g)
• 1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream, room temperature (15g)
• 1/2 cup Oreo cookie crumbs, pulverized in a food processor or super finely chopped (45g)
• 3/4 cup Oreos, roughly chopped (68g)
• Electric Mixer
• small piping bag
• small French frosting tip
• mini Oreos

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Red Velvet Oreo Cake: ---

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line and grease 3, 8-inch pans. Set aside.

3. 3

   In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup sour cream, 3 large eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp white vinegar, and a generous squirt of red gel food coloring. Mix until combined and the batter is evenly colored.

4. 4

   Add 2 1/2 cups of granulated sugar and whisk for 30 seconds to help dissolve the sugar.

5. 5

   Then mix in 3 cups flour, 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt. Whisk until just combined. Fold in 1 cup of roughly chopped Oreos.

6. 6

   Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 27-30 minutes.

7. 7

   Remove pans from oven and let them cool in the pans for 15 minutes.

8. 8

   Carefully flip the layers out of the pans, and place on a wire rack to finish cooling.

9. 9

   Level the cake tops with a serrated knife once they're fully cooled. Use a fork to crumble the cake tops. Cover and set aside. If you're making these in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point.

10. 10

    --- Oreo Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting: ---

11. 11

    Beat 1 1/2 cups of butter and 1 cup cream cheese on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth.

12. 12

    Add in 1 Tbsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat on low until combined.

13. 13

    Slowly mix in 7 cups powdered sugar on a very low speed. About halfway through add in 1 Tbsp of heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix.

14. 14

    Mix until the frosting reaches the right consistency. If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).

15. 15

    Then mix in 1/2 cup of Oreos crumbs on a low speed, mixing just until they're evenly distributed throughout the frosting. If you mix the Oreos in for too long, it can make your frosting look kind of gray.

16. 16

    Cover the Oreo cream cheese frosting with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming until you're ready to use it. This frosting can sit at room temperature for a few hours, but if you make this in advance refrigerate it.

17. 17

    --- Red Velvet Oreo Cake Assembly: ---

18. 18

    Stack and frost the red velvet Oreo cake layers on a greaseproof cake board, using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.

19. 19

    Add an even layer of Oreo cream cheese buttercream between each cake layer, and top with 1/4 cup of chopped Oreos.

20. 20

    Add a thin coat of frosting around the cake to fully cover the cake layers. Smooth using a bench scraper, then chill the cake in the fridge (20 minutes) or freezer (5 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.

21. 21

    Add a second, thicker layer of frosting to the cake, and smooth using a bench scraper.

22. 22

    Carefully press the reserved red velvet crumbs and remaining chopped Oreos along the base of the cake with your hand.

23. 23

    Place the remaining cream cheese buttercream into a frosting bag fit with a small French frosting tip.

24. 24

    Pipe a border around the top of the cake, add mini Oreos, and enjoy!