Description
Spooky Halloween Dirt Cake weaves ghoulish magic into a creamy dessert that delights party guests with its playful graveyard aesthetic. Chocolate crumbs and gummy worms create a wickedly delicious treat you’ll crave long after the last haunting bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients:
- 1 package (15.25 ounces / 432 grams) chocolate cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) water
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the chocolate cake mix with vegetable oil, eggs, and water until the batter is smooth and uniform.
- Transfer the cake batter into the prepared baking dish, ensuring an even distribution.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center – it should come out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely within the baking dish, which typically takes about 1 hour.
- Whisk the instant chocolate pudding mix and milk together until the mixture thickens and becomes smooth, approximately 2 minutes.
- Gently incorporate the whipped topping into the pudding mixture, creating a light and creamy texture.
- Carefully crumble the cooled cake into large, irregular pieces using your hands or a fork.
- Create the first layer in a large serving dish by spreading an even base of cake crumbles.
- Spread half of the prepared pudding mixture over the cake crumble layer, ensuring complete coverage.
- Add another generous layer of cake crumbles on top of the pudding.
- Cover the second cake layer with the remaining pudding mixture.
- Crush chocolate cookies into fine, uneven pieces to mimic dirt-like texture.
- Evenly sprinkle the crushed cookies across the top of the pudding layer.
- Strategically place gummy worms and mini marshmallows to create a spooky, Halloween-themed presentation.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients to ensure smooth mixing and even baking of the cake base.
- Crumble the cake while it’s completely cool to prevent clumping and maintain a light texture.
- For a gluten-free version, swap the chocolate cake mix with a gluten-free alternative and use gluten-free chocolate cookies for the topping.
- Enhance the Halloween theme by using black and orange sprinkles or edible Halloween-themed decorations instead of traditional toppings.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 330 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg