The Ultimate Vegan Oreo Cake (with step-by-step tutorial)
I am so proud to share my Ultimate Vegan Oreo Cake with you! When my naturopath told me I should avoid all dairy products and eggs, the first thing I thought was: “I can’t have cake anymore?” I thought my baking days would have to end, but instead I thought to myself: “well, I could still bake cakes, I just won’t eat them”. I told my kids this and they immediately said: “Maman! No! That’s not fair to you! Can you make a cake that’s dairy-free and egg-free so that you can have some cake too?” I was in complete shock by their maturity at such a young age. I had to make a cake for my son’s birthday. In our house, we don’t just do birthdays, we do “birthday weeks”, so everyone gets to celebrate their birthday for the entire week. Not sure how we started this tradition, but we’re all in on it and it’s so much fun. When it gets to my birthday, I make sure I milk it: Cédric makes me five star meals every single day, but he has to fight me to make my birthday cake. I usually let him because it makes him happy.
We were having a family bbq for our son’s birthday and I adapted my regular Oreo cake, which I will eventually post, to a vegan style one. It was the day I realized that vegan baking is totally different than regular baking, it is a whole other science! The cake was good, but not to the standard to which I hold myself. I knew I could do better. I was so glad it was his birthday party, and that his actual birthday wasn’t for another couple of days, where we’d plan on having another cake for him anyway. For those who know me, they know I am very competitive, but especially competitive with myself. If you ever catch me playing ping pong or squash, it is game on, and I am there to win. With every other aspect of life, my motto is me vs me, that’s it, and we raise our kids the same way: be better than you were yesterday, don’t compare yourself to other people. So anyway, I was pretty sad about my cake not being fantastic, so we bought him an ice cream cake instead.
I spent the next few days testing and perfecting my vegan style oreo cake. I remember it was 2am when I wrote down my recipe, and made sure I did not miss a thing. As the cake layers were baking, I was getting really excited by the aroma in the kitchen, and as they rose in the oven, I knew I nailed it this time. I took the cakes out, and they looked like giant Jo Louis! Wow!!
When I successfully developed this Oreo cake that was both, dairy-free and egg-free, super chocolaty just like the Oreo cookies, moist like cakes should be, nicely risen, the way I love my cakes, I cried of joy. I texted my husband who was sleeping upstairs and my closest family and friends: “I did it!!” And they all texted back with the most supportive messages, making me wonder why I’m always so hard on myself? The messages read: “Why are you so surprised, we knew you’d nail it!” “You’re the best baker, of course you got it” “I expect nothing less coming from you. I’m proud of you, now get some sleep, the kids will be up in a few hours”. I guess I had to prove it to myself, again. The best part was the following day, when I got to see my children’s faces innocently light up when I told them the cake layers were a success, and they cheered me on saying: “Yay!! Maman!! We knew you could do it! I let the cakes cool that same night, until they were cool enough to chill in the fridge, before decorating them the next day with my delicious dairy-free buttercream, just in time for the birthday party. This cake is absolutely delicious and was gobbled down by everybody! Our non-vegan and vegan friends and family, could not believe this cake was made without any dairy or eggs.
My daughter came up to me one day, weeks before I created this cake, to show me her drawing and says (in French): “So, Maman… what do you think about decorating my brother’s Oreo cake like this?” I used her drawing as my inspiration, here’s a picture:
Now, get ready to indulge in THE ultimate vegan oreo cake experience! This decadent dessert combines the rich, chocolatey goodness of the cake with the creamy dairy-free buttercream. With its moist texture, luscious filling, simple and elegant decoration, this cake is sure to be a hit at any gathering or special occasion.
Not only is this recipe vegan-friendly, but it’s also super easy to make! Mix your dry ingredients together, then your wet ingredients, combine both and bake! Et Voilà! By using simple and accessible ingredients, you can create a beautiful dessert that will impress your friends and family.
Let’s go through the main ingredients, and their roles, in this Ultimate Vegan Oreo Cake recipe:
All Purpose Flour: Provides structure to the cake by binding the other ingredients together.
Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness to the cake and also helps with moisture retention.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Adds rich chocolate flavor and color to the cake.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These leavening agents help the cake rise by creating bubbles of carbon dioxide when combined with the acidic ingredients.
