Fluffy vanilla bean cake layers baked on Oreo cookie crust, filled with a creme brûlée filling, coated in an Oreo buttercream, brûléed with a sugar top.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Cake
Servings 14
Author Molly Murphy
Ingredients
For the Custard Filling (make 1-2 days in advance)
2cupsheavy whipping cream
¾teaspoonvanilla bean paste
2teaspoonpure vanilla extracr
½cupgranulated sugar
5egg yolksfrom large eggs (save the extra whites to make the cake)
For The Crust
2½cupsfinely ground Oreo Cookies about 30 cookies
2Tablespoonsgranulated sugar
½cupunsalted butter melted
For the Cake
1cupunsalted butter room temperature
1¾cupgranulated sugar
2tablespoonsvegetable oil
6large eggs whites room temperature
⅓cupsour cream room temperature
1Tablespoonpure vanilla extract
1teaspoonvanilla bean paste
3cupscake flourspoon and leveled
1Tablespoonbaking powder
1teaspoonsalt
1¼cupsbuttermilk room temperature
For the Oreo Buttercream
6Oreo cookies ground into a fine crumb
1 ½cupsunsalted butter slightly cold
4ouncesof cream cheese softened
6cupspowdered sugar measured and then sifted
3Tablespoonsheavy whipping cream
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Pinchof salt
This recipe makes just enough to stack and fill a cake if you want to make the dollops on top like mineI suggest doing an additional half batch.
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Using an 8”x8" or 9x9 square baking pan, in a 9"x13" baking pan (you can also use a cookie sheet. (Make sure the smaller pan can fit into a bigger pan to create a water bath)
In a medium size saucepan, combine the half of the heavy cream, vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a soft boil and with a rubber spatula, stir about every 45 seconds to prevent it from burning. Once there is a medium boil, remove from heat and add the remaining heavy cream.
Next we are going to temper the eggs. (tempering means to combine room-temperature eggs with hot liquid in a controlled manner to create a stable base) Make sure the eggs are in a big enough bowl to add ⅓ cup of cream to it.
In a small-medium size bowl, add the egg yolks to the bowl, using a whisk, slowly whisk about ⅓ cup of the hot cream mixture to the egg yolks while whisking the entire time. Once the egg mixture has been combined, take the eggs mixture and slowly pour it back into the cream mixture while whisking the entire time to prevent the eggs from becoming cooked.
In a fine strainer or a cheese cloth, pour the custard into your prepped 8x8 or 9x9 pan.
Add HOT water to the bigger size pan and making sure the water goes up about ¾ inch on the pan.
Bake the custard for about 45 to 50 minutes. If you added room temp water, your mixture may take up 5-10 more minutes more. The center should be barely set, and it might look a little jiggly as you move it. Let cool at room temperature for 2 hours and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using. The longer it sits the more stabilize it becomes. Don’t let it sit longer than 5 days.
For the Oreo crust
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper. Spray again. Set aside.
Place the Oreo cookies in a food processor or blender and pulse until the Oreos are finely ground.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the Oreo crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Stir until all the Oreo crumbs are moistened by the melted butter. You should be able to scoop it by hand and have it all stick together.
Divide the mixture evenly between the pans (about a cup of crumbs for each pan) and press down firmly with your hand or the back of a flat measuring cup.
Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool while you make the cake layers.
For the cake
Keep your oven at 325 F
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil, and sugar on high until fluffy and smooth, about 4 minutes. With a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Start adding the egg whites, one at a time, beating on medium speed after each addition. I usually beat each egg white for about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl after each addition. Once all the egg whites are added, beat for 30 more seconds.
Add the sour cream and both vanilla’s. Beat on medium low speed for a minute. If the mixture looks clumpy, don’t worry, once you add the flour mixture it will smooth out.
Turn the mixer on low and add ⅓ of the flour and ½ of the buttermilk to the butter mixture and mix ON LOW until almost incorporated. Add another ⅓ of the flour and the rest of the buttermilk. Mix just until a few streaks of flour remain, then add the rest of the flour mixture. Mix just until the flour streaks are mostly gone.
Evenly distribute the cake batter among the prepped cake pans and bake for 28-31 minutes (mine took about 31 minutes, but my oven runs a little hotter) or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it or until it starts to get a little golden brown on top.
Remove cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 15 minutes before transferring them out of the pan and placing them on cooling racks.
When cakes are completely cooled, wrap each cake layer individually with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator or freezer until you’re ready to frost
For The Buttercream
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, add all of the sifted powdered sugar at once and mix on low just until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the heavy cream, salt and vanilla, increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for five minutes. It should get lighter in texture and color.
With the rubber spatula, gently stir in the cookie crumbs until you start seeing gray streaks.
Assembly
Place the first cake layer top side up on the cake board. With the Oreo crust on top of the cake board. Pipe a rim of Oreo buttercream around the edge of the cake. Fill the center of the cake with the chilled creme brûlée filling, making sure not to over fill, and whatever you have left over you can serve on the side.
Place the second cake layer, crust side down, on top of the buttercream and filling. Repeat piping and filling.
Place final cake layer, crust side down, on the filling.
Apple a thin layer of the Oreo buttercream, also known as the crumb coat, and freeze for about 10 to 15 minutes to set this layer of frosting.
Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining frosting.
For the creme brûlée crunch on top, lightly sprinkle some granulated sugar on top and with a kitchen torch, torch the top of the sugar to crystallize the sugar.
Serve at room temperature, wrap leftover cakes slices in plastic wrap and will hold in the fridge for a couple days.