• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
the practical kitchen
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers
    • Breads
      • Bagels
      • Biscuits, Scones & Loaves
      • Sourdough
    • Breakfast
      • Muffins
    • Condiments & Dips
    • Desserts
      • Bars & Brownies
      • Cakes
      • Cookies
      • Ice Cream
      • Pies & Tarts
    • Main Dishes
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
  • About
  • Shop
  • Newsletter
  • Tip Jar
    • Amazon
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments & Dips
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
  • About
  • Shop
  • Newsletter
  • Tip Jar
    • Amazon
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Desserts » Cakes

    Chocolate Oreo Bundt Cake with Vanilla Cream Icing

    No ratings yet
    Published by Rebecca Eisenberg ⁠— October 17, 2023 — 8 Comments

    126 shares
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    This post may contain affiliate links

    Embark on a chocolate cookies 'n cream dessert adventure with this towering, fun Oreo pound cake baked in a bundt pan!

    This dramatic black and white pound cake 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 crunch 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!

    a dark chocolate bundt cake with white icing drips and crushed oreos around the top of it.

    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.

    For other easy dessert recipes that use black cocoa powder, check out my black cocoa crinkle cookies and my chocolate m&m cookies!

    About This Recipe

    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 yet mellow chocolate flavor, so I didn't replace all of the regular unsweetened cocoa powder in the recipe. The black cocoa brings the intensity, while the unsweetened cocoa powder serves up an undeniably 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, adding even more moisture to this chocolate cake.

    close up of a slice of oreo bundt cake showing the oreo hidden in the middle.

    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!

    If you really want to up the amount of Oreos in the cake, you can certainly do two or even three layers of cookies inside!

    Ingredient Notes

    Here are the ingredients that you'll need to make this Oreo bundt cake recipe! See recipe card for quantities.

    all of the ingredients measured and labeled.
    • Unsalted Butter - This recipe uses unsalted American-style butter (e.g. not European butter like Kerrygold). If using a salted butter, cut the amount of salt in the recipe in half. You'll also need about a tablespoon of butter for the Oreo cream icing drizzle.
    • Sugar - Plain old regular granulated white sugar. Nothing fancy here!
    • Brown sugar - I use dark brown sugar which has more molasses in it for extra flavor and moisture, but light brown sugar will also work.
    • Eggs - This recipe uses large eggs, which weigh about 48 grams per egg. If you use another size egg, this will affect the outcome of the cake!
    • Whole Milk - For blooming the cocoa powder. The fat in whole milk adds a lot of moisture to this cake. Skim or low-fat milk will give you a much drier cake. You'll also need whole milk to make the icing; skim or low-fat milk will make the icing watery.
    • Black Cocoa Powder - Black cocoa powder is CRUCIAL for making anything taste like Oreos and give it that deep midnight black color. Black cocoa powder is not the same as dark cocoa powder. While you can use other cocoa powders in this recipe, 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 they don't), I recommend King Arthur Baking's Black Cocoa Powder which you can order online.
    • Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - This recipe uses a small amount of unsweetened natural cocoa powder like the classic box of Hershey's you can find in most grocery stores. This adds a bit of sweeter chocolate flavor to balance out the intensity of the black cocoa powder.
    • Vanilla - I usually use vanilla bean paste because it has a more intense vanilla flavor, but regular vanilla extract will work just fine here too.
    • Sour Cream - Full fat sour cream works best — you really need the fat content to make the chocolate cake tender and moist. You won't get the same results with low fat options.
    • Flour - Regular all purpose flour. Gluten free cup-for-cup all purpose flours should also work, but I haven't personally tested them.
    • Salt - I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which half as salty as other brands. If measuring by weight, it doesn't matter what brand of salt you use. But if you're measuring by volume and using a different brand of salt, even a different brand of kosher salt, cut the amount of salt in half.
    • Baking Powder - This helps the cake rise. The air whipped into the butter by the sugar will provide a lot of the cake's rise, but since we're adding quite a bit of liquids and fats to this cake, adding baking powder will help ensure the cake rises nicely in the oven.
    • Powdered Sugar - Also called "confectioner's sugar" this is needed only for making the Oreo vanilla cream icing that goes on top of the cake.
    • Oreo Cookies - 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!

