Cookies & Cream Cake

This past weekend, we celebrated my sister and brother in law's birthday under an old grape leaf tree overlooking the canal at my in-law's house.  It was a lovely afternoon filled with music, family and sweet conversation.

My contribution to the BBQ was cake. I prefer baking cupcakes over cake simply because the icing can become complicated - but how can you have a birthday party without birthday cake? So cake it was!

I choose a simple Oreo recipe I'd made in the past because 1. it is seriously easy 2. it tastes great on a hot afternoon 3. my b-i-l is a picky dessert eater. Give him anything other than tres leches or chocolate brownie and he wont eat it. So cookies and cream cake it was!

Cookies and Cream Birthday Cake 
Cake:
1 box of white cake mix (made as directed)
16 oreos, crushed

Icing:
16oz powdered sugar
8oz cream cheese
8oz cool whip
1/4 tsp vanilla
16 oreos, crushed

1. Mix ingredients of cake as directed. Add crushed oreos.
2. Bake as directed.
3. While cake it baking, mix all ingredients of oreo icing together.
4. Let cake cool.
5. Frost as desired.

I chose to bake the cake in 2 round 10in pans, but you can bake it anyway you'd like.

Tip: My general rule of thumb when icing a cake is to add a heaping amount of icing on top and it smoothing down with a butter knife in swirl motions. Icing a cake can be overwhelming - take your time- homemade cakes are not meant to look perfect.

Another helpful tip is to use parchment paper under your cake surface before icing. Place strips under so they are easy to slide out when completed. You will instantly be left with a clean surface.

Enjoy!

To see more dessert recipes from my kitchen, visit the recipe page.