Cookies and Cream Cake

Every year I make my husband a chocolate cake for this birthday (it's his favourite) so I try to make it a bit different every time. If you go back to my first few blog posts there's a recipe and photos of the infamous cat cake I made him. I still haven't topped that, but next year is his 30th so I'm going all out!
I didn't have time to make my own icing for this cake but if you want to make your own I'll include a recipe at the bottom of the page.
As always, if you try this recipe I'd love to hear your comments and see your photos on Instagram - follow me @carly_182

 Preheat oven to 180c / gas mark 6 and grease two 8" round tins

 For the icing:

1 portion of Chocolate icing
1/2 portion of vanilla icing (recipe for icing at the bottom of the page)
1/2 packet original or double stuff oreos
crushed with a rolling pin in a plastic bag (saves mess and it's fun to bash)
4 Oreos, cut in half for decoration

Ingredients and Method:

2 cups plain flour
1 & 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup cold water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Combine all these together in a large bowl and mix with a metal spoon until it's a thick batter with dough-like consistency

And in a small separate bowl mix together:

1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs worth of egg replacer, already mixed with water until frothy

When these 3 ingredients have been mixed together, add them to the batter and using a hand or stand mixer, mix until it's all combined and runny.

Pour mixture into your greased tin/tins and give them a little tap on the side to get rid of air bubbles.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, checking with a toothpick until it comes out clean.

Leave to cool in tins for 20 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

When your cake halves are cold, spread a layer of chocolate fudge icing onto the top of each one, then use half your crushed oreos and sprinkle on one cake half until it's almost completely covered,  then put the un-oreo'd cake half on top (carefully!) and sandwich them together.
Ice the whole cake in chocolate icing. Sprinkle some more of your crushed oreos into the cream cheese or vanilla icing and mix together, then pipe 8 large blobs on top of the cake and gently push your oreo halves in til they stick.
Sprinkle the remaining crushed oreos into the centre of the cake, and you're done!
Another way of icing is to swap it around, and ice the whole cake in the cream cheese or vanilla oreo icing and have chocolate fudge blobs instead. I only did it the original way because my husband loves chocolate! But I'll definitely be trying it the other way next time.

This cake will keep for upto a week if stored in an airtight box or container and can be frozen for a month (it's usually demolished within the first 3 days so I'm going on how long my other cakes keep)

Enjoy!

Icing recipes - from the Ms Cupcake recipe book

Chocolate icing -
75g dairy free marg
75g vegetable fat
650g icing sugar
100g cocoa powder
90ml soy milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the marg, fat and vanilla together until creamy, add half the icing sugar, all the cocoa and milk and keep mixing until combined. Add the rest of the sugar and mix until you have a smooth consistency, adding more milk if it's too firm.

Vanilla Icing -
75g dairy free marg
75g vegetable fat
1tbsp vanilla extract
750g icing sugar
50ml soy milk

Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the marg, fat and vanilla together until creamy, add half the icing sugar and milk until combined. add the rest of the sugar and mix until you have a smooth consistency, adding more milk if it's too firm.