    🍽 Mise en place (aka "the setup")

    Mise en place is a French culinary term that literally translates to "putting in place."

    It basically means: Measure all your ingredients and make sure you have all the right tools and equipment ready to go when you need them before you start working.

    This can make a huge difference in a) how enjoyable you find the baking and cooking process and b) the success of your recipe!

    Here's the mise en place you'll need before you begin this recipe:

    • Bring the butter to room temperature. Let the butter sit out at room temperature (70°F) for an hour or two prior to baking. If you're short on time, microwave the wrapped sticks of cold butter for about 4 seconds per side. The butter should still feel slightly cool to the touch but and soft enough to press a finger into, but not so soft that it's greasy or melty — an internal temperature of 65°F.
    • Bring the eggs to room temperature. Submerge the eggs in hot water for about 10-15 minutes. Cold eggs will cool down the butter, causing the batter to break and separate, making it harder for the cake to rise.
    • Mix the dry ingredients together (NOT including cocoa powder and sugar). Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. I like using a tall 32 oz deli container because it's easier to pour from.
    • Sift the cocoa powders. I wouldn't tell you to sift something if it wasn't important. Cocoa powder is naturally very lumpy and if you don't sift it, those lumps will end up in your final cake no matter how much you whisk them. Sift. The. Cocoa. Powders.
    sifted cocoa powders in a bowl with a wire mesh strainer next to it.

    Bloom the Cocoa Powder

    Blooming the cocoa powders helps intensify the chocolate flavor. It's a simple but super important step in this Oreo bundt cake recipe, since black cocoa has a relatively mild chocolate flavor. We want it to be at its best!

    To scald milk, swirl the milk in the pot over low-medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges; when you tilt the pan you should see lots of tiny active bubbles on the bottom of the pot.

    whisking cocoa powder into scalded milk in a small sauce pot on an induction burner.

    Turn off the heat and add the sifted cocoa powders all at once, whisking until you don't see any dry bits.

    whisking sour cream into the bloomed cocoa powder in the sauce pot on the off induction burner.

    Then whisk in the sour cream until well combined and set it aside to cool until we need it later.

    Do this step first so the bloomed chocolate mixture can cool slightly — you don't want the heat to scramble the eggs or melt the butter in 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! (I've also got some ingredient substitutions in that post, in case you need them.)

    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) that is aerated with sugar to provide lift to the cake.

    There's basically three steps to this process:

    1. Cream the butter and sugars together until aerated. This step is super important! Be patient and make sure you pause to scrape down the bowl and beater at least 3 times. When properly aerated, the mixture will be light brown and look creamy and fluffy. If you rub it between your fingers the sugar granules should be almost dissolved but still feel slightly gritty.
    2. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, giving each one plenty of time (at least 60 seconds) to incorporate. Scrape down the bowl before and after adding each one. Add the vanilla along with the final egg.
    3. On the lowest possible speed, alternate adding the remaining dry ingredients and wet ingredients (the bloomed cocoa powder), mixing just until combined. Finish mixing the batter by hand, scraping down the bowl one final time to get everything incorporated.

    When it comes to aerating the butter and sugars together, it can take 3-5 minutes, sometimes even 7 minutes for the butter and sugar to reach the right texture, depending on how soft the butter was at the start.

    This is what the butter and sugars will look like when they're properly creamed:

    butter and sugar creamed until light and fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer.

    Scrape down then bowl, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 45-60 seconds after each one to give them time to fully incorporate. Scrape down the bowl and beater before adding the next egg.

