Golden Oreos are a favorite in our kitchen, and I often use them in desserts like this Golden Oreo Cake. The cookies add a crisp, sweet flavor that elevates simple cake recipes. Below you’ll find an easy, crowd-pleasing recipe that combines cake mix with instant pudding for an especially moist texture.
Table of Contents
- What goes into this Recipe
- How to make This Golden Oreo Cake
- Expert Tips
- Storage and Freezing
- Recipe FAQs
- Love easy cakes? Try these recipes…
- Easy Golden Oreo Cake Recipe
This Golden Oreo cake is easy to make and delivers big flavor. Adding an instant pudding mix to the boxed cake mix creates a tender, moist crumb with minimal effort. The real showstopper is folding crushed Golden Oreos into the batter and using extra crumbs and whole cookies on top for texture and visual appeal.
If you love Golden Oreos, try other no-bake or layered desserts using the same cookie for inspiration.
What goes into this Recipe
- Cake Mix: A white cake mix creates a soft, fluffy base. A vanilla cake mix can be substituted without changing texture or flavor.
- Instant Pudding Mix: Adds moisture and richness—use instant (not cook-and-serve) pudding.
- Milk: Used in the batter and to thin the frosting if needed. Any milk or cream will work.
- Golden Oreos: About 36 cookies total are suggested (crumbs for the batter and topping, plus whole cookies for serving). Crush in a food processor or a zip-top bag with a rolling pin.
- Cream Cheese: Use an 8-ounce block at room temperature for smooth, tangy frosting.
- Butter: Softened butter helps the frosting reach a creamy spreadable consistency.
See the recipe card below for exact measurements and full ingredient list.
How to make This Golden Oreo Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the white cake mix, instant vanilla pudding mix, eggs, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix until the batter is smooth and thick.
- Fold in the crushed Golden Oreo crumbs until evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no raw batter. Allow the cake to cool completely.
- Make the cream cheese frosting: beat softened cream cheese and softened butter until smooth, add vanilla, then gradually add powdered sugar until you reach a spreadable consistency. Thin with 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk if needed.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Sprinkle extra Golden Oreo crumbs over the frosting and top each serving with a whole Golden Oreo, if desired.
Expert Tips
- Bring ingredients to room temperature: Let eggs, cream cheese, and butter sit out about an hour so they mix smoothly.
- Mix gently after adding crumbs: Fold in the crushed Oreos just until combined to keep the cake light and tender.
- Vary crumb size: Use slightly larger crumbs in the batter for texture and finer crumbs for the topping.
- Alternate frosting idea: Stir some cookie crumbs into the frosting for a Golden Oreo buttercream variation.
- Check doneness carefully: The cake is ready when a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs but no raw batter.
- Make it festive: Add rainbow sprinkles to the batter for a fun celebration cake.
Storage and Freezing
Store: Keep the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Because of the cream cheese frosting, do not leave the cake at room temperature more than 2 hours. For best texture, let refrigerated slices sit at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.
Freeze: You can freeze the cake, but frosting texture may change. For best results freeze unfrosted cake tightly wrapped, up to 3 months, then add frosting and cookie crumbs after thawing.
Recipe FAQs
Often this happens from opening the oven door too early or too often. Avoid peeking for the first 25 minutes. Also ensure you used instant pudding rather than cook-and-serve, which can affect rise.
Yes. You can bake this in two 8-inch round pans for a layer cake—reduce baking time slightly and divide crumbs and frosting between layers. You can also make about 24 cupcakes; fill liners two-thirds full and bake 18–22 minutes, then top with frosting and crumbs.
Make sure cream cheese and butter are fully softened. If lumps remain, beat the cream cheese alone first, then add butter and powdered sugar.
Absolutely. Regular Oreos work well and give a chocolate-cream contrast instead of the golden cookie flavor.
Love easy to make cakes? try these recipes…
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Easy Banana Sheet Cake with Cake Mix
Breads
Lemon Cake Mix Bread
Cakes
Vanilla Sheet Cake Recipe
Desserts
Easy Homemade Birthday Cookie Cake Recipe
Did you try this recipe? Leave a review and share a photo to let others know how it turned out.
Easy Golden Oreo Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box white cake mix (13.25 ounces)
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix (3.25 ounces)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup Golden Oreo crumbs (about 12 cookies)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3½–4 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk (to thin)
Topping
- ¾ cup Golden Oreo crumbs (about 12 cookies)
- 12 Golden Oreo cookies (optional, for serving)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, milk, and oil in a large bowl. Mix until thick and smooth. Fold in Golden Oreo crumbs and spread batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs but no raw batter. Cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, mixing to a spreadable consistency. Add milk as needed.
Assembly
- Once the cake is cool, spread the frosting evenly. Top with Golden Oreo crumbs and whole cookies if using. Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days.
Notes
Let chilled leftovers come to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.