Oreo Chocolate Cake for my 16 Year Old's Birthday

This is one seriously decadent and rich Oreo Chocolate Cake - and it was a huge hit for Kent's 16th birthday party! This is the first time I've done a completely scratch cake for his birthday - I've done mostly scratch cupcakes and cakes before, but they usually have a box mix involved, and / or a can of frosting. I was pretty happy with how this came out, and think this might just become a tradition - we shall see! The chocolate cake itself was SO yummy, wonderfully moist and flavorful and I KNOW I will use it again. The filling... yumm. It would make a delicious holiday dip with graham cracker dippers!! The fudge filling... that's where the knock you out rich and chocolatey part comes in! SO GOOD but man SO rich!! The texture was awesome, and it was very easy to work with. It's my first homemade chocolate frosting and I didn't have any issues with it, so I am happy to recommend it!

 

 Pictures above: Adding cream cheese filling layer, then working the powdered sugar into the frosting (goes from lumpy to deliciously silky smooth!) After the fudge frosting cooled, getting ready to frost the whole cake.

Lindsey got her very own Oreo cookie while I was baking the cake layers! I think she approved.

 
Oreo Chocolate Cake adapted from Ina Garten on Food Network

Ingredients
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (I used French Vanilla - use something light roast)
appx. 16 Double Stuffed Oreos, roughly crushed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and whisk to combine. 
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet. Keeping the mixer on low, add in the coffee and allow to blend just until combined (batter may still look lumpy).
4. Stir in the crushed Oreo cookies gently, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure mixture is evenly combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, and bake in the preheated oven for 35 - 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Put the pans on a cooling rack and allow to cool for about 30 minutes, then gently remove the cakes from their pans and place directly on the cooling rack and continue cooling. Proceed with frosting when cakes are completely cool.

Oreo Cream Cheese Filling from Be Confectionate

Ingredients
3/4 stick unsalted butter (softened)
2/3 package cream cheese (softened)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
8 Double Stuffed Oreos, finely crushed

Directions

1. Cream the butter and cheese together in the bowl of a stand mixer, and then scrape down the sides.  Add powdered sugar and mix, just until incorporated.  Stir in vanilla, and then fold in the cookie crumbs. 
2. Place one of your cakes on a serving plate or stand, spread a thick layer of the cream cheese frosting onto the middle of the cake, reserving some (about 1/4 - 1/3 cup) for decorating the top.  Leave about a 1/2 - 1" space around the edges of the cake. 
3. Use your chocolate frosting (recipe below) and fill in that space around the edges, making it one flat and smooth layer of frosting all the way across. 
4. Place your second layer of cake atop the filling and frost the entire cake with the chocolate fudge frosting.
5. When you are finished frosting, pipe the cream cheese filling around the outside edges, and sprinkle with chopped and / or crushed Oreos to decorate. You can press sprinkles and / or more finely crushed Oreos around the outside edges as well, if desired.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting from Be Confectionate

Ingredients
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup whole milk

3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Add the chocolate chips, butter, cocoa and milk to a heatproof bowl, and place over a pot of simmering water.  Stir regularly until melted and smooth, then remove the bowl from atop the pan of water and set aside.  
2. Sift the powder sugar into the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.  Let this sit on the counter for 15 minutes, and then stir in the vanilla (never stir vanilla into a hot mixture).  
3. Place to bowl of frosting in the refrigerator until it cools and firms, or in the freezer for 10 - 15 minutes if you are in a hurry.