Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cake is a kid favorite Halloween dessert topped with pudding, crushed Oreos (dirt), and gummy worms for a spooky treat.
This Dirt Cake recipe is made up of several delicious layers. The Chocolate Cake is topped off with a chocolate pudding mixture, then it’s all topped off with cookie crumbs and gummy worms to look like worms in dirt. It’s a fun idea for a delicious Dessert that’s a real crowd-pleaser!
CHOCOLATE PUDDING DIRT CAKE
If you need a dessert recipe perfect for your next Halloween party, then look no further than this Oreo Dirt Cake—or Graveyard Dirt Cake as some people call it. The kid-friendly dirt dessert was made for this spooky season. The cookie crumbs and gummy creatures add a whimsical touch. It’s an on-theme treat that’s still cute and tons of fun!
Along with the gummy worms and cookie crumbs, you can serve other toppings to go with the chocolate cake and creamy pudding. Hot Fudge and Cool Whip would both taste amazing on the chilled cake.
CHOCOLATE DIRT PUDDING
This dirt dessert recipe is inspired by chocolate dirt pudding. If you want the fun toppings, but don’t have the time to make a whole cake with chocolate filling, try just making pudding dirt cups. It’s a no-bake dessert that you can have ready in no time.
- Combine the packages of instant pudding with milk and whisk according to the instructions.
- Give the pudding time to chill, then spoon the pudding mixture into dessert cups.
- Top the dirt pudding with crushed Oreos and gummy worms, and enjoy!
MORE CHOCOLATE CAKE
TIPS FOR MAKING CHOCOLATE PUDDING DIRT CAKE
- Prep time: To prep the recipe set your oven temperature to 350 degrees and spray two 9×13 inch pans with nonstick spray. Next, get the crushed Oreos ready. Make the Oreo crumbs in a food processor and leave them to the side until you’re ready to decorate the cake. This is also a good time to brew coffee so that it’s ready to go.
- Chocolate Sheet Cake: Combine the granulated sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in your stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a large mixing bowl and electric mixer. Whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl, then add it to your dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Slowly pour in the hot coffee. Stir it in by hand, that way the coffee doesn’t splash up and burn you.
- Bake: Pour half the batter into each of the prepared pans and bake them for 30-35 minutes.
- Frosting: While the cake is cooling make the chocolate frosting. Melt the butter in a saucepan and mix in cocoa powder. Once they’re combined remove them from the heat and let the mixture cool. Add the chocolate to your stand mixer and whip it together. Alternate between adding the powdered sugar and milk in ⅓ cup amounts. Then add in the vanilla. Pour in extra milk if the frosting is too thick. Spread the frosting over both halves of the cake and layer them on top of each other so you have a rich chocolate filling.
- Pudding mixture: Whisk the chocolate pudding mix with the milk. Let the pudding mixture sit for 5 minutes. Layer pudding mixture over the cooled cake. Spread the pudding out evenly with a rubber spatula, then let it set in the fridge.
- Decorate: Before serving top the Oreo Dirt Cake off with crushed Oreos and gummy worms.

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VARIATIONS ON CHOCOLATE PUDDING DIRT CAKE
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Try making your Oreo Dirt Cake recipe with chocolate cream cheese frosting. To make the cream cheese frosting start by whipping together 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and 8 tablespoons of butter. Next, mix in 3 cups powdered sugar, ½ cup cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla with the cream cheese mixture. Spread the frosting over the cake as usual and then top it with the pudding for a cream cheese pudding combo.
- Vanilla Pudding: To change things up a little, try making vanilla pudding instead of instant chocolate pudding. Prep the vanilla pudding mixture the same way, and then just pour the instant pudding over the cake. It won’t look like dirt, but the taste is delicious. To change the theme to match the vanilla pudding try using vanilla Oreos to look like sand instead of dirt. You can top it with Swedish fish and gummy sharks.
- Chocolate chips: For some extra chocolatey taste in your Dirt Cake recipe, try mixing chocolate chips into the cake batter. Semi-sweet, milk, dark, or white chocolate chips will all make a nice addition.
- Dirt Cake Cups: Bake the Dirt Cake batter in a muffin tin to make Dirt Cake Cups. Only fill each cup up about halfway so that there’s room for pudding on top.
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HOW TO STORE CHOCOLATE PUDDING DIRT CAKE
- Serve: Because of the pudding in the cake, you don’t want to leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: You can also wrap the Dirt Cake recipe in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 1 week.
- Freeze: Kept sealed, the cake will be good in the freezer for 4-6 months. Let it thaw in the fridge before serving.


Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee , you can substitute boiling water
Chocolate Pudding
- 6 ounces chocolate pudding mix
- 2 cups whole milk
Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 2/3 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Toppings:
- 26 Oreo Cookies , crushed into crumbs
- 10 ounces gummy worms
Instructions
Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking pan with baking spray.
- In a stand mixer on low speed mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla then add it to the stand mixer on low then medium speed until just combined, and finally add in the hot coffee carefully and stir it in by hand until just combined (do not turn on the mixer, it may splash on you).
- Pour half of the batter into each of the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes then remove, let cool completely and frost with the chocolate frosting.
Chocolate Pudding:
- Whisk together pudding mix and milk until smooth.
- Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Pour over completely cooled cake.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Chocolate Frosting:
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and whisk in the cocoa powder then remove from the heat and let cool.
- Add the cooled chocolate mixer to your stand mixer and whip on medium speed adding the powdered sugar and milk, alternating them ⅓ at a time, and finally add the vanilla in last.
- If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more milk.
Toppings:
- Top with crushed Oreos and gummy worms.
I wanted to love this but the recipe is written confusing and the frosting was like soup and it just slid it and the pudding layer off of the cake! It’s more like a molten lava dirt cake at this point! Still good but messy as heck!
Bake in a single pan. Cool. Poke some holes for worms to “come out” of the cake. Put in worms. Cover cake with pudding and crumble oreos on top, adding more worms. This was a hit for the fam and making it again by request, even though it doesn’t fit my daughter’s birthday theme like it did my son’s. The recipe is written weird. No need for two pans/layers or making frosting– the Oreos and pudding are plenty if the cake is nice and moist!
I see the questions being asked but I don’t see an answer that addresses the fact that the recipe includes instructions for pudding AND frosting. So do I need to make both or just the pudding? I bought the ingredients for this before reading through the instructions. I wish I hadn’t, now I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do.
You make a sheet cake
You make the frosting
You make the pudding
I recommend that you read the Tips for making Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cake for further clarification.
Let us know how your recipe turned out!
Do I frost the cake and then add the pudding, then the Oreos?
Let the cake cool
“Frost” your cake with the pudding
Add the Oreos and other decor!
So you frost the cake then top it with pudding?
The Chocolate Cake is topped off with a chocolate pudding mixture, then it’s all topped off with cookie crumbs and gummy worms to look like worms in dirt. Enjoy!
This recipe makes zero sense as it’s written.
This whole recipe is confusing. How many pans, 1 or 2? And what layer goes on top of cake first, frosting or pudding? ?
I thought there was something wrong with me! I had to read it twice ?
Omgosh! I’ve read it 3 times and thought I was losing my mind.
I’ll just wing it! ?
This whole recipe is confusing. How many pans, 1 or 2? And what layer goes on top of cake first, frosting or pudding? ?