Chocolate Oreo Cake

When life hands you lemons, make a chocolate cake for no apparent reason and savor every last bite.  Goodness, gracious, me.  This cake was delicious.  I found the recipe in the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion- a cookbook my husband got for me for Christmas.  That book is an arsenal of recipes like this one.  This is some very good ammo. "Say hello to my little friend!"  I think even Scarface would have chosen this cake over a machine gun... maybe.  The guy that we had over was pretty much bribing the kids to be done with their cake so he could have their leftovers.  He said, "I'll give you a dollar to be done with that cake."  It always makes me smile when folks savor every last bite of something I whipped up.  Plop some ice cream on the side of this cake, and you'll start humming "Happy Birthday" to yourself. 

Chocolate Oreo Cake

source: King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion Cookbook

Cake:

1 3/4 c sugar

2 1/4 c flour

2 T cornstarch

3/4 Dutch-processed cocoa (regular should work fine)

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

2 lg eggs

3/4 c buttermilk

1/2 c vegetable oil

2 t vanilla

1 c hot water

Marshmallow Filling:

1/4 c shortening

1/4 c butter

pinch of salt

1 t vanilla

1 c powdered sugar

1/4 c corn syrup

3/4 c marshmallow creme

Chocolate Glaze:

1/2 c heavy cream

2 T corn syrup

pinch of salt

1 heaping c of semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 Oreos

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.

In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients.  Whisk to blend.  Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Turn the speed down and add the hot water.  Stir it in.  It will be very thin. Pour it into the prepared pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool for ten minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack. 

Filling:

Beat together the shortening, butter, salt, vanilla, and sugar until it's fluffy.  Add the corn syrup, a little at a time, until it is well incorporated.  Beat in the marshmallow creme.

Glaze:

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine all ingredients.  Cook and stir until the chocolate is melted, and it is smooth.  Remove from the heat and let it rest for 10-15 minutes  or until it thickens slightly. 

Assembly:

If the cake domed as it baked, use a long, serrated knife to cut the dome off the top of the cake layers.  I saved the cake tops to make cake balls later.  Freeze the leftovers, if desired. 

Place the cut-side down on your serving platter.  Evenly spread all the filling on the top of the bottom cake layer. 

Place the second cake layer, cut-side down, on top of the filling.  Pour the cooled glaze on top of the cake and use a spatula to spread the glaze evenly across the top.  Spread it close to the sides so the glaze will drizzle down the sides of the cake. 

Place the Oreos in a ziplock bag and crush them with a meat mallet to make coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle them all over the top of the cake.  The original recipe called for crushed peppermint candies or mint-chocolate cookies.  I had oreos on hand, so I just used them.  Although, I wouldn't be lying when I say that Thin Mint girl scout cookies would be amazing on top of this cake.  :)

There is a lot of work creating the different layers from scratch, but it is worth every second!  The cake comes out tender and soft, the filling is perfect, and the chocolate glaze will make your toes curl.  And who doesn't love Oreos?  My mom.  She doesn't love Oreos, but everyone else in the world does.  :)