Oreo Cream Cheese Cake

Remember how last year for Sam's birthday I made this Peanut Butter Cup Layered Cake? This year I wanted to do the same kind of thing with Oreos. Then I saw a recipe for Oreo Ice Cream Fudge in the Worldwide Ward Cookbook, and I instantly envisioned the fudge sandwiched between the cake layers. This cake takes a little bit of time to put together, but if you make the fudge and the cakes the day before, it will come together fairly quickly.

Do you like my cake stand? I actually don't own one. This is a plastic plate balanced on a mug. :)

For the cake...

Mix together:

2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil:

2 sticks butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa

1 cup water

Pour over the flour mixture and add:

2 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

Liberally grease and flour 2 8-inch round pans. Pour half of the batter into each pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

For the fudge filling:

Line an 8-inch round pan with plastic wrap. Crush enough Oreo cookies to cover the bottom of the pan. Melt 3 cups milk chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 15-20 seconds. Add 1 c. cookies-and-cream ice cream and stir until incorporated. If needed, stick it back in the microwave for a few seconds to get it all uniformly combined. Pour over the crushed Oreo cookies, and spread a layer of crushed Oreo cookies on top. Store in the freezer until ready to put in the cake.

For the frosting:

Whip until smooth:

2 8 oz. bricks cream cheese

1 stick butter

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

enough milk to make a good consistency

To assemble:

With a serrated knife, cut the rounded tops off both cakes to level them. Brush off any loose crumbs. Place one cake on a cake plate and spread the top with a thin layer of frosting. Unwrap the fudge and place it on top of the cake. Spread another thin layer of cream cheese frosting on top of the fudge and top with the other cake. Frost the entire cake with frosting and decorate with Oreos in desired design.