Halloween Dirt Cake
Halloween Dirt Cake layers chocolate pudding over a chocolate cake before being finished off with a 3-ingredient frosting and fun toppings! This festive cake will be an absolute hit at this year’s Halloween Party!
The Best Halloween Cake
Save the tricks and just enjoy a treat like this Halloween Dirt Cake instead! This dessert has it all with its chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, chocolate frosting, AND fun edible decorations to make a Graveyard!
You can make this cake as spooky or family-friendly as you want to fit the occasion! Whether it’s a graveyard, a pumpkin patch, or a spider’s web it’ll pack a ton of WOW! factor to those who will be eating a slice!
This Halloween dessert is packed with four layers of delicious chocolate flavor!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: Rich, chocolaty flavor.
Texture: Moist, tender, and creamy with edible decorations.
Ease: 3/10
Pros: You can decorate this as a graveyard, a pumpkin patch, or a spider’s web!
Cons: None.
Would I Make This Again? Yes!
This was amazing! Everyone loved it!
– Kim
Ingredients For Halloween Dirt Cake
This Halloween Dirt Cake Recipe uses pantry staple ingredients and some store-bought items to create a festive and delicious dessert! To get started this recipe is broken down into four parts: the cake, filling, frosting, and fun toppings!
The cake batter begins with a boxed chocolate cake mix and a box of instant chocolate pudding mix. From there the two are doctored up with sour cream, vegetable oil, whole milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.
Once the chocolate cake is baked it gets holes poked into the top so the filling can seep down into the cake! To make the filling you’ll need another box of instant chocolate pudding mix and some more whole milk.
After the pudding is spread over the top of the cake it will get sealed over with chocolate frosting. This is made by combining heavy cream, powdered sugar, and instant chocolate pudding mix.
Lastly are the fun toppings! For this I used:
- Oreos – These get crushed up to make the ‘dirt’ layer.
- Milano Cookies and Black Gel Icing – The gel icing is used to write R.I.P. on the Milano cookies to create the edible tombstones.
- Ghost Peeps – These get stuck into the frosting on top of the cake!
- Candy – I used candy corn pumpkins but feel free to use any Halloween candy you’d like!
- Sprinkles – Halloween themed for a fun finishing touch all over the top of the cake!
Halloween Dirt Cake Variation
If you want to make this more of a cookies and cream flavor, feel free to use vanilla pudding for the filling or in the frosting!
How To Make This Easy Halloween Cake
- Cake: Mix together all of the cake ingredients and then pour the thick batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake the cake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Then allow it cool before poking holes all over the top using the handle of a wooden spoon.
- Filling: whisk the pudding mix and milk together. Allow it to set afterward so that it slightly thickens.
- Spread the pudding over the top of the cake.
- Frosting: whisk the frosting ingredients together in a large bowl until it becomes thick and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cake.
- Toppings: Pulse the Oreos in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Then sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the cake.
- Write R.I.P. on the Milano cookies and then stand them up in the frosting on the cake.
- Press the ghost Peeps into the frosting so they stand up as well.
- Add the candy pumpkins around the ghosts and tombstones. Garnish with sprinkles if desired!
How To Store Halloween Cake
Store this Halloween Cake loosely covered in the refrigerator and enjoy it for up to 4 days!
Can I Use A Regular Buttercream Frosting On The Cake Instead?
For this cake, I actually don’t recommend using regular buttercream because it’s a bit too heavy. This frosting keeps it light and creamy without being too sweet.
What If I Can’t Find A Box Of Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix?
That’s ok, any standard chocolate cake mix should also work just fine.
Can I Make This Cake Ahead Of Time?
I’d recommend baking the cake up to one day in advance but then frosting it and decorating it right before serving.
Here are more impressive Halloween desserts that you’ll also love!
- Easy Halloween Chocolate Covered Oreos – A simple Halloween treat that the kids will love!
- Mummy Halloween Cupcakes – Dressed up as a Mummy using vanilla buttercream and candy eyes!
- Halloween Seven Layer Magic Bars – Made with refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough!
- Melted Witch Cupcakes – Made using a boxed cake mix and ready to share in under an hour!
- Easy Halloween Dirt Cups – Brought to life with pretzel ‘monster fingers’, gummy worms, and candy eyeballs!
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Halloween Dirt Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 (16oz.) box chocolate cake mix
- 1 (3oz.) box instant chocolate pudding mix unprepared
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 1 (3oz.) box instant chocolate pudding mix unprepared
- 2 cups whole milk
Frosting:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup instant chocolate pudding mix unprepared
Topping:
- 16 Oreos crushed
- 9 Milano cookies or more if desired
- 3 Ghost Peeps or more if desired
- 12 candy pumpkins or more if desired
- Sprinkles optional
- Black gel icing for writing
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch cake pan, set aside.
- Mix together all ingredients until fully combined and transfer to the prepared cake pan. The batter will be thick and you will need to use a rubber spatula to spread it out.
- Bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 30 minutes and poke holes all over to top with the handle of a wooden spoon.
Filling:
- Whisk together the pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes, then allow to thicken slightly.
- Spread the pudding over the top of the cake.
Frosting:
- In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk together the frosting ingredients until thick and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cake.
Topping:
- Add the Oreos to a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Sprinkle the Oreo crumbs over the top of the cake.
- Write R.I.P. on the Milano cookies to make tombstones and then press them into the frosting so they stand up.
- Press the ghost Peeps into the frosting so they stand up. If they have a hard time doing so, you can use toothpicks to help secure them.
- Add the candy pumpkins near the ghosts and tombstones.
- Add sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
- I used Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge cake mix, but any standard chocolate cake mix should work.
- This cake should be refrigerated within 2 hours after frosting or the frosting can get really dark and dense. I should remain good in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- The cake can be baked up to one day in advance and then frosted before serving.
- You could use other toppings such as gummy worms, Halloween candy, and more.
- Nutritional information is an estimate that does not include the toppings other than the crushed Oreos.
Nutrition
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This was amazing! Everyone loved it!
Very clear directions, step by step, and tasts great, thank you 😊! You get a 5 🌟!