Salt: Enhances the flavors in the cake and balances the sweetness.
Plant Milk: Provides moisture to the cake batter and helps create a tender crumb. It also acts as a replacement for dairy milk in vegan baking. I used oat milk, but you can also use Almond or soy milk.
Unsweetened Applesauce: Acts as an egg substitute in vegan baking, adding moisture and binding the ingredients together.
Vegetable Oil: Provides moisture and contributes to the richness of the cake.
White Vinegar: Reacts with the baking soda to create additional leavening and helps the cake rise.
Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the cake and adds a pleasant aroma.
Oreo cookies: Oreos are actually deliciously vegan. They may be made in the same facility where they use other allergens, hence the reason why packagings stipulate: “May contain milk and peanuts” but the product itself does not contain any dairy or eggs.
The combination of the ingredients work together to create a moist, fluffy, and super chocolaty cake with a creamy vanilla buttercream, acting as the oreo filling, The combination of leavening agents, moisture-providing ingredients, and extracts ensures a moist and tender texture. I have no problem calling this cake exactly what it is: The Ultimate Vegan Oreo Cake because every single bite is so satisfying. The cake layers are not overly dense or heavy, but rather have a light and delicate texture. I can’t wait for you to make this for your loved ones, or for yourself, because why not! Let me know in the comments below how it went, and tag me in your pictures @therealbongout so I can see what you made!
The Ultimate Vegan Oreo Cake
A scrumptious vegan Oreo cake, showcasing three moist chocolate layers filled with creamy vanilla buttercream. This plant-based cake is a chocolate lover's dream come true! Topped with a generous amount of crushed Oreo cookies for an irresistible touch. Perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or simply indulging in a guilt-free treat. Find the recipe at www.bongout.ca and bring joy to your taste buds with this heavenly dairy-free and egg-free dessert.
Servings
12
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
40
minutesTotal time
1
hour10
minutes
Cook Mode
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- For the cake:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (455g)
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (500g)
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (150g)
1 tbsp baking powder (14g)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda (9g)
1 tsp fine sea salt (6g)
2 3/4 cups unsweetened plant milk of choice (I used oat milk) (650g)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce (250g)
3/4 cup vegetable oil (150g)
2 tbsp white vinegar (30g)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (9g)
- For the vegan buttercream
10 cups icing sugar (1.3kg)
1 tsp fine sea salt (6g)
1 1/4 cup vegan butter, cool (284g)
1 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cool (284g)
2 tbsp unsweetened plant milk of choice (I used oat milk)
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (13g)
18 vegan Oreo cookies, cream layer removed, and coarsely chopped
- For the simple syrup: (Optional)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
1/4 cup boiled hot water (50g)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1: Make the Simple Syrup (optional step but adds moisture to chilled cake and great depth of flavour)
- Boil water, and weigh 50g of water in a heat proof beaker. Add the sugar and vanilla. Gently stir until sugar dissolves completely and becomes syrupy. Let cool completely before using. Store in a mason jar, or in a squeeze bottle and keep in the fridge.
- Step 2: Make the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease three 8-inch cake pans with spray oil, wipe with paper towel to evenly distribute the oil around the pans, and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. Set pans aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the plant milk, applesauce, vegetable oil, white vinegar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking well until the batter is smooth and no lumps remain. Make sure to use a spatula to scrape all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Divide the batter equally among the three prepared cake pans. I like to weigh them all to make sure they all bake and rise evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once your cakes are completely cool, wrap them all in plastic wrap a couple of times and let them chill in the fridge for at least two hours before decorating.
- Step 3: Make the Vegan Buttercream
- While the cakes are in the fridge, prepare the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer, start creaming the vegan butter and vegetable shortening until just combined.
- Stop the stand mixer, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and gently add all of your icing sugar and salt. Turn stand mixer on lowest speed in order to gently combine all the ingredients. Increase speed to medium-high and cream together the icing sugar, salt, vegan butter and shortening, until just combined.
