Oreo Dream Cake

It's strange...but I still remember the first time I tasted an Oreo cookie. I was about thirteen years old and it was the first time I was in the United States. The friends we were visiting, probably thought that the tall and skinny girl from The Netherlands could use a couple more pounds and introduced me to all kinds of American sweets among which Twinkies, Ding Dongs and last but not least....Oreo cookies.

Of all the different sweets I got to taste, Oreo cookies definitely were my favourites. Not just because of the taste, but also because of the whole ritual of eating the cookie. I can't just pick up an Oreo cookie and eat it just like that. I have twist the two chocolate cookies opposite ways until one of them is released - then I lick the cream off, stick the cookies back together, dip them in milk (if milk is readily available) and finally...eat the cookies.

Oreo cookies were introduced to Norway in 2004 by "Deli de Luca" - a cross between a deli, a newsstand and a convenience store. The cookies became a hit, especially when fancy cafés started to use them to make Oreo Dream Cake - a type of cheesecake. With a lot of Norwegians loving to bake, it didn't take long before the larger supermarket chains began selling Oreo cookies as well. Whereas Deli de Luca only has stores in the larger cities, the supermarket chains made sure the cookies were available throughout the whole country. In 2005 the import of Oreo cookies came to a halt, which led to the launching of "Dots" - an Oreo cookie rip-off made by the Norwegian cookie company "Sætre"- in February this year. Finally I could make Oreo Dream Cake again.... or Dots Dream Cake to be precise.

Oreo Dream Cake
(cake tin Ø 24 cm)

450 gr Oreo cookies / Dots
100 gr butter, melted
225 gr Philadelfia cream cheese
2,5 dl confectioner's sugar
7 dl cream (27 % fat)
2 eggs
3 tbsp sugar
250 gr dark chocolate

1.) Keep 5 Oreo cookies aside for decorating the cake. Put the rest of the cookies into a plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin.

2.) Mix the cookie crumbs with the melted butter in a bowl.

3.) Put the cookie butter mixture into a cake tin (Ø 24 cm) lined with baking parchment and spread out to cover the whole bottom of the cake tin. This will be the bottom of the cake.

4.) Mix the Philadelfia cream cheese with the confectioner's sugar until light and creamy.

5.) Whip 3,5 dl of the cream. When whipped, mix in the Philadelfia mixture.

6.) Use half of the Philadelfia cream mixture to cover the bottom of the cake. Keep the rest aside until later.

7.) Melt the chocolate au bain marie and let it cool down a bit.

8.) Whisk the eggs and sugar for approximately 5 minutes until light and airy.

9.) Whip the rest of the cream in another bowl.

10.) Fold the whipped cream into the egg/sugar mixture.

11.) Gentle fold the melted chocolate into the mixture.

12.) Use all of the chocolate mixture to cover the Philadelfia cream mixture in the cake tin.

13.) Cover the chocolate mixture with the rest of the Philadelfia cream mixture.

14.) Chill and serve. (The cake is at it's best when it has rested in the fridge for 24 hours. It can also be put into the freezer, to be served as an ice cake.) Before serving, crush the remaining Oreo cookies and drissle on top of the cake for decoration.

Enjoy!