I need to take a nap after writing that title. What a mouth full!

But really, WHERE have these Oreos been all my life?!

A graham cracker flavored cookie with a chocolate peanut butter flavored cream… I mean, COME ON! Amazing. Simply amazing.

I ordered these on a whim from Target and didn’t have high hopes, just because I figured Oreos are best in their natural form - chocolate. Boy was I wrong.

The Cake

Let’s get started with the cake layers themselves.

We have graham cracker cake layers made with finely ground graham crackers. I wanted the Oreos to have their own chance to shine, so I added some broken pieces into the graham cracker cake batter itself and let them bake. As the Oreos baked, they turned into soft, flavorful craters throughout the cake layers. *chef’s kiss*

The Crust

I knew chocolate wasn’t going to be the main attraction for this cake, but I had to add some somewhere. I didn’t want a chocolate buttercream to overpower the taste of the cake layers. I didn’t want chocolate cake layers because then it was really just a regular Oreo cake. So, we ended up settling with a chocolate Oreo crust for each of the cake layers. Contrasted with the softness of the baked Oreos, the tender cake layers, and the cream cheese filling, the crust gives the cake some much-needed texture contrast.

The Filling

Staying true to Oreo fashion, we have a whipped cream cheese-based filling with a hint of peanut butter as a nod to the PB in the original Oreos. The PB flavor in the Oreos is not overpowering at all, so I wanted to replicate that with the cake filling as well.

The Buttercream

As I debated about how to best tie this cake together, I went back to the cake layers for inspiration and decided on a graham-cracker buttercream. It was the perfect decision. Not too powerful that it takes away from the other elements of the cake, but not too subtle either. I also love the look of it!

A Final Note

So, that’s ^^^ what I’ve been working on in between wedding cake weekends, along with some other flavor-bursting cakes that are coming to the blog soon.

I sometimes forget how it feels to just create in the kitchen. To brainstorm and have trial runs, to succeed and fail, is part of the beauty of baking - the recipe development process is part of the reason why I fell in love with baking cakes and found joy in the kitchen.

Whenever I start to feel a bit burnt-out, I know I’m not creating as I used to before I began Homemade by Celena.

It’s all a balance and I’m learning day by day, just like you (probably)!

Enjoy friends!