This dramatic black-and-white Oreo pound cake baked in a bundt pan combines the deep midnight intensity of black cocoa powder, bloomed in milk and mixed with sour cream for an extra-moist, tender cake crumb. But here's the twist: hidden inside is a layer of whole Oreo cookies, adding an unexpected streak of white vanilla bean icing to every bite.
To top it all off, this Oreo bundt cake is finished with a thick vanilla icing and crowned with even more crushed Oreos. Because decorating cakes doesn't have to be hard!
This Oreo pound cake is truly excellent on its own, but it's even better served with a scoop of cookies n' cream ice cream or a cold glass of milk to wash it down.
This black cocoa bundt cake is a riff on my classic chocolate pound cake recipe, which bakes in a loaf pan and has a simple powdered sugar topping.
I scaled that recipe up to fill a 10-cup bundt pan and subbed a majority of the natural unsweetened cocoa powder for black cocoa powder, aka the cocoa powder used in Oreo cookies.
Black cocoa has an intense appearance but a somewhat mellow chocolate flavor, so I used a blend of black cocoa and unsweetened cocoa powder in this cake. The black cocoa brings the drama, while the unsweetened cocoa powder brings the rich chocolate flavor without being overly sweet.
Black cocoa powder is an ultra-Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which has a higher fat content than unsweetened cocoa powder, so it adds even more tenderness to this chocolate Oreo cake as well.
Black cocoa powder is CRUCIAL for making anything taste like Oreos and give the cake that deep midnight black color. Black cocoa powder is not the same as dark cocoa powder. For true Oreo flavor, you need a true black cocoa powder. If your grocery store doesn't have it in stock (and it's likely not), I recommend King Arthur Baking's Black Cocoa Powder, which you can order online.
Bloom the Cocoa Powder
Blooming the cocoa powders before adding them to the cake batter helps intensify the chocolate flavor. It's a simple but super important step I always like to include in my chocolate cake recipes. Blooming wakes up all the flavor compounds in the cocoa powder so the chocolate flavor can really shine.
Whisk the cocoa powders into the scalded milk.
Whisk in the sour cream until well combined.
I always do this step first so the bloomed chocolate mixture has time to cool slightly so it won't scramble the eggs or melt the butter when I add it to the cake batter.
Instructions - Black Cocoa Cake Batter
Since this is basically the same cake batter process as I used in my chocolate pound cake recipe, I'm going to keep this part brief. I recommend popping over to that recipe post to read more about it and see the visual step-by-step in detail!
This Oreo bundt cake recipe uses the Creaming Method of mixing which is characterized by the use of a solid, soft, room-temperature fat (butter, in this case) that is aerated with sugar to provide leavening to the cake. Take your time to do this first step correctly, scrape down the bowl at least three times, and give the butter and sugar time to transform into a light, fluffy, slightly grainy paste.
Scrape down then bowl, then add the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla. Finally, on lowest speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the bloomed cocoa mixture. Start with the flour and end with the flour.
It's not as complicated as it sounds. It's basically dries --> bloomed cocoa --> dries --> bloomed cocoa --> dries.
Mixing the last few bits of flour in by hand helps avoid over mixing, so the cake stays nice and tender when it bakes. Scrape to the very bottom of the bowl to make sure nothing is hiding that still needs to be mixed in.
The finished cake batter is a luscious, glossy dark brown that has a silky texture...almost like a thick brownie batter. It's honestly one of the most beautiful cake batters I've ever made.
Baking in a Bundt Pan
Generously spray a 10-cup non-stick bundt pan with non-stick spray over the sink so you don't get any on the floor (seriously, you do not want to slip on a rogue patch of non-stick spray).
I tested a few different ways to mix Oreo cookies into this Oreo bundt cake, but ultimately settled on a hidden ring of cookies around the middle. It's such a dramatic visual when you cut a slice of cake and see that crisp, clean white line of Oreo cookie filling.
Dollop the chocolate cake batter into the bundt pan.
Arrange Oreos in an even layer across the cake batter.
Once I have the ring of Oreo cookies inside, I dollop in the rest of the cake batter and smooth it out again. It doesn't need to have a perfectly flat surface; I just want it to be evenly distributed.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for about 10-15 minutes. Then it's time for the step everyone dreads: turning the cake out of the pan. Take a deep breath. You got this!
