Mini Chocolate Oreo Cakes

Mini Chocolate and Oreo Cakes ~ This is the kind of cake that you won’t be ashamed to beg for. Beneath the chocolate pour and Oreo rich mousse like frosting is a rich chocolate cake as classic as Chanel No. 5.

I know perfume and food hardly go together. In fact they really don’t for me. I don’t wear any fragrances and everything I buy is unscented. I’m highly sensitive to smell and will go as far to ask for another table or move to another seat in a movie theatre to get away from it.

So when I made this cake for my girlfriend’s birthday, she loved it and said the chocolate cake was as classic in taste as Chanel No. 5 is to perfumes. Of course, I can’t vouch for that.

What I can vouch for is pairing a classic childhood cookie with a good ol’ fashion classic cake is always a winner where ever and to whomever it’s serves to. That is, unless you don’t like chocolate or Oreos, in which case this is as appealing as oatmeal and mustard in a bowl.

For those of you who are fork ready, here you go. . . . .

A few notes:

• The frosting can be made 7 days in advance and kept refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before using.
• Unfilled mini cakes can be made two days in advance. Tightly cover cakes in plastic wrap and then place in an airtight container.
• If you decide not to make minis, use two 9 inch cake pans.
• For the poured chocolate frosting, I added some water after it was melted through with the cream to achieve a thinner and easier pour.
• More mini cake goodness: Mini German Chocolate Cakes
• This cake was originally inspired from one of my favorite baking blogs and baker extraordinaire Jamie of My Baking Addiction’s Oreo Cake.

Mini Chocolate Oreo Cakes

Yields 24 2×2 Mini cakes

Chocolate Cake

*Preparation:  Butter each cake ring and place on parchment lined cookie sheet or butter one 9 inch cake pan and line with parchment. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake:

• 2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 6 tablespoons water
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 ¼ cup + ¼ cup sugar
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Oreo Buttercream Frosting:

• 5 egg whites
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cubed
• 2 sticks butter, softened and cubed
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 11/4 cup Oreos, crushed

Chocolate Pouring Sauce:

• 2/3 cups dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
• 4-5 tablespoons water, warm

Instructions:

Chocolate cake:

1. Melt both chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of water. Use either a double-boiler or a microwave. Stir until smooth; set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Place butter and 1 ¼ cup of the sugar in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate, then the egg yolks, one at a time.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, then the rest of the dry ingredients.
4. In a separate metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the ¼ cup of sugar until stiff.
5. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter and then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there’s no trace of egg white visible.
6. Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Cool cake layers completely.

Recipe from David Lebowitz

Oreo Buttercream Frosting:

1. Place eggs and sugar in stand mixer bowl attach thermometer to bowl and then place bowl over simmering water.  Whisk mixture constantly until it comes to 150 degrees F. Remove bowl from heat and place back with stand mixer. Beat mixture on medium until it becomes glossy and shiny and stiff peaks begin to form, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add butter in a few pieces at a time and beat to combine after each addition. Mixture may look curdled half way through, but continue adding the butter and beating and the mixture will become smooth once more.
3. Add in vanilla and crushed Oreos, beat to combine.

Chocolate Pouring Sauce:

1. Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water  1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.

Assembly:

1. Slice each mini cake into three layers. Frost the top of each layer with  frosting and then cover whole mini cake with frosting. Freeze mini Oreo cakes for an hour, so the frosting does not melt when it comes into contact with the warm chocolate sauce. Remove mini Oreo cakes from freezer and pour chocolate sauce on top. Pipe a small dollop of frosting on top and then place mini Oreo in center.