Cookies and Cream Cake

I'd intended to post this recipe before the end of the year, as it seemed fitting to end the year with the cake that ended all cake baking for 2012. But things never go quite as planned, and I had too great a time celebrating Christmas and New Years that I didn't get around to blogging.

So instead, I'll start the New Year with this cake- beginning with the end rather than ending with the end.

Same difference!

Having much too many oreos in our cupboard than we could handle (including packets of the double stuff ones which we detest), making a cookies and cream dessert seemed a logical solution to rid ourselves of them. After much recipe searching and pondering over whether it should be used in a cake, ice-cream, slice or cheesecake, I decided to make my own version of the Red Ribbon Cookies & Cream Cake.



With layers of chocolate and vanilla sponge cake sandwiched with oreo cream cheese frosting,  it didn't taste half bad. But what I didn't factor in was the fact that there was only one person in our household who actually liked the cookies n cream flavour, which meant that there was only one person to eat the whole cake  as it was much to 'rich' for the rest of my family to stomach.

And so the remainder of the cake sat in the fridge for two weeks. And then ended in the bin.

Now let's hope 2013 gets off to a better start eh?

Cookies and Cream Cake
Makes a 15cm cake

For the Vanilla Sponge Cake:

20g Milk
15g Vegetable Oil
60g Caster Sugar (separated into 20g and 40g)
50g Cake Flour (plain flour will do if you don't have cake flour)
1.5g baking powder
2 eggs, separated

1. Preheat oven to 180decC (fan forced)
2. Whisk egg yolks and 20g of caster sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns slightly pale. Whisk in the milk and oil. 
3. Lightly whisk in the flour and baking powder until just incorporated. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining sugar and egg whites together until soft peaks form
5. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until just incorporated
6. Pour into a lightly greased round 15cm pan and bake for 25 minutes until done
7. Cool completely then cut cake into two layers.

For the Chocolate Sponge Cake:

8g Cocoa Powder
20g Water
15g Vegetable Oil
60g Caster Sugar (separated into 20g and 40g)
50g Cake Flour (plain flour will do if you don't have cake flour)
1.5g baking powder
2 eggs, separated

1. Preheat oven to 180decC (fan forced)
2. Mix the water and cocoa powder together to make a thick chocolate sauce. Add the baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 20g of caster sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns slightly pale. Add in the oil, then whisk in the chocolate mixture from the previous step. 
4. Sift in the flour and lightly whisk into batter until just incorporated
5. In another clean bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the caster sugar slowly and beat until soft peaks form. 
6. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until just combined.
7. Pour into a lightly greased round 15cm pan and bake for 25 minutes until done
8. Cool completely then cut cake into two layers. You will only need ONE of these layers.

For the Oreo Cream Cheese Filling:

125g Spreadable Cream Cheese
40g white chocolate, melted (optional)
1/4 cup thickened Cream
~5 Oreos, crushed (I used double stuff, but for a less rich filling, use normal oreos!)
Icing Sugar, to taste

1. Combine the melted chocolate and cream cheese and beat until smooth. Beat in the thickened cream. 
2. Beat in the icing sugar until the mixture become a little less sweet than you'd like it
3. Fold in the oreos and then add icing sugar to your desired sweetness

Assembly
100ml thickened cream
Icing Sugar to taste
~4 Oreos, Crushed
12 mini oreos (optional, for decoration)

1. Whip the thickened cream and icing sugar until soft peaks form. Set aside. 
2. Spread half of the a little more than 1/3 of the cream cheese filling over one layer of vanilla sponge cake, being careful to cover the top but not the sides
3. Top with a layer of chocolate cake then spread another 1/3 of cream cheese filling over that
4. Using about half the crushed oreos, spread enough crushed oreos over the cream cheese filling to completely cover it, then cover with the remaining cream cheese filling
5. Top with the second vanilla sponge cake layer
6. Using the whipped cream (from step 1), cover the top and sides of the cake until smooth.
7. Using the remaining crushed oreos, bottom of the cake, then place the mini oreos on top.