This cookies & cream sheet cake combines a soft and buttery white cake with plenty of sweet Oreo cookies. The recipe begins as my white cake, but with a few updates to the batter to make room for the cream-filled cookie pieces. Top the cake with sturdy yet light whipped cream frosting, which is a combination of heavy cream, cream cheese, vanilla, and a bit of confectioners’ sugar. The frosting is lightly sweetened, so there’s plenty of room for more Oreos. This is a fun, simple, and manageable cake for a crowd of Oreo lovers!
Details About This Cookies & Cream Sheet Cake
- Flavor: All Oreo! If you love vanilla cake, whipped frosting, and Oreo cookies, you will ADORE this cookies & cream sheet cake. I was going to add chocolate ganache or chocolate buttercream, but decided to keep everything vanilla so nothing overpowers the actual Oreos in the cake batter and frosting.
- Texture: The cookies and cream cake is buttery, soft, and moist and the frosting has a creamy whipped texture that’s slightly heavier than regular whipped cream, but much lighter than vanilla buttercream. The Oreo cookie crumbs in the cake aren’t crunchy at all—instead, they take on a soft and cakey texture. The cake batter doesn’t require anything complicated, but make sure that you use egg whites (no yolks) and cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Both of these ingredients help guarantee a softer, lighter cake crumb. Since we’re not using egg yolks, which often weigh down a cake, let’s add fat back into the batter with sour cream. Sour cream keeps the cake light, but adds unbeatable moisture.
- Ease: Sheet cakes are renowned for being easier than layer cakes—no leveling off cake layers, no fancy decor, no crazy assembly required. Slicing and serving is a breeze and you’ll appreciate that this dessert can feed a crowd, but is still completely manageable to make. The whipped cream frosting comes together quickly and most of the work is done by your mixer. Honestly the hardest part about this entire recipe is resisting the urge to eat all those chopped Oreo cookies. (Ok, go ahead and sneak some!)
If you love Oreos, try this super easy cookies & cream pie, homemade Oreos, cookies & cream puppy chow, or 4 ingredient Oreo balls next.
Cookies & Cream Cake: What Works & What Doesn’t
This vanilla cake batter and this reverse-creamed vanilla sheet cake batter proved to be too heavy and thick for the Oreo cookie pieces—both cakes tasted pretty dense. My versatile white cake is my chameleon cake, proving successful when flavored, altered, or doctored up. It’s the starting point for burnt sugar cake, espresso cake, coconut cake, fresh berry cream cake, pineapple coconut cake, pistachio cake, and strawberry cake.
It is, without a doubt, my favorite base cake recipe.
For this cookies and cream cake, I reduced the sugar since we’re adding Oreo cookies. The sweetness was perfect, but the cake tasted greasy and wet as a result of the slightly melted cream filling in the cookies. I removed 1 egg white and reduced the milk, then added a little sour cream since I removed milk. Removing some liquid made the batter thicker, which held onto and soaked in the cookie pieces a bit better.
How to Make Oreo Whipped Cream Frosting
This frosting recipe yields 4–5 cups and there’s only 3/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar in all of it. (Plus the Oreo cookie pieces!)
When it comes to cake or cupcake decor, I usually stick with buttercream or cream cheese frosting—and both are quite sweet. I wanted something different today, so I turned to my creamy, fluffy, thick whipped frosting. It’s made with cream cheese, but you can’t taste the cream cheese. And when you fold in the chopped Oreo cookie pieces, the frosting itself tastes like the cookie’s cream filling! It would be delicious paired with chocolate cake or atop chocolate cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes.
Making whipped cream frosting is very easy. Let me review it with you:
- Beat softened brick-style cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract together until completely smooth. (Below left.)
- As the mixer is running, slowly pour in cold heavy cream.
- Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until thick and airy. (Below right.)
It holds a sturdy peak!
Add Oreo Cookies
If you want to use this whipped cream frosting for other flavor cakes, the process stops there. But for a cookies and cream cake, let’s fold in chopped Oreo cookies. I wanted piping around the edges of the cake, so I left some frosting plain since the Oreo cookies get stuck in a piping tip. I find a small offset spatula is best for frosting 9×13-inch sheet cakes.
