This 3-Ingredient Oreo Cake Is Going Viral Again—and I Can See Why

We sometimes forget that TikTok is older than one might think. Sure, it became incredibly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when people were looking to entertain themselves during lockdown, but the app was actually released back in 2016. However, because more and more of us are downloading and using TikTok every day, things that went viral a few years ago have a really good chance of gaining traction again with a new audience.

The three-ingredient Oreo mug cake is a perfect example of that. The mug cake—which gets made in the microwave with crushed Oreo cookies, milk, and baking powder—first popped up on the scene in 2021. However, it wasn’t until 2022 that the cake really took off—and now we’re seeing it on our feeds yet again. 

Obviously, mug cakes are nothing new, but one with only three ingredients and one of the most beloved cookies is noteworthy (enough to go viral multiple times!). Even though the Oreo cake hype died down for a bit, it’s clear that the mug cake never goes out of style. So now that it’s once again popular (heck, even Jared Leto is making it), I knew it was time to give the recipe a try. I turned to an Allrecipes Allstar-developed recipe that's ready in just five minutes.

I Tried the Viral Oreo Mug Cake

Truthfully, I don’t think I’ve made a mug cake since I was cooking in my college dorm in 2016—but after making this one, I don’t know why I ever stopped. It’s such a quick and easy dessert, perfect for when you’re craving something sweet but don’t actually want to turn the oven on or have an entire cake leftover if you just want one slice.

I had Oreos that were on their last legs in my pantry and getting soft, so I could just easily mash them up with a spoon in a small ramekin. Then I added milk and baking powder straight to the dish, so I didn’t even have to dirty another bowl.

After a minute and a half in the microwave, the cake was piping hot and ready to serve—talk about food science magic. I saw some TikTok users add a little dollop of Nutella on top of the cake for extra decadence, so I spooned some on and dug in.

The cake is everything you love about an Oreo—the chocolate, the cream, the craving for a glass of milk to wash it down—in a warm, gooey format. The best part about a mug cake is that the middle doesn’t cook all the way through, so it has more of a fudgy, brownie-like consistency than that of a dense chocolate cake. If you’ve ever craved an Oreo brownie, this is the recipe for you.

I’m not sure how I missed this cake’s viral debut last year, but I can say it deserves to go viral again and again and again until everyone has tried it. And now that Red Velvet Oreos are back, I think I’ll have to give that variation a try, too.