Chocolate Cake with an Oreo Cheesecake Filling
An easy-to-make, creamy no-bake Oreo cheesecake filling sandwiched between rich, moist chocolate cake dripping with a milk chocolate ganache.
I first made this cake when my twins turned 18 years old and it’s become a favorite for family parties. It’s similar to the popular Ding Dong Cake only made from scratch and with an Oreo twist.
When I asked my son what kind of birthday cake he wanted for his birthday, he said he really like the Chocolate Oreo Construction Cake I baked for my grandson’s birthday last year.
Since he’s a little too old for a construction cake, I change it into a triple layer cake with a luscious no-bake Oreo Cheesecake layer in the middle.
I also changed up the cake recipe and used my Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake recipe that is eggless and bakes up beautifully flat, even, layers.
The cake looks impressive, but it is easy-to-make. I baked the cake layers about a week ahead of time and put them in the freezer until the morning of the party.
Cake layers freeze very well and the layers are easier to handle when they’re frozen. Put the cooled layers on a baking sheet in the freezer and then when they’re frozen, wrap them well in plastic wrap.
You can find more tips on baking layer cakes in my Baking Tips For Layer Cakes post.
The cake was a big hit at the party. Everyone loved it and I’ve made it many times since that party. I’m sure it would be a bit hit at your house too.
Update: It’s been 6 years since I first posted this cake and the twins are turning 24 this year and we still love this cake. I’m sharing it again with updated photos and a video showing how easy it is to make.
Chocolate Cake with an Oreo Cheesecake Filling
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used KA Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups hot water*
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
No-Baked Oreo Cheesecake Filling:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 package (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 12 Oreo Cookies, coarsely crushed
Chocolate Ganache
- 16 oz. milk chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray two 9x2 inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray with flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large measuring cup, whisk together water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and whisk just until combine.
- Divide batter between pans. Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert them onto the rack. Leave cakes upside down (this flattens domed cakes) to cool completely.
No-Baked Oreo Cheesecake Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream until it forms soft peaks.
- In another large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until blended and smooth. Gently stir in whipped cream and crushed cookies.
Chocolate Ganache
- Place half of the chocolate in a mixing bowl. Heat heavy cream on medium high heat until it comes to a boil.
- Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add remaining chocolate and stir until chocolate is completely melted.
- Cool until ganache is thickened but still thin enough to drip down the sides of the cake. (I cooled mine in the fridge for over an hour.)
Assembling cake
- When the cake layers are cool and ganache has thickened, evenly spread filling on bottom layer, carefully stack the second layer on top of filling.
- Spoon chocolate ganache on top of the cake, spreading to edges and letting the ganache drip down the sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
*I made the following high altitude adjustments: Decreased the sugar by 2 tablespoons, used 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda and 2 1/4 cup hot water.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 779Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 487mgCarbohydrates: 99gFiber: 3gSugar: 67gProtein: 8g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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More Decadent Layer Cakes You Might Like:
- Triple Layer Chocolate Cake with a Coconut Cream Cheese Filling, Barbara Bakes
- M&M Cookie Dough Brownie Bomb Cake, Barbara Bakes
- Slutty Brownie Cookie Dough Cake, The Domestic Rebel
- Ding Dong Cake, That Skinny Chick Can Bake
I haven’t read through all the comments so maybe this rec is in here somewhere, but I would highly recommend placing the oreo whip portion in a springform pan the same size as the sponges (then freeze) because it will not hold up and the weight of the top layer causes the oreo to squeeze out the sides. My tip, freeze all three layers, assemble the day of ( a few hours ahead of serving) apply ganache, then refrigerate. Otherwise it does not look NEARLY like this pic above 🙂 This was an incredibly delicious cake and a huge crowd pleaser! High Marks, Barbara!! thank you!
Thanks Brooke – so glad to hear your crowd loved it. I’ve made this cake numerous times, it’s my grandson’s favorite, and if you use heavy whipping cream and full fat cream cheese it will hold the weight of the top cake layer easily. However, if you prefer to freeze the middle layer in a springform pan that’s a good idea as well.
Hello, I am wondering if you have to refrigerate this cake at all after you are finished? Or to store it does it have to be refrigerated?
Hi Katie – it’s best served at room temperature but you should refrigerate it as much as possible.
Hi Barbara,
To clarify the “1/2cups heavy cream” for the cheesecake… Is that 1 or 2 cups or half a cup?
In the other measurements you’ve used 1/2 cup as singular. So maybe a typo?
Don’t want to use the incorrect measurements and end up with a runny cheesecake
Hi Sheri – yes, it is 1/2 cup of heavy cream. I’ve updated the recipe. Enjoy!
Is the frosting thick in texture that I can make it into a frosting as well if I add more powdered sugar?
Hi Jessica – no I wouldn’t add powdered sugar to the frosting to thicken it. Ganache will thicken up as it cools, the cooler the frosting, the thicker it becomes. You can also make a thicker ganache frosting by adding more chocolate. A 3 to 1 ratio instead of a 2 to 1 ratio.
Hello! Would this yummy recipe work for 5” cake tins for 4 layers?
Hi Zara – I haven’t tried it, but it should work well. Don’t fill the pans more than 2/3’s full and if you have any extra you could make cupcakes. Let me know if you give it a try.
My child really wants a quadruple later cake for his birthday. My plan is to make thinner layers of the cake and filling. Any sense if I’d need to increase the recipe?
