Oreo Cake

I don't have a lot of commentary on this pretty black and white cake; it was sent off this morning for some other folks to enjoy.  I hope they did!  It sure looked good and the sample I had from the cuttings I took to even out the layers was definitely tasty.  

The cake varies minimally from its parent, Dorie Greenspan's Devil's Food White-Out Cake.  You already know how much I love Dorie and her wonderful baking book. :)  To this already fabulous cake, I added Oreos and some instant coffee to the batter, frosted and filled it with my favorite 7-minute frosting and then added more Oreos on top. 

Oreo Cake (adapted from Dorie's Devil's Food White-Out Cake, my tinkerings in bold)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup boiling water (with 1 tsp. decaf instant coffee dissolved in it)
4 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
1/3 pkg. Oreos or other chocolate sandwich cookies, crumbled


Read how to make the cake here.  To make my variation, use the coffee instead of the boiling water, and just stir in those crushed Oreos with the chocolate chips.  Frosting recipe follows, it's the same one I used for my Pumpkinmallow Fudge Cake.

For the Filling/Frosting:

Make a double boiler by setting a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.  The bottom of the bowl should not touch the surface of the water.   Combine in bowl:  1 1/2 cups of white granulated sugar, 2 egg whites, 1/3 cup water, a pinch of salt, and 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar.  Beat with an electric mixer until white, glossy, and able to hold firm peaks (about 7 minutes).  Remove from heat and beat in 1 tsp. vanilla extract (and food coloring, if desired).  Use immediately to frost and fill cake.  Top frosting with more crushed Oreos.

Enjoy!  I'm looking forward to playing with a new "toy" in my kitchen tonight...a 7 quart enameled cast iron dutch oven.  Its inaugural meal will be a chicken caccitore recipe that's a favorite with my husband's family.  We own several cast iron pieces (2 skillets and a chicken fryer) and love them, but I'd been wanting a large dutch oven for bigger batches and larger pieces of meat, plus the ability to go from stove top to oven.  The enameling supposedly means easier clean up and no reactions with acidic foods like tomatoes.  Le Creuset is the name to know for these sorts of pots, but that brand's equivalent of this pot is $279!!!  Ouch. I found this Cuisinart version at Marshalls (HomeGoods) for a quarter of that price, and the reviews look good.  It's a very heavy piece and seems to be well made.  I'll let you know how it fares!  Back soon with the latest Chinese recipe we've enjoyed, too.