When I was growing up, Oreo McFlurries were top of my list in terms of favorite desserts. The combination of creamy, thick ice cream with Oreo cookies was an unmatched delicacy. Naturally, after delving into the world of cakes, I needed to find or recreate this dessert in the form of an Oreo cake! I landed on a decadent Oreo cookie cake.
After doing some research, I discovered a fantastic recipe from one of my favorite food bloggers. Preppy Kitchen's Oreo cake is full of cookies and cream deliciousness. From the batter to the frosting, the cookie crumbs give flavor and texture to every bite.
What I'd Change in Future Oreo Cookie Cakes: Include Imitation Vanilla
Since baking this Oreo cake, I've learned about some key differences between pure vanilla extract and clear vanilla flavor. While you can generally find both at the grocery store, imitation vanilla extract, also known as clear vanilla flavor, is made of synthetic vanillin. Clear vanilla has a strong flavor, the one that many people associate with the uniquely vanilla taste of creamsicles or the filling in Oreos. Even on a box of these cookies, you'll find vanillin listed as an ingredient. I love pure, authentic vanilla extract. But sometimes the complexities of its flavor don't survive the high temperatures of baking. Plus, imitation vanilla is cheaper so double win.
When I bit into this Oreo cake, I was waiting for that flavor. It wasn't quite there. In the future, I'd make this with clear vanilla extract. I got validation on this idea after seeing that Liz Marek (another favorite food blogger of mine) of Sugar Geek Show feels the same way. Her Oreo cake includes imitation vanilla for this very reason.
What I'd Add to my Next Oreo Cookie Cake: Black Cocoa Powder
Additionally, I've read up on black cocoa powder, the kind of powder used in Oreo cookies. You can also read it on the ingredient list, but it is a cocoa that's been processed with alkali. It's different in flavor and chemical properties from the brown cocoa powders you'll typically find in your grocery store. It's got a deeper, more chocolate-y flavor to it, and who wouldn't like that?
While I haven't yet found an Oreo cake recipe that incorporates black cocoa powder, I'd like to give it a try. If done well, I imagine the result would have an even more intense chocolaty flavor, just like the cookie itself. I'd be curious to add black cocoa powder to the batter for a more decadent Oreo cake. At the least, including it in the frosting would be an easy way to sneak it into the cake.
More resources
If you're interested in learning more about vanilla extract and imitation vanilla, check out this article from America's Test Kitchen. This article from Serious Eats also has more in-depth info on different varieties of cocoa powder.
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