Hi Amy – the easiest thing to do with this cake would be to bake 3 8-inch layers of the chocolate cake and divide the Oreo layer in two. So it would be five layers. Or, if you want four layers of cake, you could cut the 9-inch chocolate layers in half or bake the 9-inch layers in two batches so you have four layers of cake and three layers of the Oreo filling – then I would double the cheesecake filling so you have enough for three layers.
Hi, do you think it’s possible to add black food coloring or black cocoa powder to the ganache to get a darker look? My friend wants a black spooky themed cake, but with ganache frosting instead of buttercream
Yes, you could add black gel food coloring to the ganache to darken it. Also, using dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate will help as well.
Hi, I was wondering your thoughts on using hot coffee instead of the water and if that would wrongly interact with any of the other ingredients?
Hi Shaneka – I haven’t tried it, but I think hot coffee instead of water would work well. Let me know if you give it a try.
Hi, I’m trying to make this cake but I’ve a problem with the filling. I don’t have any heavy cream or whipping cream. Is there anything I could use to substitute this? Thank you!
Hi James – there isn’t really a substitute, but you could make a cream cheese frosting instead similarly to this https://www.barbarabakes.com/tropical-carrot-cake-with-coconut-cream-cheese-frosting/
Is it possible to use egg whites and beat it to soft peak to replace the heavy cream?
You could do a 7 minute frosting https://www.southernplate.com/7-minute-frosting/ with egg whites.
I am going to try to make this cake for the first time but am not a fan of Vegetable Oil. Can you substitute this with something else?
Many Thanks!
Hi Jon – I haven’t tried it, but coconut oil or melted butter would be good substitutes in this recipe. Enjoy!
Hi Barbara!
Do you use granulated sugar of powdered sugar? If you use granulated sugar, are the little bits still visible?
Can I use powdered sugar? Do I need to use more than if I use granulated sugar?
Hi Anna – the recipe uses granulated sugar and it mixes in completely with the cake and filling and is not visible. I wouldn’t recommend subbing powdered sugar, but if you don’t have another option you could. Here’s a link about subbing it https://www.thekitchn.com/sugar-substitutes-23023179
I see that this cake ingredients doesn’t call for eggs. What holds it together?
Hi Angie – the vinegar in the recipe activates the baking soda and creates the rise you’d normally get from eggs.
Very excited to use this! I only have 9×1.5 cake pans, so you think the batter will fit?
Hi Alissa – yes, the cakes don’t rise a ton, so you should be fine to use 9 x 1.5 inch pans. If the batter fills it more than half full, just take a scoop out and make a couple of cupcakes. Enjoy!
I never leave comments but oh my lord !!!!!!!! The cake is amazing.
I´m vegan so I did a different version for the cheesecake but the cake… it is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever ate, all of my family was blown away.
That’s so nice to hear – thanks!
This cake looks downright naughty—and I mean that in a GOOD way! What’s not to love about that combination.? Absolutely nothing I say!!! A perfect cake to celebrate ANY day. : )
hi Barbara hoping to make your cake on the 23 December 2017 for Chirstmas hoping i will make it right but what if it cacks please HELP
The cake doesn’t typically crack unless it’s baked too long. Here’s my baking tips https://www.barbarabakes.com/baking-tips-for-layer-cakes/. I’d recommend baking the layers a week ahead of time and putting them in the freezer. Just give yourself plenty of time for your ganache to thicken before drizzling it on the cake, be sure and use heavy cream and make sure your cheesecake filling is firm before adding it to the middle – and you’ll do great!
Hi,
Which brand of chocolate did you use for the chocolate ganache?Should i use the semisweet baking chocolate chips?
Regards,
Navya.
Hi Navya – I used Guittard Old Dutch Milk Chocolate Wafers http://gygi.com/guittard-old-dutch-wafers. If you can find baking chocolate in the baking aisle at the grocery store that would be a better choice than chocolate chips, but you can use chocolate chips in a pinch.
I made this cake two times and it tasted great but both times but the top layer cake cracked after I added the ganache. Do you have any ideas about why this might have happened? The first time the cake was cracked a little when I took it out of the oven. The second time it was not and I turned the top cake upside down the second time thinking that might help. It still cracked. Not as bad as the first time, but it still has a river running through it.
Hi Ronda – it sounds like the cake needs less cook time in the oven. Perhaps your oven cooks hot so you may need to reduce the cook time or the oven temperature.
I love chocolate and the your recipes looks mouthwatering
Did you chill the cheesecake before adding to cake? I added more Oreo bits when I added the cheesecake layer because the pieces were soggy by the time both cakes were cooled.
When you serve, should the ganash be liquids or do you chill the entire thing together and the gnash create a shell?
I have the entire cake in the fridge, the cheese cake was covered but sat out while cakes were cooling, so the cheese cake is a bit loose. I hope it all forms into one nice cake. I hope I’m doing this correctly
Hi Erica – if you make the cheesecake layer before the cakes are cool, you should refrigerate it. The cake should be refrigerated as soon as you layer it with the cheesecake layer and until you are ready to decorate it with the ganache. You cheesecake layer should set up in the fridge. I would wait until the cheesecake layer is firm before starting the ganache. The ganache will be thin at first, but will thicken as it cools. You want to wait until the ganache is thick enough that if you put a drip on the edge of the cake, the drip only goes down the side part way. If it just runs down, you need to wait longer for the ganache to thicken. Ganache doesn’t form a hard shell. It always stays soft – sort of like a soft fudge. You should store any leftover cake in the fridge. Enjoy!
i am going to make this for a birthday but add my oreo truffles to it! looks great thank you