Red Velvet Oreo Cake

ByChelsey White Updated onMay 3, 2025

Red velvet and Oreo truly are a match made in heaven, and that’s why I’m so excited to share this red velvet Oreo cake!

From its tender red velvet Oreo cake layers to its Oreo cream cheese frosting, this cake recipe is sure to be a new favorite!!

What Food Coloring Should I Use to Make this Red Velvet Oreo Cake?

When you make any type of red velvet cake, you expect it to have that gorgeous, deep red color when you cut in. I’ve found that it’s a lot easier to achieve that using gel food coloring.

I prefer Americolor, but any red gel food coloring will work! If you don’t have gel food coloring on hand, you can also use liquid food coloring.

image of red velvet oreo cake batter in a 6-inch cake pan ready to be baked

I’ve found that you need to use an entire bottle of liquid food coloring to get the deep red color, so be sure you have a full bottle if you go this route.

The Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting

This red velvet Oreo cake recipe would taste great with just about any frosting, but I wanted to stick with the classic pairing of cream cheese frosting and red velvet cake.

My cream cheese buttercream is a dream when it comes to decorating cakes.

image of oreo cream cheese frosting piped on top of a cake

It’s thick, has great structure, and is wonderful for layer cakes because it is stiff enough to support the weight of the cake layers.

Throw in some crushed Oreos and you have one epic frosting!!

Substitutions & Swaps – Red Velvet Oreo Cake Layers

Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make in this recipe.

Vegetable Oil – You can use any flavorless oil in this recipe. Canola or even sunflower oil would work great!
Eggs – If you have an egg allergy, you can use flaxseed eggs or an egg replacer.
Buttermilk – You can also use full-fat yogurt, additional sour cream, whole milk, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy-free.
Sour Cream – You can also use full-fat yogurt, additional buttermilk, whole milk, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy-free.
White Vinegar – The vinegar in this recipe is crucial because it activates the baking soda and helps the cake layers rise! Most types of vinegar should work, including apple cider or white wine vinegar.
Vanilla Extract – Other extracts can also be used in place of the vanilla extract, or you can omit it if you don’t have any on hand.
Granulated Sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the texture of the cake layers.
All-purpose flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten-free flour blend or cake flour if that’s all you have on hand. I don’t recommend using straight almond flour, though!
Gel food coloring – Natural food coloring (either liquid or powder) or liquid food coloring can be used if needed.
Chopped Oreos – If you don’t want to add chopped Oreos into the cake layers, simply omit them.

image of ingredients laid out to make a red velvet oreo cake

Substitutions and Swaps – Cream Cheese Oreo Frosting

Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. You can also use vegan butter in its place!
Cream Cheese – If you don’t like cream cheese frosting, use additional butter in place of the cream cheese.
Vanilla Extract – Vanilla helps enhance the flavor of this frosting! However, other extracts can also be used in place of the vanilla extract, or you can omit it if you don’t have any on hand.
Heavy Cream – Whole milk or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat) will work fine in this frosting recipe, too.
Crushed Oreos – If you don’t want to add chopped Oreos into the buttercream, you can omit them.

image of oreo cream cheese buttercream frosting made in a glass bowl

Decorating This Red Velvet Oreo Cake

While I love making challenging cake designs, sometimes it’s nice to just make a classic layer cake.

I kept things simple with this cake and used crumbled cake tops and crushed Oreos to decorate the base of the cake.

This cake decoration screams red velvet and Oreo and gives the cake such a classic look.

image of a red velvet oreo cake decorated with crushed oreos and red velvet cake crumbs

Tips for Making the Best Red Velvet Oreo Cake

Properly measure the flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level). Or better yet, use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
Ingredients at room temperature mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
Use a scale to weigh your cake pans as you fill them. It will make your cake layers bake to the same height and bake more evenly.
Use red gel food coloring to make your cake layers a deep, beautiful shade of red.
Level your room temperature or thawed cake layers with a serrated knife to make them easier to stack.
Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. It makes it so much easier to stack and frost them!
I highly recommend that you use a food processor or blender to crush the Oreos for this frosting! If there are any large bits of cookie, it will make the frosting challenging to smooth or pipe with.

image of a red velvet oreo cake slice being pulled out of a cake

Making This Red Velvet Oreo Cake in Advance & Storage Tips

I highly recommend making the cake layers in advance and freezing them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.

You can also make the frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Wait to fold in the crushed Oreos until the buttercream has thawed and been stirred to a smooth consistency again, or else the Oreos can lose their texture and shape and turn the frosting gray.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious.

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist. It can be stored in the fridge like this for up to a week.

image of a slice of red velvet oreo cake that's frosted with an oreo red velvet cream cheese frosting

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this red velvet Oreo cake recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets if you share on social media so I can see all your amazing creations!

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4.94 from 62 rating