    Finally, on lowest speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder, and salt) and the wet ingredients (the bloomed cocoa mixture). Start with the flour and end with the flour.

    It's not as complicated as it sounds. You're basically adding flour --> chocolate --> flour --> chocolate --> flour. Mix on the lowest speed, stop when they're just barely combined, and pause between additions to scrape down the bowl and beater as needed.

    A mixer bowl with chocolate cake batter in it, the last bit of flour has been added on top of it.

    Alternating adding the dry and wet ingredients on low speed and pausing to scrape down the bowl between additions is super important to help prevent over mixing.

    Over mixing encourages the flour to begin forming a strong gluten network which will make the cake dense and tough.

    When the last batch of dry ingredients has been added and just a few streaks of flour in the batter and the walls of the bowl remain, switch to a spatula to finish mixing.

    dark chocolate cake batter in a mixer bowl with a purple spatula sticking out of it.

    This also helps you avoid over mixing your cake batter so it stays nice and tender when it bakes. Scrape to the very bottom of the bowl to make sure there's nothing hiding that still needs to be mixed in.

    You'll end up with a luscious, glossy dark brown chocolate cake batter 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).

    To help the cake release cleanly after baking, spray from about 7-10 inches away for a nice even coating inside, and make sure you rotate the pan so it hits from multiple angles.

    Get the non-stick spray on all the walls and nooks and crannies of the bundt pan and up the column in the middle.

    At the same time, you don't want the non-stick spray pooling at the bottom of the bundt pan. A little bit is fine, but if you have a lot collecting at the bottom, use a paper towel to gently dab some of the excess away.

    a bundt pan filled about half way with dollops of chocolate cake batter.

    Dollop the chocolate cake batter into the bundt pan until it's approximately halfway full.

    Then use a spatula to press it down into all the edges of the pan, making sure there's no air bubbles trapped inside and you have an even layer of batter.

    eight oreos arranged evenly around the layer of chocolate cake batter in the bundt pan.

    Arrange Oreos in an even layer across the cake batter, as close to each other as you can so there's Oreo in every cake slice.

    You may have to get creative with your Oreo configuration based on the shape of your bundt pan, but I can usually fit 8 side by side all the way around.

    Scoop the rest of the chocolate cake batter into the pan and even it out again. This step is crucial for ensuring your Oreo bundt cake isn't lopsided when it comes out of the pan.

    The cake batter doesn't need a perfectly flat surface, you just want to make sure it's distributed evenly all the way around the pan.

    Also, honestly? Swirling the cake batter around to even it out and make sure that it's pressed into all the funky scalloped edges of the bundt pan is just really fun.

    a bundt pan with chocolate cake batter filled almost to the top. a hand uses a mini offset spatula to even off the top layer of batter.

    Bake the Oreo bundt cake at 350°F for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick or small knife inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs (not wet batter) clinging to it.

    Checking For Doneness: It's hard to tell when a chocolate cake is done because you can't see any browning. Checking for a few crumbs on the cake tester is the best way to know. If you're using an instant read thermometer, you're looking for a temperature of 190°-200°F.

    Even with all the sour cream and milk we've added to this black cocoa cake for extra moisture, you really don't want to over bake it or it will come out dry.

    Some carryover cooking will happen as the cake rests in the pan after it comes out of the oven, so err on the side of pulling it a couple minutes too soon if you're not sure.

    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!

    a wire cooling rack over the mouth of the bundt pan with the baked cake inside. two hands in light blue oven mitts are holding either side of the rack and the bundt pan.

    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.

    two hands in light blue oven mitts lifting the gold bundt pan off the black cocoa oreo cake on a cooling rack.

    The big reveal! Carefully lift the cake pan off the cake.

    If all has gone well and your 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 you don't have oven mitts you trust, place a kitchen towel under the bundt pan and pull the ends taught at the sides of the cooling rack so the towel holds the pan in place as you flip it.

