Strawberry Cookies and Cream Cake

With every trip to the grocery store, I run these few thoughts through my mind.  

•  GAH!  I forgot my grocery list.  Do I need lemons?  I probably need lemons.  •  Why is it so cold in here?  •  Do I have my wallet, where’s my wallet, who stole my wallet, oh here’s my wallet.  •  Is that baby sitting in that stroller staring at me or do babies just stare?  •  Would it be weird if I start eating this baguette right now?    •  I hate scallops  •  No, you don’t need a bag of chocolate sandwich cookies… don’t even look at those Oreos… no no no.  •  Wait, didn’t you want to make a recipe with a cookies and cream whipped cream?  Better get the cookies.  Two bags, just to be sure.  

Cut to:  home from the grocery store eating Oreos for dinner.

Could one of you please call an adult and ask them to come live with me? 

We’re starting with the cake base.  

Chocolate, like every good cake base should be.  

Into the bowl go flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, leavening, and salt.  

Grab a spoon and stir it up. It’s simple! 

Chocolate cake is all sorts of understanding.  This is a vegan cake with fat from canola oil and flavor from coffee and vanilla extract.  

Wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Just a wooden spoon to stir.  

I love a recipe that doesn’t require a mixer.  

Smooth and glossy chocolate cake batter.  What is more beautiful?    Few things.  

I want to stick my face in this bowl forever.  

We’re making a single layer cake.  Keeping things simple but still special.  

While the cake bakes we have a few minutes to make the whipped cream (and eat a TON of Oreo cookies before assembling the cake).  

A soft whip, not hardening the cream too much.  

Then COOOKIES!  Adding crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies to the whipped cream will soften the cookies like an icebox cake.  

Spoiler alert:  TOO GOOD.  

Cooled chocolate cake is topped with cookies and cream whipped cream.  

Feel like a genius?  Too easy.  

The whipped cream is topped with sweet, fresh strawberries and waaay more cookie crumbled.  

Then, call someone you love and insist that they come over to eat this cake.  You don’t want to be left alone with this thing for too long. 

This is one of those unassuming chocolate cakes, humble and gracious until it’s topped with an unreasonable amount of whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and cookies.  When served chilled from the fridge, the cakes reminds me of an ice cream cake if chocolate, cookies and cream, and strawberry ice cream got together and made friends. 

Strawberry Cookies and Cream Cake

Print Recipe

• Author: Joy the Baker

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Cake

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup warm coffee
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Topping

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup crumbled Oreo cookies plus more cookies for topping
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced in half if large

Instructions

1. Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan, dust with flour and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together coffee, oil, and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
7. While the cake is cooling, make the whipped cream topping. In a medium bowl whip the cream, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla to soft peaks. Add the cookie crumbled and fold to combine.
8. To top the cake, dollop whipped cream on top of the cooled cake and spread into an even layer. top with strawberries and cookie crumbles. Refrigerate until ready to serve.