- Add pure vanilla extract and plant milk (if needed), continue mixing (start on low to combine the vanilla and plant milk). Gently increase the speed until well combined, and texture is smooth and creamy. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Remove any air bubbles by pressing and dragging the buttercream against the sides of the bowl.
- Assembling the Oreo Cake (Step-by-Step Tutorial)
- Step 1: Level the Cake Layers
- Once the cakes are completely cooled and chilled in the fridge, level your cakes at eye level. If needed, use a serrated knife to level the tops of the cake layers, making sure they are even. I like to use a level tool for this part, but you really don’t have to. Levelling your cake layers will ensure a stable and balanced cake structure, but will also allow the simple syrup to soak nicely into the cake.
- Step 2: Apply the Simple Syrup
- Squeeze a little simple syrup over each cake layer (on leveled part). You don't need to use all of your syrup. If you don’t have a squeeze bottle, you can also brush your simple syrup with a pastry brush, or use a spoon to drizzle it on.
- Step 3: Fill the Cake Layers
- Fill a piping bag, with a coupler and round tip attached, such as Ateco #809 or Wilton #1A, with about 3 cups of buttercream. You will use this in a moment. Set it aside for now.
- On a cake turntable, place the first cake layer on a cake board, leveled part facing up. This is your bottom cake layer.
- Spread a generous amount of buttercream on top of the cake layer with a small cake spatula. Rotate the turntable while leveling the buttercream, making sure it is nice and smooth and even throughout.
- With your piping bag, and round tip attached to the coupler, create a buttercream ring around the edge of your creamed cake. Fill the centre of the cake with tons of coarsely chopped oreo cookies.
- Place the second cake layer on top (leveled part facing up) and repeat the process: apply buttercream with a small offset spatula, spread evenly, make a rind with the piping bag around the edge of the cake, and fill the centre with chopped oreo cookies.
- Finally, place the third cake layer on top, but flip the cake over so that the top layer of your cake is super flat and visually appealing.
- Step 4: Crumb Coat the Cake and Chill
- To create a smooth and polished finish, start by applying a very thin layer of buttercream on the outside of the cake: top and all sides. This is called a crumb coat, which helps seal any loose crumbs and maintains the cake’s moisture as well. You don't want a thick layer of buttercream just yet. We are only sealing the crumbs for now, so don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Place the cake in the fridge to chill for at least 30min to an hour. This allows the buttercream to firm up, making it so much easier to do the final decoration and get that smooth finish.
- Step 5: Apply the Final Buttercream Layer
- Once the crumb coat is chilled and firm, take out the cake from the fridge. Use the remaining buttercream to frost the top and sides of the cake.
- Take a generous amount of buttercream and apply it to the top and sides of the cake, using an offset spatula to spread it evenly.
- Work your way around the cake, using a tall bench scraper to ensure your cake is smooth and even all around. Wipe any buttercream excess with a paper towel, or scrape against the bowl. But make sure you’re not scraping the cake with a “used” bench scraper - the cleaner your bench scraper, the smoother the cake.
- Hack: when you’re close to getting your cake super smooth, rinse your bench scraper under very hot water. Wipe it dry with a clean tea towel or paper towel. Continue scraping if needed, the heat helps smooth out the buttercream flawlessly. This is why we decorate on chilled cakes. Chef’s kiss! Once you're happy with how the cake looks, it's time to decorate further!
- Step 6: Decorate
- To add a decorative touch, you can use the back of a spoon, or an offset spatula to create patterns on the sides or top of the cake. For instance, you can make swirls, waves or even vertical lines by gently pressing and dragging the spoon or spatula through the buttercream. I like my cakes simple and elegant, so I kept my cake smooth all around.
- Grab your piping bag, add extra buttercream if needed, and switch the piping tip to the Wilton #1M attachment, or a French tip, whatever you'd like, and make swirls on top of the cake, spacing them out evenly.
- Step 7: Sprinkle Crushed Oreos
- To enhance the Oreo theme, you can sprinkle some crushed Oreo cookies on top, and around the bottom of the cake. This definitely adds beautiful texture and makes your cake visually appealing.
- Let the cake set in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour before serving. This will allow the buttercream to firm up and the flavors to meld together. When you’re ready to serve the cake, place it on a cake stand, slice it and enjoy!