    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.

    Let the Oreo bundt cake cool completely on the rack before icing. If the cake is even slightly warm, the icing will melt right off, so give your cake plenty of time to cool!

    a dark black-brown chocolate fluted bundt cake on a wire cooling rack.

    The bottom of the cake will always be slightly curved, but as the warm cake cools, gravity will pull it down and flatten out the bottom slightly.

    Vanilla Cream Oreo Bundt Cake Icing

    To make the Oreo cake icing, start by sifting the powdered sugar (again, you can't whisk out lumps and clumps no matter how hard you try). Then whisk in 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 4 teaspoons whole milk. (This is actually the same icing I use on top of my gooey cinnamon rolls!)

    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.

    After the initial 2 teaspoons of milk, add the milk 1 teaspoon or ½ teaspoon at a time, whisking it in well before adding more.

    Whisking the oreo cake icing in a bowl.

    You're looking for a fairly thick icing. It shouldn't be runny, and it should move slowly in the bowl. If you lift the whisk up, it will very slowly drip off and may not even drip all the way back into the bowl.

    If the icing is too runny or wet, whisk in more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it thickens up.

    The melted butter will help the icing firm up as it cools, giving it that Oreo creme-like consistency.

    At first, the icing will look light brown due to the vanilla extract, but it will be white once it dries.

    piping a thick layer of white icing around the top of the dark chocolate bundt cake on a cooling rack.

    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 waste a lot pooling in the middle.

    NOTE: The chocolate bundt cake must be completely cool before you add the Oreo icing or it will melt off of the cake.

    Before the icing dries, top it with chopped Oreo pieces so that they stick in place. Voila! That's your Oreo bundt cake, done.

    An overhead shot of the finished oreo bundt cake on a cooling rack set inside a sheet pan.

    Suggested Equipment

    Here's the equipment I use to make this chocolate Oreo pound cake in a bundt pan. You don't need to have all of these same tools, but they may make the process easier!

    • Kitchen Scale - You need a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients for this cake. Measuring flour and powdered sugar by cups can throw the recipe off a lot, as they're very inaccurate depending on how tightly you pack them into the cup when you scoop it and also what brand of measuring cups you're using.
    • Electric Mixer - I use a KitchenAid stand mixer with the paddle attachment. An electric hand mixer will also work — the creaming stage may just take a little longer.
    • Bundt Pan - This recipe is designed for a 10 cup bundt pan. A larger bundt pan will also work. For best results, I recommend using a non-stick bundt pan from a reputable brand like Nordic Ware or USA Pan.
    • Mini Offset Spatula - For smoothing out the cake batter in the pan. Trust me, you'll think a regular spatula or a knife can do the same job, but once you try using a mini offset spatula, there's no going back.
    • Wire Cooling Rack - 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.
    • Whisk - You'll want to use one of your favorite whisks to make the Oreo icing drizzle. If you don't have a whisk, a fork is the next best tool for the job.
    • Small Sauce Pot - You'll need a 2-3 cup sauce pot to scald the milk. A larger pot will work, but the milk will warm up a lot faster so keep an eye on it.
    a gold fluted bundt pan.

    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.

    Amazon
    Target
    Wayfair

    Storage Notes & Freezing

    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.

    A slice of Oreo cake being lifted out of the bundt cake revealing the white oreo cookie icing inside.

