Dirt Cake

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

5 Comments

5 from 1 vote
16 Servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Freeze 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
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Dirt Cake is an amazing, creamy no-bake pudding cake with Oreo crumbs and gummy worms decorating it for a fun, kid-friendly treat!

If you love my fun Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cake, but want something much easier, you’ll love this no-bake Dessert! The creamy vanilla filling and Oreo crumbs are layered into a “Cake” that’s perfect for kid parties!

Sabrina’s Dirt Cake

This simple cake is a delicious and delightful party dish that’s a guaranteed hit with adults and children alike. It’s an easy dessert made with an instant pudding base that’s made thicker and richer with cream cheese and heavy cream. That creamy pudding is then sandwiched between two layers of crushed Oreo cookies.The crumbs on top look like dark dirt, which is where it gets the name Dirt Cake. Sweet chewy gummy worms are added to go along with the fun theme which makes it a favorite treat for kiddos!

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Dirt Cake Recipe

Dirt Cake is an amazing, creamy no-bake pudding cake with Oreo crumbs and gummy worms decorating it for a fun, kid-friendly treat!
Yield 16 Servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Serving of cake topped with gummy worm on yellow plate
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 3.4 ounces vanilla pudding mix
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces cream cheese , softened and cut into cubes
  • 26 Oreo Cookies , crushed
  • 10 ounces gummy worms

Instructions

  • Add vanilla pudding mix and milk to a large bowl and whisk until well combined.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
  • Add heavy cream to your stand mixer on high speed until it reaches a soft peak stage (the tip of the whisk balloon just falls over).
  • Add in the cream cheese chunks and mix on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
  • Add in the pudding on the lowest speed setting until well combined.
  • Add half the Oreo Cookie crumbs to the bottom of the baking dish.
  • Pour the pudding mixture over the top of the crumbs evenly.
  • Top with remaining Oreo Cookie crumbs and refrigerate or freeze for 1 hour.
  • Top with gummy worms before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 459IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg

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Sabrina’s Tips

For a delicious addition, you can serve this with my homemade cool whip on the side. It will pair great with the easy, fluffy topping. It’s better to keep it on the side than put it directly on the cake. That way people can still see the worms. You can also serve this dish in another vessel such as a pretty trifle bowl for a elevated presentation. In this case, I would do multiple layers in the bowl. Its a beautiful addition to any type of party!

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About this Recipe

The simple ingredients and easy-to-follow directions make this cake recipe the perfect potluck treat. It’s made in a big batch that’s perfect to share at a party, and easy to transport in a regular cake pan. This cake isn’t just fun for kids, it is also tasty for adults (and fun for the adults, too!). Make it WITH the kids for the full, fun experience.

How to Store

  • Serve: Make sure to chill the Dirt Cake recipe for at least 1 hour before you serve them. Don’t leave the pudding-based cake at room temperature for more than an hour or two. 
  • Store: If you have leftover cake, cover it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to store in the fridge. It’ll be good in the fridge for 3-4 days. 
  • Freeze: You can also cover the cake to store in the freezer for 4-6 weeks.

Variations

  • Oreos: You can change up the original recipe by using different kinds of Oreos. Mint, double chocolate, red velvet, or peanut butter would all be fun ways to mix things up. You could also use other crispy cookies like vanilla wafers or ginger snaps.
  • Chocolate Pudding: Instead of vanilla pudding, you can use a chocolate-flavored pudding. It will look even more like dirt with the dark brown color. 
  • Dirt Cupcakes: Instead of pouring the pudding into a cake pan, line a muffin tin and divide the Oreo crumbs and pudding evenly into each cup. Refrigerate for 1 hour and enjoy the mini dirt cakes. 
  • Decorations: You can also add more decorations to go along with the gummy worms. More gummy critters or plastic spiders will look great on the coarse crumbs and make it the ultimate no-bake dessert for Halloween. 

More Fun Party Desserts!

picture showing full cake with the dirt like top and gummy worms, bottom showing the layers of creamy filling and crunchy chocolate top and bottom.

The following photos were used in previous versions of this post:

cross-section of Cake in baking dish
collage of cream and Oreo cake topped with gummy worms

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I was looking for a dessert for Halloween and I think this is it! I do love a “dirt cake” and this would be the next step up! Thanks!

    Reply