Chocolate Oreo Cake

Paw Paw's birthday was yesterday and he is a HUGE fan of chocolate cake. Instead of just making a plain chocolate cake with chocolate icing I decided to try my hand at an Oreo cake. You can either make your own chocolate cake batter or buy the stuff in the box.

Here's what you need for the cake batter:

• 3/4 cup of butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup of crushed Oreo's

Here's what to do:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature for 30 minutes
• Grease whatever kind of cake pan you are using (I used a 9x1.5)
• Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt
• In a large mixing bowl beat the butter for 30 seconds
• Gradually add the sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time
• Continue to beat for about 2 minutes
• Add eggs one at a time
• Beat in vanilla
• Alternately add flour mixture and milk until combined
• Stir in crushed Oreo's
• Spread evenly into pan
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
• Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes
• Cool on cooling racks for at least an hour before frosting

For frosting you need:

• Vanilla frosting
• 3 tablespoons crushed Oreo's

What to do:

• I recommend really crushing the Oreo's before you mix into frosting, that way it spreads on the cake easier
• Put wax paper underneath edges of cake so when you frost the cake you don't make a mess of the plate (fun tip, right?)
• Spread frosting on the cake

Since it was Paw Paw's birthday I decorated the cake with icing, poorly. I can bake, but I most certainly cannot decorate. See:

I totally messed up writing Happy Birthday, the icing came out too fast so it looked like "Hoppy" and when I went to fix it I got that awesome purple icing. Sigh....

Multiples and More Question of the Week

So this weeks question came about when I was reading this months issue of American Baby (I know, I have time for this?!) and saw that October is National Cookie Month. What, what?! How could I have not know this?! When did this start?! I couldn't get to my phone fast enough to text Lani about this recent discovery. She was equally excited. I mean really, who doesn't love a good cookie? So in the spirit of National Cookie Month this weeks question is:

What is your favorite cookie recipe?

My favorite recipe to make, simply because it is the easiest, is triple chocolate chip cookies. It's basically the Nestle Toll House (which I say with a horrible French accent ever since that one episode of Friends) recipe with a few alterations. Here's what you need:


2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt (I use Kosher salt)

1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened (unsalted butter, sometimes I use sweet cream butter)

3/4 cup Splenda (you can use regular sugar)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (sometimes I use pure vanilla, makes them super yummy)

2 eggs

1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Morsels

1/2 cup White Chocolate Morsels

And here's how you make them:

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Hand beater to husband so he can try the dough and, as my Mom says, get worms.

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. I usually switch them on the racks halfway between (that is if one if on the bottom rack and one is on the top) Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

I hope you enjoy my variation on a classic! Play along at Multiples and More and let me know what your favorite recipe is!