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A slice of a Halloween Dirt Cake on a plate topped with a "gravestone" cookie and candy pumpkins, and Oreo crumbs.
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Halloween Dirt Cake

This Halloween Dirt Cake is a fun dessert that kids and adults will love. It starts with a moist chocolate cake, that is stuffed full of chocolate pudding, then topped with a quick chocolate frosting, and Oreo crumbs, and spooky cookies and treats! It's the perfect creepy and cute Halloween dessert.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Chilling Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 15

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake:

  • 16 oz box of chocolate cake mix (dry)
  • 3 oz box of instant chocolate pudding (dry)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt

For the Filling:

  • 3 oz box of instant chocolate pudding
  • 2 cups whole milk

For the Chocolate Frosting:

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup instant chocolate pudding

For the Topping:

  • 16 Oreo cookies
  • 10 Milano Cookies
  • Black gel icing (for writing)
  • 5 Ghost Peeps
  • 15 Candy Pumpkins
  • Halloween Srinkles (optional)

Instructions

For the Chocolate Cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 cake pan and set it aside.
  • Add all the ingredients for the cake to a large bowl and whisk it together until it is fully combined.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. (The batter will be thick, so use a rubber spatula to spread it out).
  • Bake the cake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool for 30 minutes.
  • Poke the top of the cake all over with the handle of a wooden spoon, or a fork.

For the Filling:

  • Whisk together the pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes in a medium sized bowl, then let it sit for a few minutes to thicken slightly.
  • Spread the pudding over the top of the cake, particularly into the holes you poked over the top.

For the Frosting:

  • In a large bowl (or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment) add all the ingredients for the frosting. Whisk them together until it is thick and fluffy.
  • Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake.

For the Topping:

  • Add the Oreo cookies to a food processor and pulse them into a fine crumb. (Or add them to a gallon sized ziplock bag and hammer them into a crumb). Sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the cake.
  • Write RIP on the Milano cookies with the icing to make them "tombstones" and then press them into the frosting and cake so they stand up.
  • Press the ghost Peeps into the frosting so they stand up. (If you don't stand up well you can stick a toothpick into the bottom of them to help secure them).
  • Add candy pumpkins around the cake.
  • Top the cake with sprinkles, if desired.
  • Slice the cake up and serve, or store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it.