    Practical Tips and Recipe Notes

    • For Oreo cookies mixed into the dough instead of just in the middle, cut the cookies into halves or quarters and stir them in when you finish mixing the cake batter by hand. If you cut the cookies too much smaller than that, they will melt and blend into the cake when it bakes and you won't really notice they're there at all.
    • If the cake mixture begins to look split or curdled as you're adding the eggs, don't sweat it too much. It will come back together when you add the flour.
    • When in doubt, SCRAPE DOWN THE BOWL. If it feels like you're stopping too often to scrape down the bowl, that means you're doing it right. You don't want any ingredients to go unincorporated or you'll end up with large air bubbles or clumps in your final cake.
    • Mixing the dry ingredients on the lowest possible speed and stopping as soon as they're all combined is super important. The goal is to avoid developing gluten in the cake batter, which would make your old fashioned vanilla pound cake dense and tough, with lots of trapped tunnels of air bubbles inside.
    • Make sure your baking powder is fresh! If you aren't sure, it's probably not. Baking powder is good for about 6 months, after that it loses its potency. To check if it's still good, Epicurious recommends mixing 1 cup very hot tap water with 2 teaspoons baking powder: "If there’s an immediate fizzing reaction that dissipates all of the powder, you’ll know it still works. If there’s no bubbling, the baking powder is no longer potent and needs to be swapped out."
    • 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!
    • GLUTEN FREE/ALMOND FLOUR/WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR - Cup-for-cup gluten free flour should work just fine here. Almond flour is just ground almonds, it will not work in this cake. Whole wheat flour will make the cake very dry, I don't recommend it.
    • I don't have a bundt pan, can I make this in a loaf pan?
    • To bake this cake in a loaf pan instead, reduce the recipe by one third and reduce the bake time by about 5-10 minutes.

    Why Temperatures Matter

    Pay attention to the temperature directions in this chocolate pound cake recipe as they can dramatically affect the way your cake turns out.

    • If your butter is too warm, it won't be able to incorporate enough air. If the butter is too cold, it will take much longer to cream properly.
    • If you use cold eggs, they will cause the butter to firm up in the mixer and you risk it curdling or splitting, resulting in a flat, tough cake.
    • If your oven runs hot or runs cold, this can affect the cake's rise, the thickness of the crust, the moisture, the texture, and the baking time. I recommend using an oven thermometer to make sure you're baking it at the right temperature!

    Why is this recipe in grams? I want to use cups!

    A kitchen scale is more accurate than cup measurements and will give you the right ratio of dry and liquid ingredients so that the cake batter behaves the way we want it to. This is a pound cake — and pound refers to the weight of the ingredients — it's super important that you have equal amounts of flour, butter, and sugar by weight to get the best results.

    I tested and developed this recipe using weight measurements. If I were to convert it to volume measurements, I would be using an online conversion calculator — just like you would. There's no set standard for how much "1 cup" of flour weighs (I use 120 grams, like King Arthur Baking does, but other recipe developers use as much as 150 grams as "1 cup"), which means converting this recipe to cups will produce wildly varying results. Use a kitchen scale for best results!

    📖 Recipe

    a dark chocolate bundt cake with white icing drips and crushed oreos around the top of it.

    Chocolate Oreo Bundt Cake with Vanilla Cream Icing

    Rebecca Eisenberg
    Embark on a cookies 'n cream dessert adventure with this towering, fun Oreo pound cake baked in a bundt pan! There's a hidden layer of whole Oreo cookies inside this moist, tender chocolate cake, adding an unexpected crunch to every bite. To top if all off, it's finished with a thick vanilla icing and crowned with even more crushed Oreos. Because decorating cakes doesn't have to be hard!
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved! Email
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 bundt cake

    Equipment

    • Bundt Pan (10 cup capacity)
    • Kitchen scale
    • Small offset spatula
    • Sturdy wire whisk
    • Wire mesh strainer
    • Small pot (2-3 cup capacity)
    • Cooling rack
    • Large piping bag

    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)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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. When you tilt the pot there will be lots of active little bubbles on the bottom of the pot. You're aiming for a temperature of 170°-180°F. 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.

    RECIPE NOTES

    • Pay close attention to the temperature cues given in the recipe — they're very important to how the final loaf turns out!
    • 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.
    • To mix Oreo cookie pieces into the dough instead of a line in the middle, cut the cookies into halves or quarters and stir them in when you finish mixing the cake batter by hand. If you cut the cookies too much smaller than that, they will melt and blend into the cake when it bakes and you won't really notice they're there at all.