Place the cooling rack over the pan. Grab the pan on both sides, holding the rack in place. Hold your breath, cross your toes, pray to the baking gods, assume your best power stance, and quickly and confidently flip it over.
Carefully lift the cake pan off the cake. If all has gone well and the non-stick spray has done its job, the cake pan will release cleanly from the bundt cake without any sort of power struggle. Hooray!
If the cake doesn't come out of the cake pan on the first try, flip it back over and drape a lightly damp towel over the mouth of the pan. The steam should help it release from the pan.
The bottom of the cake will always be slightly curved, but as the warm cake cools, gravity will pull it down and flatten it out slightly.
Vanilla Cream Oreo Bundt Cake Icing
This is actually the same icing I use on top of my gooey cinnamon rolls! To make the Oreo cake icing, whisk the icing together until it is quite thick. Depending on the brand of powdered sugar you have, what type of milk you're using (on the honor system, I'm assuming you're using whole milk as instructed), and how precisely you measured the butter and vanilla, the amount of milk you need can change dramatically.
Transfer the icing into a piping bag (or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off) and pipe a thick zig-zag around the top of the cake.
Focus more on getting the icing to drip down the outside of the cake in the grooves of the fluted bundt pan pattern so you don't lose a lot of icing pooling in the middle.
When adding icing to this bundt cake, you'll want to have the cake either on a cooling rack so any excess icing can drip through, or place it on a cake board, or whatever platter you plan to serve it on so the drips can be part of the overall look. Once you add the icing, you definitely don't want to be moving the cake around too much!
I Use a 10-Cup Bundt Pan
This Oreo cake recipe is designed for a 10-cup bundt pan. A larger bundt pan will also work but the cake may not be as tall. For best results, I recommend using a non-stick bundt pan from a reputable brand like Nordic Ware or USA Pan.
A wire cooling rack will help the cake cool faster, so you can ice it sooner. Icing the cake while it's on a cooling rack inside a sheet pan will also allow any excess icing to drip off without pooling around the bottom of the cake.
Nordic Ware 10 Cup Elegant Party Bundt Pan
A 10-cup elegantly scalloped cast aluminum bundt pan with a gold finish. The inside has a silicon nonstick coating free of PFAS and PTFE that is easy to grease so that your cakes release cleanly.
💭 Have More Baking Questions?
I've rounded up answers to common baking questions and how-to guides, including:
- Ingredient swaps and FAQs
- Why my recipes are written in grams and not cups
- How to quickly bring eggs and butter to room temperature
- Ingredients I use (salt, flour, yeast, etc.)
- Step-by-step guides for bread and baking techniques
See my baking techniques & troubleshooting guide and ingredient swaps and FAQs for more!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Oreo Bundt Cake with Vanilla Cream Icing
Recipe Notes
- This recipe uses unsalted American-style butter (e.g. not European butter like Kerrygold). If using salted butter, cut the amount of salt in the recipe in half.
- If the icing is too thin and runny, whisk in more sifted powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. The icing will look light brown at first, but will dry white in color.
- I use whole milk in this cake recipe. The fat in whole milk adds a lot of moisture; skim or low-fat milk will produce a drier cake. You also need whole milk to make the icing; skim or low-fat milk will make the icing watery.
- I'm partial to the "Double Stuf" Oreo cookies, but you can use regular Oreos, "Mega Stuf" Oreos, or generic brand chocolate sandwich cookies here too! You can even use fun flavored Oreo cookies if you want!
- This Oreo pound cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 4-5 days. You can also refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. The chopped Oreos on top will begin to go stale and absorb some moisture from the icing after about 24 hours.
- The cake can be made up to 3 days in advance. Wait to put the icing and chopped Oreos on until the day you plan to serve it.
- The cake can be frozen, icing and all, for up to 3 months. To freeze, cut the cake into quarters and wrap well in plastic wrap, then place inside a large plastic bag. Defrost in the fridge before serving.
