My Favourite Recipies: Cookies 'n' Cream Cake

 Not only did I try a new recipe this week, but I'm trying something else new next week...entering a cake contest! Eek! A local convenience store has an annual cake contest, and this year I decided to enter. First prize is a $100 gift certificate to that store! That would be a significant help to our family!

My mom and sisters are all entering too, so competition is fierce. :) I decided to make this Cookies 'n' Cream cake that a lady at my church has made..it is so yummy! I gave it a trial run this week, so here is the recipe and the run-down of how I decorated it.

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cake

1 pkg. White cake mix
1 pkg. Instant vanilla pudding
1 ¼ cups water
⅓ cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
1 cup coarsely crushed Oreos

Frosting:
4 cups icing (confectioners) sugar
½ cup shortening
¼ cup milk (I had to add waaaaaay more!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional Oreos

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding, water, oil and egg whites. Beat on low until moistened; beat on high for 2 minutes. Gently fold in crushed Oreos.

Pour into two greased and floured 8 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350ᵒ for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:
In a mixing bowl, beat sugar, shortening, milk and vanilla until smooth. Frost cake.

Now, I will have you all know that I am no cake decorator! In fact, I can't even remember a time I did it before this! BUT... I have cousins that are expert cake decorators, and I've been watching them my whole life. I can distinctly remember my cousin decorating a huge, complicated wedding cake for another cousin, and I sat and watched her the.entire.time. Bless her heart!

I did my best to remember their tricks of the trade, and I was pleased with the result.

I put a dab of frosting on my plate first, to help hold the cakes in place. Then I centered the first cake on the plate. That layer got covered in frosting and a layer of crushed Oreos, and then the next layer went on top of that.

I slathered the cake in frosting, just making sure it was completely and somewhat evenly covered:

Then I took a knife dipped in a glass of milk and water and smoothed the frosting. I dipped the corner of a paper towel in the milk/water and used it to wipe the edge of the plate free of frosting. It's starting to look good!

I put my extra Oreos in the food processor and crushed them up nice and fine. I used these to finish decorating the outside, and whala!

It came out nice, but not exactly as I had hoped. I was trying to get the whole thing to look like a big Oreo, but instead it looked more like a whoopie pie! It was also super hard to get the crushed Oreos on the top part without messing up the center white strip..as you can see, it was not a nice clean line as I wanted.

So when I make the actual (prize-winning!) cake on Monday, I am planning to put the crushed Oreos around the bottom, and halved Oreos on top. Simpler, and the result will be neater, I think. I am still pleased with this one..and boy, was it tasty! :)

I'd love to hear your opinion! Have you ever made a cake for a contest? Are you an expert cake decorator? If so, I need your advice, lol! Wish me luck on Monday!