    YOUR NOTES

    Click here to add your own private notes. Only you can see these.
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and let me how it was!
    CakesChocolate
    « Hand-Rolled New York-Style Bagels (Overnight Recipe)
    Soft Brioche Buns for Burgers »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Kerri Whittemore

      November 09, 2023 at 7:45 am

      Do you think your vanilla pound cake recipe would work with this and golden Oreos?

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        November 09, 2023 at 9:46 pm

        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!

        Reply
    2. Jamie Charles

      January 20, 2024 at 4:12 pm

      Can I crumble the oreos in big chunks between the layers or does it need to be whole oreos?

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        January 20, 2024 at 6:10 pm

        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.

        Reply
    3. Eddie

      March 07, 2024 at 8:20 pm

      This is probably a silly question, but would this work in a regular cake pan?

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        March 08, 2024 at 11:15 am

        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.

        Reply
      • Christine

        July 13, 2024 at 5:51 pm

        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!

        Reply
        • Rebecca Eisenberg

          July 15, 2024 at 1:09 pm

          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!

          Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    rebecca wearing a black t-shirt with her left hand on her hip and her right hand holding a whisk upright

    Hi, I'm Rebecca! I'm a pastry chef with a home cook mentality. I'm on a mission to make spending time in the kitchen fun and accessible — that's why so many people love my beginner-friendly bread recipes. I'm always looking for new and creative ways to get the most out of my favorite ingredients and flavors!

    More about me →

    Seasonal Favorites

    • cross section of a cranberry orange mini muffin
      Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins
    • a close up of a log of garlic chive compound butter on a sheet of parchment paper with a butter knife nearby
      Roasted Garlic and Chive Compound Butter for Poultry
    • a hand drizzles honey on a pizza slice with a honey wand.
      Hot Honey Pizza with Goat Cheese
    • smoked turkey legs on a plate
      Better-Than-Disney Smoked Turkey Legs

    Get in touch

    Want to work with me? Just have a question? Shoot me an email!

    rebecca@thepracticalkitchen.com

    Treat Yourself

    • the best plus size aprons
      15+ Places to Buy Plus Size Aprons
    • college kitchen basics
      17+ College Kitchen Basics you Actually Need (and What You Don't)
    • 15+ best salt cellars for any kitchen.
      15+ Best Salt Cellars to Keep on Your Counter
    • flour storage containers for 5 lbs of flour
      Flour Storage Containers That Fit Five Pounds of Flour

    Footer

    About Me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Journalist turned pastry chef, on a mission to make cooking and baking fun and accessible. I'm always looking for new and creative ways to get the most out of my favorite ingredients and flavors! A Pittsburgh native currently calling Boston home.

    My Favorites

    overhead shot of ribs on parchment paper with a small bowl of applesauce
    the best plus size aprons
    favorite kitchen tools over 100

    Popular Bread Recipes

    • Loaf pan focaccia
    • Crusty bread
    • Ciabatta bread
    • Everything bagels
    • No knead bread
    • Brioche buns
    • Pretzel bites

    Pizza Essentials

    • Thin crust pizza dough
    • Thick focaccia pizza
    • How to stretch pizza dough
    • White pizza sauce
    • Pizza sauce recipe
    • Prosciutto arugula pizza
    • Hot honey pizza

    Scratch-Made Staples

    • Cold brew coffee
    • Homemade hot sauce
    • Chex mix seasoning
    • Everything bagel seasoning
    • Bagel chips recipe
    • Homemade butter
    • Olive oil bread dip

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Links

    • About
    • Recipe Search
    • Editorial Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • FAQ

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Resources

    • Shop
    • Links & Resources
    • Cooking Tips
    • Web Stories

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required