And as you can see, the plain frosting pipes beautifully! I used a Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe a zigzag border design.
Can I Make This as a Layer Cake?
If possible, I always choose making a sheet cake instead of a layer cake because sheet cakes are quicker and easier to decorate and slice. Plus there’s no assembly required and you can serve it right out of the baking pan. (Three of my favorite quarter sheet cakes are this vanilla sheet cake, this banana cake, and this yellow sheet cake, and we always enjoy this chocolate sheet cake that’s made in a half sheet pan.) That being said, you can absolutely turn this into a cookies & cream layer cake if needed. Divide the batter between 2 9-inch round pans or 3 8-inch round pans and use parchment paper rounds to help the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. See recipe note for details. The frosting yields enough for filling and frosting a 2- or 3-layer cake.
Print
Cookies & Cream Sheet Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is soft and buttery white cake filled with cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos!). Top with light and fluffy whipped cream frosting. Each ingredient serves a purpose so for best results, I don’t recommend making substitutions.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (285g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- 1 and 1/4 cups chopped Oreos (110g, about 10 whole Oreos)*
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 6 ounces (170g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup chopped Oreos (90g, about 8 whole regular Oreos)*
- optional: mini or regular Oreos for garnish
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Generously grease a 9×13-inch cake pan.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites. Beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Mixture will appear curdled and that’s ok. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not overmix. Whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl, then fold in the chopped Oreo pieces. Avoid over-mixing.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for around 32–35 minutes or until the cake is baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. The cake must be completely cool before frosting.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract, and then beat on medium speed until combined and completely smooth, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl. Switch the mixer to low speed and with the mixer running, carefully pour in the cream in a slow and steady stream. After all of the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until thick and stiff peaks form, about 1–2 minutes.
- Frost the cake: If you’d like to pipe any frosting on the cake like I did in the photo above, set aside about 1 cup of frosting. Fold chopped Oreos into remaining frosting (or all of the frosting if you are not piping any of it). Spread onto cooled cake—it will be a thick layer of frosting. I find a small offset spatula is best for frosting 9×13-inch sheet cakes. For the pictured piping, I used a Wilton 1M piping tip and piped a zigzag design around the border.
- Serve immediately or cover and set aside for a few hours before serving. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day, then bring to room temperature before serving. You can definitely serve the cake cold, but many preferred it closer to room temperature. Frosting is sturdy enough at room temperature or in warmer weather for a few hours.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. The frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Assemble and frost the cake the next day when you are ready to serve. Frosted cake can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. Here’s my how to freeze cakes page.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Cake Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Small Offset Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip
- Whole Milk & Sour Cream/Room Temperature Ingredients: Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work instead of the sour cream, but the cake may not taste as light. Same goes with a lower-fat milk. All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information.
- Layer Cake: Grease 3 8-inch or 2 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for around 24–26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cakes are done. The frosting yields enough for filling and frosting a 2 -or 3-layer cake.
- Cupcakes: My vanilla cupcakes recipe is essentially this same recipe, only halved, so I recommend using that. Fold in about 3/4 cup of chopped Oreo pieces before spooning/pouring batter into liners. Halve the frosting recipe above. For close to 3 dozen cupcakes, follow the the cookies & cream cake batter recipe above and the baking instructions for cupcakes. Use the frosting recipe as written above.
- Amount of Cake Batter & Frosting: If it’s helpful for using different size cake pan sizes and conversions, this recipe yields about 7 cups of cake batter and 4–5 cups of frosting.
This will be the third time i have made this cake for our team members. Last time, I made 2 cakes and there was not a crumb left!! I haven’t made any alterations to the recipe other than a few more big chunky oreos. Everyone says it tastes just like oreo ice cream.
