Lemony, zesty, and creamy - it's true of the Lemon Oreo, so all of those components had to go into this Lemon Oreo Cake!!
I needed a lemon cake for my father-in-law’s big milestone birthday party - big birthday, big party, so we needed a showstopper cake. And this was the cake I went with! 😉
We needed a lemon cake for my father-in-law’s big milestone birthday party - big birthday, big party! So we needed a cake to match. 😉 Details of the cake were largely left up to me - so this Lemon Oreo cake was the cake I went with!
"Looks like a great cake...but ALSO looks like a lot of work. What if I don't have this kind of time in my life?"
I touch on this in the video, but I have two small kids and not a lot of time. So I split the work over 2 afternoons (nap time) before the birthday party. And to do this - controversy alert - I kept the cake layers overnight in the fridge. There are incredible bakers on both sides of this debate, but I’ve never had the quality of my cake layers affected by an overnight or two (well-wrapped) spent in the fridge or freezer. So I baked 3 8-inch lemon cake layers a day ahead of assembly day. I used a familiar recipe because I knew the layers would handle being cut across to make 6 layers total. (Of note - if you do this - make SURE you make that cut before they go in the freezer! I’d set them in the freezer out of habit - and the edges were semi-frozen by the time I realized that mistake.)
I made a batch of lemon curd, lemon cream cheese buttercream, and some lemon pudding - and chopped some Oreos. (The prep ahead meant I could assemble during my toddler's nap. Which makes the whole thing way less stressful!)
When all the components were ready - late in the day before the party - it was assembly time!
Between each cake layer I added lemon pudding and lemon curd inside a frosting ‘rim’ to keep the fillings inside. I added a sprinkle of chopped Lemon Oreos for a bit more texture and more stability to the filling. (I really didn’t want the layers to start sliding on me, as I needed to transport the cake to the party).
It was a big hit - and definitely one that I’d make again!
What makes this Lemon Oreo cake special?
In addition to just being a great lemon cake - this recipe combines the lemony zesty flavor of a Lemon Oreo with the creaminess of the filling and the crunch of the cookies between the layers. Even party-goers that don't usually like cake finished their pieces! 😉
The frosting actually got the most attention from my recipe reviewers - lemon buttercream is good, but lemon cream cheese buttercream is arguably one of the best frostings ever. It behaves pretty similarly to regular buttercream, but the flavor of the cream cheese just brings it up a notch flavor-wise.
I decorated with a drip, piping, and Lemon Oreos - but how and even if you decorate the cake beyond frosting it is completely up to you. I’ve seen plenty of rough-frosted lemon cakes on Pinterest and they look gorgeous!
Please note - I used Preppy Kitchen’s Lemon Curd recipe - which is AMAZING. (Because it's not my recipe, I've left it out of the recipe card below.) You can make it to fill the cake - but note ahead of time it does take some extra time and effort! (Read: juice lemons, zest lemons, crack eggs, separate eggs, combine ingredients. Now - unless you have one already - piece together a double boiler and simmer some water. Now cook the curd until it thickens - which took me upwards of 30 minutes - then mix in the butter. And now strain to get the zest ‘bits’ out. And refrigerate with plastic wrap over the top to keep a skin from forming.)
It was quite a bit more time + effort than I was expecting, if I’m honest. Not that it wasn’t absolutely delicious, but it’s also not a bad idea to buy some if you anticipate being short on prep/assembly time.
(Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!)
Don't forget to pin this recipe for later!
Lemon Oreo Cake
Equipment
- Cardboard cake circle (or a completely flat plate)
- Cake leveler (or a large serrated knife)
- offset spatula
- Cake turntable (optional; just makes frosting easier)
- cake scraper or pastry cutter (for smoothing frosting)
- large piping bag + star tip (optional)
Ingredients
Lemon Cake Layers
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter or 2 sticks, room temperature
- 5 eggs
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk room temperature - or milk + juice of 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons lemon extract
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest I recommend fresh, but dried lemon zest is another option
- 3-4 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
Frosting / Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese one package, softened
- 1 cup butter 16 Tablespoons or two sticks, softened
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter
- Lemon pudding / Lemon curd (either or both - both optional)
- 5 Lemon Oreos (chopped)
Drip (optional) & Decorations
- 4 ounces white candy melts (or ½ cup; for cake drip)
- 2 - 2 ½ Tablespoons heavy whipping cream (for cake drip; start with 2 Tbsp and add more if needed)
- 5-6 Lemon Oreos
Instructions
Lemon Cake layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 3 8-inch cake pans with non-stick or baker’s floured cooking spray (or line with parchment rounds).
- Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined. (A hand mixer will work as well)
- Mix bits of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Add in the buttermilk, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon zest, and food coloring if desired, and mix at a low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.
- Bake for 35-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans – it helps to run an offset spatula or knife around the perimeter of the pan first. Cool completely. (Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.)
- Once the layers have fully cooled, use a serrated knife or cake leveler to cut each horizontally into 2 layers. Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled first; if cut while still warm, they'll tend to crumble and break.
- In the meantime - start your frosting!
Frosting
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with lemon extract until frosting reaches an easily spreadable consistency. Add salt if needed and beat until well combined.
- (Filling (optional) – I used Preppy Kitchen’s Lemon Curd recipe + Lemon pudding mix combined with 1 ½ cups of milk to fill the cake in the photos / video. Optional - and more work - but definitely delicious! If you’d like to skip the extra steps, you can purchase pre-made lemon curd or just fill the cake with frosting.)
Assembly
- Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle.
- Pipe a rim of white frosting around the edge, and fill with lemon pudding/curd. (Or if you’re not using a lemon filling, spread the layer with frosting). Sprinkle with a chopped Lemon Oreo, and add your next cake layer on top. Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
- Now you're ready to frost - here’s a video tutorial if you could use help at this step. https://youtu.be/Lwd6VE2SeVo
- If you’d like more detail on the cake ring I used in the video, I cover that in this post. https://youtu.be/wKrTu2g-iHs
- (If you plan to add a drip, place the cake into the freezer for about 20 minutes to set the frosting and get the cake cold enough to set the drip.)
Cake drip & Decorating
- Place heavy cream and white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on 50% power in 30-second intervals until smooth, stirring in between.
- When your ganache has cooled to a moderate temperature – it should feel slightly warm but still be fairly liquid – add drips to the top edge of the cake using a piping bag or spoon.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this Lemon Oreo cake?
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