Do you remember worms in dirt cups? Those were usually chocolate pudding cups with gummy worms and Oreo crumbs and were a favorite among the elementary school crowd. This recipe takes things a step further by adding tender, moist chocolate cake, Halloween candy, and cookie decorations. Prefer to make a layer cake? Try my recipe for Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s so good for the fall season. Pumpkin Bundt Cake is a great option if you’re looking for a really easy and simple baked treat.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients in Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cake
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
To make the Cake:
Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is perfect for this cake. Cocoa Powder: Be sure that your cocoa powder is unsweetened. The more expensive your cocoa powder is, the better the chocolate flavor will be, but don’t let that keep you from making this. All cocoa powder is good. Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt: These three items are added in small quantities. They work to leaven the cake and add a bit of flavor. Instant Coffee Powder: A secret ingredient in chocolate cake! Instant coffee powder adds a bitter flavor that intensifies the flavor of the cocoa. Granulated Sugar: This is our sweetener. Eggs: Eggs work with the powders to add bulk and fluff to the cake, creating the perfect moist texture. Vanilla Extract: A requirement for any good cake. Vegetable Oil and Milk: Together these add moisture to the cake batter and create the right mouth feel in the finished product. Boiling Water: Added in to the batter at the very end, this will thin out the batter to the perfect consistency, and help to dissolve the cocoa powder.
To Make Chocolate Pudding:
Pudding Mix: A 3.9oz box of instant chocolate pudding mix does the trick.Milk: Two cups of milk will turn that mix into a creamy, delicious cake topping. The higher the fat content of your milk, the creamier the pudding will be. The instructions generally call for 2% milk.
To Make Chocolate Frosting:
Butter: This simple frosting is a chocolate buttercream. Use unsalted butter, softened at room temperature. Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder like you used in the cake batter makes this frosting a nice warm brown color and makes it irresistibly chocolatey. Powdered Sugar: Needed for almost all good frosting recipes, powdered or confectioners sugar adds bulk, sweetness, and lightness. Vanilla Extract: Even though this is a chocolate frosting, vanilla extract makes the chocolate taste stronger and more decadent.
Also, to Decorate The Cake:
To decorate your Halloween cake, you’ll need Oreo Cookies, Milano Cookies, ghost shaped Marshmallow Peeps, candy corn pumpkins, gummy worms, and a small tube of black icing. More details on how to decorate the cake are below.
How to Make Chocolate Pudding Halloween Dirt Cake
How to Decorate a Halloween Dirt Cake
The decorations are what makes this chocolate pudding cake into a Halloween Cake. Will this be a delicious treat without ghosts and worms? Sure, but it won’t be nearly as fun.
Oreos: Sprinkle crushed Oreo Cookies over the chocolate frosted pudding cake to create the appearance of a rocky dirt graveyard ground. Milano Cookies: Make tombstones by using black icing to write “RIP” over each Milano cookie, then pressing them down into the frosting so they are standing up. Peeps: Ghost Peeps are so cute on this cake! Use six of them, and spread them around the cake among the tombstones. You may need to move the dirt away from the frosting to get them to stick well. Worms and Pumpkins: Artistically spread candy corn pumpkins and gummy worms to complete the spooky graveyard cake scene!
What to Serve with Halloween Dirt Cake
For Halloween: If you like making Halloween themed treats, serve this cake with sides of Wicked Witch Finger Cookies and Halloween Peanut Butter Cupcakes with spider web decorations. After Dinner: If you are trick or treating this year, you’re going to need a quick and easy dinner to feed your family before the event. Try making one of my hearty dinner casseroles, like Cowboy Casserole, Walking Taco Casserole, or a Creamy Tuna Casserole. At a Party: Hosting a Halloween party? You need to serve up some snacks and appetizers! I suggest Honey Mustard Pretzels, Sausage Dip, and a Taco Ring. All are crowd favorites. Looking for a way to use up all of that leftover candy? Make this movie theatre snack mix! Kids and adults will smile so big when you bring out this delicious and festive Halloween Dirt Cake. Happy Halloween! © Little Sunny Kitchen