Good morning, What would happen if I used whole eggs instead of just whites? I would imagine the batter would be yellow instead of white. Thanks, Richie
Hi Richie, egg yolks can weigh cakes down, and using only egg whites helps to guarantee a softer, lighter cake crumb. Since we lose some fat from the absence of egg yolks, we add in some sour cream. Because this recipe is written specifically for egg whites, we don’t recommend using whole eggs, as it will require more tweaking of other ingredients. If you wish, you can use our vanilla cake recipe instead (which uses a combination of whole eggs and egg whites) and add some chopped Oreos to the batter. Let us know what you try!
I’d like to make this for a friend’s birthday, she loves cookies and cream. Can I use carton egg whites in place of the egg whites?
Hi Julie, you can use carton egg whites if needed. The carton should have a conversion chart to give you the four large egg whites needed for this recipe.
This cake tasted delicious. It looked a little bit strange as far as color. The frosting turned a gray/lavender color after mixing in the crushed cookies. Is there a way to prevent that?
Hi Randi, the graying color is to be expected with the Oreo crumbs. For less gray, you can leave the Oreos in larger chunks or even just sprinkle them on top of the frosting afterwards. Thank you for giving this one a try!
Could you use swiss meringue buttercream with crushed oreo cookies instead of the cream cheese frosting for a layer cake? Would everything be too sweet?
Hi Sharon, absolutely, Swiss meringue buttercream would work wonderfully here. Hope the cake is a hit!
I love this recipe! I use the cookie and cream frosting as a filling and then frost with buttercream. Do I need to refrigerate the cake overnight due to the whipped cream filling?
Hi Krissy, yes, we’d recommend refrigerating the cake overnight. We’re so glad this is a favorite for you!
I made this recipe for a birthday celebration for a few friends and it was a huge hit! It was easy to make and both the cake and the frosting were delectable. Can’t wait to make this recipe again!
Hello! I’m excited to make this for my daughters birthday. Can i stack 3 layers for the cake? And if i wanted to make the frosting ahead of time, how long can it be refrigerated?
Hi Chey, this cake holds up nicely as a 3-layer cake. See recipe Notes for layer cake details. The frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Assemble and frost the cake the next day when you are ready to serve. Hope the cake is a hit!
Moist and delicious! I made a layer cake with black cocoa icing for my grandsons spooky birthday cake! Will definitely be my new go-to vanilla cake. Thanks for the recipe.
I love this cake and am making for my daughter’s upcoming bday. Can I stack two sheet cakes together to make a layered sheet cake or just put out two separate cakes so there’s enough
Hi Victoria, you should be able to stack two cakes on top of one another.
My son has requested a chocolate cookies and cream cake. My family and I are huge fans of your dark chocolate mousse cake, so I’m wondering if I should add oreos and this frosting recipe to that or add chocolate to this recipe. Suggestions?
Thank you!
Hi Lisa! Adding cocoa powder can be quite finicky, so we’d add chopped Oreos to the dark chocolate mousse cake and then you can use this frosting if desired. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Sally! Great recipe. My family isn’t the biggest fan of cake flour. Can I safely sub regular AP flour for cake flour without changing anything else?
Hi Divya, cake flour helps guarantee a softer, lighter cake crumb. We don’t recommend swapping with all-purpose flour, but if you do, the cake will be a bit heavier and may even seem a bit dry.
My son loves Oreos and can’t wait to try this but we also have a lactose intolerant family. I typically use a butter or cream cheese substitute that works well but the heavy cream seems like it would be difficult to replicate. Is there another type of frosting you would recommend?
Hi Karin! The heavy cream is necessary for this whipped frosting to whip into the right consistency. If you have a reliable butter and/or cream cheese replacement, you could try our regular vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting and fold some Oreos into those. Hope your family enjoys the cake!
I will try the cream cheese frosting. We love a good cream cheese frosting!
This one is a winner! When I think cookies and cream, i think super sweet. This cake is not that – at least for me and my family – but we ALL LOVED IT! I will definitely add this to my list of regular makes. I think I might add extra powdered sugar to the frosting next time? Maybe…. But loved it as is!
