Lemon Oreo Cake with Strawberry Jam + Cream Cheese Frosting
I read an article recently that highlighted the benefits of romanticizing a week-night. Stay-up late + watch a movie, crack open a bottle of wine, or just do anything that you’d maybe save for the weekend. This little life hack just jumped off the page, and has been one of my newer fixations. Even before this article came across my desk, we’ve naturally entered into a phase of life where date-nights are more heavy on the rotation. Forcing ourselves out of the house on a week-night, get a little dressed up, and maybe try a new restaurant. We even snuck out for a mid-week movie date with movie snacks and all. Point being that I can honestly say we’ve been trying to pick that weeknight where we can really disconnect at night + just do something extra fun, and now I just have better verbiage to describe this part of our weekly routine.
This week, romanticizing date-night meant one thing - cake. Staying up way past my bedtime to finish this Lemon Oreo Cake with Strawberry Jam + Cream Cheese Frosting so we could enjoy a well earned slice on Thursday. Lemon-y, sweet, and lots going on. Got my hands on some lemon Oreo cookies + tried a new technique - smash them up and bake them right into the cake. Little cooke pieces baked into the cake layer add a little texture + pop of flavor that added a whole new twist to a lemon cake. The cookie pieces are kind the star, and they also get mixed in to a mousse like filling that gets packed into each layer. I didn’t want it to be lemon on lemon on lemon, so I made a super simple strawberry jam to spread between the layers. A sweet + welcomed fruit pairing that meshed perfectly well with all the lemon vibes. A little TGIT treat to usher us into the weekend + made a for a perfect ending to our Thursday night in. The lesson - more romanticizing weeknights with a delicious dessert might be in our future.
For the lemon oreo cake
1 c. butter
1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs + 2 egg whites
Juice from 1 lemon
2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
12 lemon oreo cookies (or other lemon sandwich/wafer cookie), crushed into chunks
For the strawberry jam
16 oz. fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
1/2 c. sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
For the lemon oreo filling
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. powdered sugar
6 ounces cream cheese
8 lemon oreos, crushed into chunks
For the cream cheese frosting
1 c. butter, room temp
2-8 oz. packages of cream cheese, room temperature
8 c. powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lemon
For the lemon oreo cake - Prep 3 8-inch cake pans for baking + preheat the oven to 350. Add the butter + sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together until the mixture is light and fluffy - about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs + vanilla, mixing at medium low until the eggs are fully mixed in. Add in the lemon juice, mixing until incorporated. Next, turn the mixer to low + add in half of the flour in addition to all of the baking powder + salt. Mix on low until incorporated, then add in half of the buttermilk, mixing until the batter is smooth. Continue to mix in the rest of the flour followed by the remaining buttermilk, and slowly increase the speed to high. Whip the batter on high for 60-90 seconds. The batter should be smooth + creamy. Finally, fold in the oreo pieces. Transfer the batter into the 3 cake pans. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, turning the pans at the 20 minute mark.
For the strawberry jam - Add the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium low, stirring + cooking at this heat until the sugar starts to melt. Increase the heat + bring the jam to a simmer. Let the jam continue to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Then turn the heat to low + let the jam conitnue to cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat + let the jam cool completely. Transfer it to an airtight container + place in the fridge until it’s time to assemble the cake.
For the lemon oreo filling - Start by adding the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisking on high until cream is stiff. Transfer the cream to a separate bowl. Add the cream cheese + powdered sugar to the bowl of the stand mixer. Beat on medium-high until the cream cheese is smooth + light. Use a spatular to gently mix together the whipped cream, cream cheese, and oreo cookie pieces.
For the frosting - Add the butter + cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together at medium speed for 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low + add in the powdered sugar 2 cups at a time. Once all of the powdered sugar is mixed in, add in the lemon juice + gradually increase the speed to medium high. Whip on medium high for at least 90 seconds. The frosting should be lighty, smooth, and spreadable.
Time to assemble!
Place the first cake layer on a cake board.
Spread a layer of the oreo mousse on the cake layer, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge of the cake. Top the mousse with a thin layer of the strawberry jam. Pipe the frosting around the border, totally surrounding the mousse + acting as a border around the cake.
Stack the second layer on top of the first.
Repeat step two + finish by topping the cake with the third layer.
Proceed to dirty ice the cake. Keep it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Decorate + jazz it up to get it to look just how you want it.
Eat up, enjoy, and don’t forget to freeze your cake by the slice.