Ingredients
- 340 grams unsalted butter (1½ cups, 65°F, softened)
- 337 grams sugar
- 75 grams dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 279 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt (use half as much of any other brand)
- 187 grams whole milk
- 40 grams black cocoa powder
- 20 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
- 75 grams full-fat sour cream
- 8 oreo cookies
Toppings
- 130 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (melted)
- 4-6 teaspoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 4 oreo cookies (chopped)
Instructions
- Mise en Place. Bring butter and eggs to room temperature (the butter should be cool but soft to the touch, not melty or greasy). Measure both sugars into one container. In another container, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Sift cocoa powder. Grease a 10-cup bundt pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bloom cocoa powder. Scald milk in a small pot over low-medium heat on the stove, swirling the pot frequently until small bubbles form around the edges. Do not boil the milk. Remove from heat and add the sifted cocoa powder all at once. Whisk well until no clumps remain, then add sour cream and whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. Cut the butter into large chunks and place in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed to soften, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add both sugars. Beat on medium-low speed until there's no loose sugar in the bowl, then increase speed to medium and continue creaming for 3-7 minutes, pausing to scrape down the bowl and the beater at least 3 times. Properly creamed, the butter and sugar will be pale brown and have a fluffy, airy, and paste-like texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add eggs and vanilla. One at a time, crack an egg into a small bowl (to avoid getting shells in your cake!) then dump the egg into the mixer bowl, beating on medium speed for at least 60 seconds and scraping down the bowl again before adding the next egg. Add the vanilla along with the final egg. Scrape down the bowl and beater again at the end.
- Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients. With the mixer running on the lowest possible speed, alternate adding one third of the dry ingredients with one half of the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients (dry —> wet —> dry —> wet —> dry). Pause the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater between each addition. Stop the mixer when the batter is mostly combined and just a few streaks of flour are visible. Use a spatula to mix in any final bits of dry ingredients from the sides of the bowl or beater, making sure to scrape and stir all the way to the bottom of the bowl where sneaky bits of butter and sugar may be hiding.
- Assemble. Spoon about half the batter into the greased bundt pan. Use a mini offset spatula to smooth out the batter, pressing it down into all the nooks and crannies of the pan so there aren't any trapped air pockets. Arrange a layer of whole Oreo cookies around the center of the pan, as close together as you can get them. Then spoon the remaining batter overtop and smooth it out into all the corners and creases of the pan. Tap the pan against the counter a few times to knock out any excess air bubbles.
- Bake. Place the bundt pan in the center of a 350°F oven for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
- Cool. Remove the pan to a cooling rack. Let cool 15-20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Let cool completely before adding icing.
Icing & Topping
- Icing. Sift powdered sugar into a medum mixing bowl. Add melted butter, vanilla bean paste, and the lesser amount of whole milk. Whisk to combine. Slowly add additional milk 1 teaspoon or ½ teaspoon at a time, only as needed until you have a thick but fluid icing. The icing should fall slowly off of ithe whisk when you lift it out of the bowl and hold its shape for about 10-15 seconds seconds in the bowl before sinking into itself.
- Topping. Pipe or drizzle the icing around the top of the cake. Top the wet icing with chopped Oreo cookies, then sprinkle any remaining Oreo crumbs overtop. Allow the icing to set up for a few minutes before slicing.
Kerri Whittemore says
Do you think your vanilla pound cake recipe would work with this and golden Oreos?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
omg what a DREAM combo that would be! you’d likely have to scale it up by about 50% for the bundt pan, or you could hide golden oreos inside the pound cake! if you give it a try let me know how it turns out!
Jamie Charles says
Can I crumble the oreos in big chunks between the layers or does it need to be whole oreos?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You can do that too! Keep the chunks pretty big though. When I tried it with chopped Oreo chunks they basically just melted into the cake and you couldn’t see them at all. Aim for like, quartered cookie pieces but I wouldn’t go smaller than that.
Eddie says
This is probably a silly question, but would this work in a regular cake pan?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
It will work, but you'll have to Google around to figure out the right the pan conversion yourself! I know if you scale the recipe down by 25% it will fit in a regular pound cake pan.
Christine says
What's the texture of the baked in Oreos? This looks deliciously moist - do the Oreos soften up like an ice box cake layer?
I can't wait to try this. Thanks!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
They soften up and blend in with the cake a lot but there's still a little bit of a crunch when you get to them!
Veronica Canilao says
Thank you for posting this recipe! I am excited to try it. Do you know how long I should bake this if I use a pan for 6 min bundts instead of a large Bundt pan?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I haven't scaled it down to bake that way, so I'm not entirely sure! I would check after 25-30 minutes and then every 5-10 minutes after that until it's done!