The one note I will make – I cut the cake recipe in half and baked in an 8×8 pan. (It’s just too dangerous to have a 13×9 cake for a family of 4.) Halving the cake recipe worked great and the texture of this cake is lovely. I did NOT cut the frosting recipe in half. Thank goodness! The full recipe was the perfect amount for the 8×8 cake! Boy would I have been disappointed with this amt of frosting on a 13×9 cake. I know this about me and my family though – we are frosting/icing people!!
Thanks for another great recipe!!! ❤️
What a great recipe! Unfortunately, where we leave we can’t get cream cheese. Anything we can substitute it with? Thank you.
Hi Lili! Cream cheese is necessary for the whipped frosting, but you could fold some Oreos into regular vanilla buttercream or even Swiss meringue buttercream instead.
Can I double this recipe for a 1/2 sheet cake?
Hi Kendra! Here’s everything you need to know about scaling recipes for different cake pan sizes.
I’ve made so many of your recipes and this is the first one I’ve commented on. What a wonderful cake! It’s so light and fluffy and the frosting is the perfect accompaniment. We left the Oreo pieces in the cake themselves a bit bigger so they retained more crunch, which we liked. My family said it was one of the best things I’ve ever made. Thank you!
So happy to hear you loved the cake, Charlotte!
Made this 5times & it’s still excellent! Fav at home. Every bite has a rolling-eyes&moan feel! Just can’t believe how good this cake is. It’s a HUGE cake & my family finishes it in less than 2days. Hands down the best!
All I can say is thank you for helping make a family’s day better with this recipe.
Hi Sally! I am a long time fan, but since my daughter was diagnosed with an egg allergy, I am not able to make most of your recipes anymore. I’d love more eggless options! She is a huge Oreo fan and I would love to make this for her birthday. Do you have any suggestions for substitutions? Thanks!
Hi Ashley, we haven’t tried an egg substitute here, but please let us know if you do! Here is a list of our egg free baking options.
Made this for my husband’s 40th (he loves Oreos) and it was a massive hit. Everybody was commenting and asking for the recipe. I told them, Sally never steers me wrong!!
Would it be ok if I were to use mint Oreos?
Hi M, we can’t see why not!
Easy to follow instructions, lovely texture and flavor, and I got rave reviews from my friends. I love how the frosting is not too sweet. Thanks for another great recipe, Sally!!
This was the best cake I’ve ever had! The cake was so light and fluffy, and the frosting wasn’t as thick as normal vanilla frosting, but not as thin as whipped cream.
I make a lot of frosting, and this by far is my favorite. Wow. I love that it doesn’t have much sugar but the flavor and texture are incredible. This in a bowl, with a spoon- heaven!!
Can never go wrong with your amazing and creative recipes! Maybe a silly question, but will the whipped cream frosting work if making cake pops with this recipe? Thanks so much!
It should work, but I haven’t tested it. You would also need less frosting, as cake pops don’t require much!
Hi Sally. Im planning to make a bday cake using this recipe. Can I stack 3 layers of cake? Kind of worried as Im afraid the cake will collapse as they are light. Appreciate ur reply. thank you
Hi Zee, see recipe Notes for layer cake instructions. Enjoy!
Hi Sally! I would love to make cookies and cream buttercream but do not want to use store-bought Oreos. Could I make your homemade oreos and use them or would they be too soft? Thank you!
Hi Michelle, they will be too soft – they don’t have the same crunch and crumbly qualities that regular Oreos do.
Am I able to use heart shaped cake pans and then layer the cake with the frosting in between the cake layers?
Hi J Rosie, see recipe Notes for layer cake instructions. Enjoy!
I am making a 3/4, two layer sheet cake. Can I use carton egg whites, or do I need regular eggs?
Hi Marci, you can use carton egg whites if needed. The carton should have a conversion chart to give you the four large egg whites needed for this recipe.
Made this for my 9 year olds birthday. Amazing! A new family favorite
I am wanting to make this the base of an ice cream cake, but it rises too much in the pan. Would the recipe still work if I halved it?
Can’t see why not!