Oreo Layer Cake

Oreos are pretty awesome.  I love 'em to pieces (literally)

I mentioned that graduation was this weekend and that I got to make a cake.

Don't you just love it when you have an opportunity to make a dessert you normally wouldn't?  Something big and extravagant?  Something you wouldn't ever be able to finish on your own?

For me, that's cake.

I hadn't made a cake in a long time, but graduation and celebrating friends completing high school was a perfect opportunity.  It was somewhat scary thinking that will be me soon.  I am not ready to be done with high school.  Figuring out what you want to do with your life - scary!  As Mom was telling the boys, "now is the only time you can change your mind about what you want to be three times a day and its totally okay."  Things get so complicated after you graduate!

But thankfully, this isn't complicated - at all.  It starts with a regular box mix and then is dressed up with some easy substitutions.  Instead of water, I used milk for a richer, moister flavor.  I also used melted butter instead of oil because butter fits cake perfectly.  Then you just throw in some Oreos.

Piece of cake, right?

And then I cut another slice corner and used store bought vanilla frosting.  To fluff it up and ensure smooth frosting, I beat it for several minutes before spreading it on the cake.

Want to know a way to make frosting a cake easy peasy?

Freeze 'em.

That way, when you are spreading the frosting on, you aren't scraping off the top layer of the cake as well.  Trust me, I know from experience.  This cake was a breeze to frost (and I am not a cake decorator at all) because it was frozen and cooperated beautifully. 

Too bad we can't freeze people and have the same result.

Okay, maybe that was too much.  Back to the cake.

Crumble some Oreos (I did mine in a food processor for fine crumbs) and sprinkled them on top and pressed them around the edges in a scalloped pattern.  No trick here other than a spatula.  And a paper towel to clean up all the crumbs around the plate.

There you have it.  An impressive dessert that tastes and looks like its from scratch thanks to some simple substiutions and shortcuts.

Triple "s" and triple threat.

Uh, I'm done now.

Oreo Layer Cake

Recipe Source: The Sweet Tooth Life

Yield: 16-20 slices

1 box cake mix (I used yellow butter, but vanilla will work just as well if not better)

1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
15-20 Oreos, crushed

1 can (16 ox.) vanilla frosting (I actually needed a little bit more, so if you like a lot of frosting, buy two cans.  You won't use all of the second one.)
6 Oreos (1 for top and 5 crushed for edges)

Preheat oven to temperature on box and grease  and flour two 8 inch cake pans
.
For cake:  Beat cake mix, milk, butter and eggs for 5 minutes.  Fold in Oreos.  Divide between prepared cake pans and bake for 25 minutes )or time recommended on box) or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool and if desired, wrap in saran wrap or in Ziploc bag and freeze for several hours.

For frosting: Beat frosting for several minutes until fluffy. 

Assembly: Place one cake on serving plate and spread frosting on top and edges.  Place second cake on top and frost top and edges.  Cut one Oreo into fourths and arrange on top of cake.  Crumble remaining Oreos and press around edges.