Dirt cake!

First attempt at a three layer cake and it turned out alright. We’ve got a chocolate cake base, with oreo italian meringue buttercream, a custard/cream cheese/whipped cream/pudding filling, covered in oreo crumbs and topped with a cream cheese whipped cream topping.

For the Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (50g)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (240mL)
2 large eggs
½ cup melted butter (180g)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water (240ml)

For the Buttercream
4 egg whites large, room temperature
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar (267g)
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 ounces unsalted butter (454g) room temperature cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional (4.9mL)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (0.84g)
1/3 cup water (79mL)
1 cup ish oreo crumbs pulsed in blender or food processor

For the Filling:
(This one I did on the fly so the ratios can be tweaked to be sweeter or thinner depending on what you like)
1/2 cup pastry cream
1/4 cup softened cream cheese
2 tbsp room temp butter
3ish tbsp of powdered sugar
Double recipe if topping with cream mixture

Instructions

For the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with butter or baking spray and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. (I highly recommend using cake strips for a more even bake.)
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and whisk together until well combined. Pour in the boiling water and whisk until well combined. (The batter will be runny.)

Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes. Carefully invert the cake layers onto the wire rack, remove the parchment paper, and let cool completely.

For the Buttercream:

Beat the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar, slowly add in ⅓ cup of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.
While the eggs are getting whipped add the remaining sugar and ⅓ cup of water into a medium pot and place on medium-low heat.
Stir until sugar melts and becomes clear.
Maintain at medium-high heat until temperature reads 235-240F.
Drizzle the sugar into the mixer immediately. At this point the meringue should be at the soft peak stage.

Run mixer until meringue is cool/tepid.
Switch to a paddle attachment. Add room temperature butter into running mixer one tablespoon piece at a time.
Add the salt and vanilla if using.
Beat until butter is combined and mixture has reached a silky consistency. Fold in the crumbs and fill a piping bag.

Cream filling:
Combine all ingredients and beat until stiff. Reserve half if planning to top the cake with the filling, whip mixture.

Level all three cakes. Place first layer of cake and pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of the top to create a barrier for the filling. Drop in a 1/3 of the filling and top with second layer of cake. repeat the process and crumb coat the entire thing with buttercream. let chill in the fridge for AT LEAST 30 minutes ( I left mine in the fridge overnight)
Frost the entire cake after it has had time to chill and chop some reserved oreos (10 or so) in half or leave whole. get fancy with it! Taking a bit of that reserved filling you have, combine it with some whipped cream stabilized with about 3 tbsp of powdered sugar. Plop it on the top of your cake and use those oreos to make it looks nice.
**Note: adding butter to the cake instead of oil (they can be used interchangeably) makes for a harder cake if eating straight from the fridge. I let my cake come to room temp before eating for the best texture!