Method (Cakes)

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C fan and line three, 8 inch loose base / push up cake tins with greaseproof paper. If you don’t have 3 cake tins you will have to bake the cakes separately. Just cover the unused batter with a damp tea towel until you’re ready to use it.
2. In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
4. Add the oil into the ‘buttermilk’ along with the vanilla and whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. Don’t over-mix!
6. Fold in the roughly chopped golden Oreo cookies.
7. Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
8. Pop the cakes into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or cake skewer in to the centre of the cake and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
9. Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before removing them from the tins. Leave the cakes to cool fully on the cooling rack.  Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting. 

Method (frosting)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter and cream cheese, whip until light and creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
2. Sift in the icing sugar and add in the vanilla. Whip on high speed for around 5 minutes to incorporate it. Add a splash of dairy-free milk if needed. If the frosting is too thick, add some more chunks of butter. If it’s too soft, add more icing sugar. You want it smooth, creamy and airy. If it ever looks like it’s split, add some more chunks of butter to get it to the right consistency . 
3. Transfer 3 heaped tablespoons into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip nozzle. Set aside.
4. Place one of the cakes on a serving plate or cake stand. Dollop or pipe some of the vanilla buttercream on top and spread out until even using an off-set spatula or pallet knife.
5. Optional step: Add some golden Oreos into a small blender and blitz until fine crumbs. Sprinkle the cookie crumbs over the buttercream.
6. Place the second cake layer on top. Press it down gently so it sticks, repeat for the third cake with the cookie crumbs in between each layer. Coat the whole cake with a thin layer of buttercream. This creates a crumb coat.
7. Place the cake into the fridge to set for 15-20 minutes. You want the buttercream frosting to be firm, this will make the final coat and applying the decorations easier.
8. Remove the cake from the fridge and apply a second/final coat, this time making it thicker, then using a cake scraper to make the edges of cake smooth.
9. Use your hand to press the golden Oreo cookie crumbs over the entire cake (refer to video for example).
10. As buttercream wont pipe / stick to the cookie crumbs, use a spoon to carve out of the buttercream then pipe the swirl over top. 
11. In between each swirl, add a whole golden Oreo cookie.
12. Slice and enjoy!