Oreo Cake

 One of my new co-worker's birthday was a couple of weeks ago. She is from out of town, so I had her over on her birthday for a little supper and... cake. Duh.

The recipe below reflects some changes that I would make to the original.

Chocolate Oreo Cake
adapted from MIH  and Annie's Eats

For cake:
2 c. sugar
1-3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. Hershey's Cocoa
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. boiling water
10-15 oreos twisted to separate cookies and reveal cream center

For icing:
12 oz. good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
¼ cup very hot water
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. (18 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of salt

For filling:
1/3 c. whipping cream
2 tsp powdered sugar
small dash vanilla extract
1/8 c. oreo cookie crumbs, made from reserved oreo sides

Cake:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 9-inch round baking pans, lining with parchment.
-On the bottom of each pan place cookie halves that have been separated, cream side up.
-Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
-Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
-Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
-Pour batter very carefully into prepared pans.
-Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
-Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans and place onto wire racks.
-Remove parchment and cool completely.
-Crush remaining Oreos and halves into crumbs.

Frosting:
-Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
-In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and water and stir until smooth.
-In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
-With the mixer on low speed, gradually blend in the melted and cooled chocolate until well incorporated.  -Blend in the cocoa powder-water mixture until smooth.

Filling:
-Refrigerate stand mixer bowl for at least 30 minutes prior to making filling.
-In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff.
-Gently fold in the cookie crumbs leftover from the cake layers.
-Scoop the mixture into a piping bag (or gallon sized ziploc bag).
-When cake is completely cooled, set one layer of cake on your serving plate. Make icing dam around the top edge of the layer of cake.
-Fill icing dam with a layer of cream filling.
-Place other cake layer on top, and frost with chocolate frosting.
-Place oreo halves around bottom edge and top of cake. Garnish with Oreo crumbs. (I also topped mine off with chocolate dipped Oreos.)
-Serve or store in refrigerator.