Cookies and Cream Cake for Yohann's 9th birthday

One Saturday in August while walking to the library with Yohann, whose birthday was a few weeks away and Kimberly, my vivacious 4 year old who is full of ideas, I asked Yohann to decide on the cake he wants for his birthday..we went back and forth with a few options, chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, vanilla cake with chocolate frosting etc but couldn't really decide so we moved on to other topics knowing it would come to us..It is a big deal in our house..what cake? is the mother of all questions :-). On our way back from the library, they wanted to stop at the local metro and get some popsicles because it was so hot that day. While walking back, Yohann said,I wish I actually had a cold glass of milk with some Oreos, I just love Oreos, the perfect cookies and cream combination and that was that..I suggested a 'cookies and cream' cake. I looked at lots of recipes but settled on the 'Hersheys perfect chocolate cake' recipe that I could do with my eyes closed and which was always a hit...I made the cake and boy!! everyone loved it. Here is the recipe I used. I skipped the fudge frosting and instead doubled up on vanilla cream filling and used that as frosting as well.

Fudgy Cookies and Cream Cake

Adapted from confessionsofacookbookqueen.com

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Dutch process cocoa powder (I use Hershey's Special Dark)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water 

Filling:

• 2 cups heavy cream, COLD
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 15 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
• 1 tsp vanilla 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour two (8 or 9 inch) round cake pans and set aside.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tops of cake spring back when lightly touched in the center. Let cool in pans for about 5 minutes, then remove to cool completely on wire racks. Once cakes are room temperature, wrap and chill (preferably overnight).
4. Prepare filling:
5. Place the metal bowl of your mixer, along with whisk attachment, in the freezer for 5 minutes. Remove from freezer and add heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Beat on high until you have whipped cream that forms stiff peaks (keep an eye on it....it can turn to butter if you let it go too long). 
6.  
7. Level your chilled cakes, then split each layer in half. Fill each layer with cream filling, add crushed cookies, add more cream to sandwich the cookies . If possible, stick in the freezer for about an hour, so the filling will firm up and not make it difficult to frost.

I used cream cheese frosting from www.Glorioustreats.com


Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup (1 stick/8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter (set at room temp about 10 minutes, but should still be cool)
8 oz. cream cheese (directly from fridge)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (always use pure vanilla extract if possible)
4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
1 to 4 Tablespoons heavy cream, heavy whipping cream (or milk- although I do like the richness that cream adds)

Directions:

*Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until fully combined and smooth, about 30 seconds.
*Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
*Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don’t add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
*Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
*Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.)
The recipe above will produce a delicious VANILLA flavored frosting, here are a couple of other options to try…
For a Stronger Cream Cheese Flavor: Use an additional 4 oz. (½ block) of cream cheese. This is good for any cake/cupcake recipe that is traditionally topped with Cream Cheese Frosting, like Carrot Cake, or Red Velvet Cake.

Notes

Cake portion adapted from Hershey

Whipped Cream Filling Carefully cut 6 Oreo cookies in half; set aside. Chop remaining cookies into 1/4-inch Place reserved whipped cream in pastry bag fitted with star tip (re-whisk if necessary). Pipe 12 whipped cream rosettes around perimeter of cake and garnish with reserved Oreo cookie halves. Serve.