Polka dots are simply adorable, but they can also be tasty! This Oreo Polka Dot Cake is a vanilla rich white cake with Oreo truffle polka dots. I sandwiched the cake layers with liquid cheesecake and more Oreo truffle spread. Encapsulated in chocolate jimmie infused cream cheese frosting, the cake is a black and white cake masterpiece. Move over marble cake, you have a rival cake in your neck of the woods!
This isn’t necessarily a summer flavor. However this Oreo Polka Dot Cake is a classic flavor combination. Vanilla and chocolate. The vanilla cake is present in the classic white cake which is made solely with egg whites. Though the cake is moist delicate and could be the star of the show on it’s own, the simple vanilla cake acts as a supporting role to the Oreo truffle polka dots and the Oreo truffle spread.
But this cake is WAY more developed than just vanilla and Oreos. When baked with the cake batter, the fudgey Oreo truffles transform into a brownie-cookie like texture.
With most cakes, you have the balance the flavors to prevent any excess sweetness. To the rescue: liquid cheesecake. The invention of Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar, liquid cheesecake is the perfect contrast. Smooth and slightly salty, this filling has all of the qualities of cheesecake but without cheesecake’s intense density. When layered in this Oreo Polka Dot Cake, the filling highlights the vanilla flavors and contrasts the sweet chocolate truffles and truffle spread.
For this Oreo Polka Dot Cake, I thought about mixing the Oreo crumbs into the cream cheese frosting. Yet, from experience, I knew that I would end up with gray frosting.
To continue with that black and white color palate for this Oreo Polka Dot Cake, I opted to use chocolate jimmies in the frosting. Before adding the jimmies, I coated the cake with a dirty layer of frosting and then added the jimmies to the remaining frosting. This cheery Oreo Polka Dot Cake is sophisticated with its modern monotone color palate, but lively with loads of polka dots and sprinkles!
- For the Oreo Polka Dots:
- 48 Oreo sandwich cookies
- 10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- For the Simple White Cake:
- 9 egg whites
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder (½ tablespoon = 1 ½ teaspoons)
- 1 ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk, room temperature
- For the Liquid Cheesecake Filling:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
- For assembling the Cake:
- ½ to 1 cup Chocolate sprinkles
- Oreo sandwich cookies
- Working in batches, pulverize the Oreo cookies (filling and all) in a food processor, pulse to get a fine, even crumb.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat together the Oreo crumbs and cream cheese until a uniform mixture has formed.
- Roll out 18 evenly sized balls. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for later.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use baking spray to coat three 8-inch round cake pans. Place 7 Oreo Polka-a-Dot balls into each cake pan, set aside.
- Fit a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip the egg whites until stiff, not dry, peaks form. Scrape into a separate bowl.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
- In the now clean bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on a medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and oil. Beat until the mixture looks well incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and then add in the vanilla.
- With the mixer’s speed on low, gradually alternate between the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the batter by hand.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 26 to 34 minutes, rotating halfway. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist, not wet, crumbs. Let the cake layers rest in the pans for 5 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Coat an 8-x-8 casserole dish with baking spray, set aside.
- Whisk the cornstarch and salt together in a small bowl. In another small bowl whisk together the milk and egg. Set both bowls aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on a medium speed, until smooth and lump free, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl down and add in the vanilla and sugar until completely incorporated, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- With the mixer speed on low, add the cornstarch-salt mixture and then add the milk-egg mixture. Beat this mixture until well blended and lump free, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 15 minutes. The edges should be firm and the center should be loose. If the cheesecake isn’t at this stage, let it baked for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the mixture to cool down before storing it in the fridge.
- Put the cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on a medium-high speed until pale in color and lump free. Add the vanilla and then scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- With the mixer’s speed on low, slowly add the powdered sugar, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat again on a medium-high speed for a final 1 to 2 minutes.
- If the cakes have domes, use a serrated knife to level each layer.
- Frost each layer with a ring of frosting to create a ‘moat’ which will hold the filling in between the layers of the cake. Spoon in the Oreo filling and then top it with the Liquid Cheesecake. Repeat this process with next layer.
- Do a light crumb coating on the outside of the cake and let the cake chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Mix ½ cup to 1 cup of chocolate sprinkles into the remaining frosting and frost the cake with a final coat of frosting. Let the cake chill for a final 15 minutes. Decorate the cake with the remaining sprinkles and Oreos.