Cookies and Cream Cake Version 2

Not too long ago, someone had asked me to make a cookies and cream cake for their daughter's birthday.  Easy enough, right?  The thing though was, they wanted a different kind of cookies and cream cake.  Something that looked like this...

After doing an internet search, I discovered that the cake pictured above was actually from Baskin Robbins, meaning, it was an ice cream cake!

To recreate the same look but with my chiffon cakes, my first thoughts were: 1) I needed to bake two types of cakes; and 2) I needed two types of frosting as well.

So, how did I fair?  Here is the cake I ended up making...

Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos while I was making this cake.  I don't have a photo of the sliced cake either so can't really show you what it looked like inside. The best I can do is give you an idea on how to make it.  I hope it will be of some help in case you decide to make something similar in the future.  Here goes...

The cakes:

1.  Bake one 8" round chocolate chiffon cake (recipe here) and one 8" round vanilla chiffon cake (recipe here).

To transform the vanilla chiffon cake into an Oreo chiffon cake, you will also need about 6 whole pieces (cream included) of Oreo cookies which you will coarsely chop.  Do not use a food processor or crush the cookies into a fine powder as you want them to be very visible inside the cake.  Once you've made the vanilla chiffon cake batter, gently fold in the chopped cookies then proceed to bake as usual.

The frosting:

The cake is covered in whipped cream frosting, while the borders and drizzles are dark chocolate ganache.  On the day you are to assemble the cake, it is best to make the ganache first.  Set it aside to cool down while you make the whipped cream frosting.  By the time you finish covering the cake with whipped cream, the ganache will have cooled completely and be at the right consistency for drizzling.

STABLE WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING (as usual!)

Ingredients:

2 cups whipping or thickened cream, very cold
1 bar (250g) of cream cheese, cold
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure:

Cut up the cream cheese into small cubes.  In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Set aside.

In your chilled bowl and using clean beaters, beat the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla until the mixture is quite stiff. Gently fold in the cream cheese then beat again at high speed for about 45 seconds or until everything is well combined.  Be careful not to overbeat.

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

224g dark chocolate, chopped or chips
3/4 cup whipping or thickened cream

Place chocolate chips in a medium bowl.

In a small saucepan, bring whipping cream to a boil.  Pour over the chocolate chips and let stand for 1-2 minutes without stirring.

Stir with a whisk until smooth and shiny.

NOTE: You will use this ganache in two stages.  First, while it is still in its pourable state and second, when it has thickened enough for piping.

To assemble this cake:

1.  Cut the two chiffon cakes in half horizontally.  Preferably, use the bottom layers of each cake.  Set aside the two extra layers from each cake. (If you want, you can use 3/4 or even the whole Oreo cake rather than cutting it in half to more or less get the same look as the ice cream cake where the top layer is thicker.)

2.  Place a layer of chocolate cake on your cake board, cut side up.  Spread some of the whipped cream. Top with the Oreo vanilla cake, cut side down (or if using the whole cake, bottom side of the cake up).

3.  Cover the whole cake with whipped cream.  Place the remaining whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.  Pipe 8-10 equally-spaced big stars around the cake top, leaving about an inch allowance all around for the ganache borders and drizzles.

4.  To do the drizzles, you will need to use your ganache when it has cooled down but still in its liquid form.  Place some of the ganache in a piping bag.  Snip a little bit off the end.  Drizzle some of it on top of the whipped cream stars and then around the cake edge.  (I found a really great video on how to perfectly do the drizzles - watch here!)

5.  Set aside your cake in the fridge while you wait for the remaining ganache to thicken.  You can either leave it at room temperature or put it in the fridge to speed up the process.  Just don't let it harden or else you will have to heat it up again!

When the ganache is ready, mix it gently with a spoon then place it in a piping bag fitted with a star tip (#18 or #21).  Pipe a shell border around the top and bottom of the cake.

6.  To finish off, insert Oreo cookies in between the whipped cream stars on the cake top.

Not a bad effort.

Hope you like it!