Original Dirt Cake Recipes

DIRT CAKE

Steps:

• Crush cookies until they resemble potting soil. Divide half of the crumbs between the flower pots. Set pots and remaining crumbs aside., In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. In another bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick). Fold in whipped topping. Gently fold into cream cheese mixture until blended., Add filling to pots; top with reserved crumbs. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. If desired, wrap silk flower stems in foil; add to flower pots. Decorate with gummy worms and display with gardening tools if desired.

DIRT CAKE II

Steps:

• Put the cookies in a food processor and process until they become fine crumbs. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the butter or margarine, cream cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla flavoring. Beat on low speed to mix then beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the chocolate pudding mix and milk to the bowl. Beat on low speed to combine.
• Fold the whipped topping into the pudding mixture with a rubber spatula.
• Assemble in the ungreased 9x13 inch pan in layers as follows: first layer, 1/3 cookie crumbs; second layer, 1/2 pudding mixture; third layer, 1/3 cookie crumbs; fifth layer, 1/3 cookie crumbs.
• Tuck the ends of gummy worms in the cookie "dirt". Be sure to have a worm on each piece. Store in the refrigerator. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving. Cut into 15 squares, or serve with a clean garden trowel or a toy sand shovel if serving in the flower pot.

DIRT CAKE I

Steps:

• Chop cookies very fine in food processor. The white cream will disappear.
• Mix butter, cream cheese, and sugar in bowl.
• In a large bowl mix milk, pudding and whipped topping together.
• Combine pudding mixture and cream mixture together.
• Layer in flower pot, starting with cookies then cream mixture. Repeat layers.
• Chill until ready to serve.
• Add artificial flower and trowel. Enjoy!

DIRT CAKE

Steps:

• Combine the pudding mix and milk in a large bowl and whisk constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the cookies to a food processor and process until fine crumbs form. Remove 4 cups and set aside. Drizzle the butter into the remaining crumbs and pulse until mixture starts to hold together when pinched between your fingers. Pour into a 2 1/2-quart glass bowl and pack with the bottom of a measuring cup to form an even layer. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 2 minutes. Beat the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Fold the whipped cream into the cream-cheese mixture until well combined, then fold this mixture into the pudding until well combined.
• Pour half of the pudding mixture over the cookie crust and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with half of the reserved cookie crumbs, then top with the remaining pudding mixture and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining cookie crumbs, decorate with the gummy worms and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours and up to overnight. Serve cold.

FANCY DIRT CAKE

Steps:

• Pulse cookies in a food processor until coarse crumbs form (or place in a plastic bag and pound with a rolling pin); set aside.
• Pour milk into a medium saucepan; scrape in vanilla seeds and add pod. Heat over medium until just before boiling.
• Whisk eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Whisking constantly, pour half of milk mixture into egg mixture. (Putting a wet towel underneath bowl will help stabilize it.) Add egg and milk mixture to remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until custard is thick and bubbles just a bit, about 7 minutes, then continue to cook 1 minute more.
• Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl; discard vanilla pod. Add 1/4 cup butter and whisk to combine. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly on surface of custard, and chill until cold, about 3 hours.
• Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add chilled custard and beat until combined.
• Using electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip cream in a medium bowl until medium peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into custard to combine.
• Layer custard and cookie crumbs alternately in flower pot, inserting gummy worms at random, ending with crumbs. Stick a flower or two into cake to decorate, adding more worms on top of "soil" if desired.
• Do Ahead
• Custard can be made 1 day ahead; keep chilled.

DIRT 'CAKE' RECIPE

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter and bake in 13x9-inch pan as directed on package. Cool completely.
• Beat pudding mix and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Let stand 5 min. Stir in COOL WHIP.
• Cut 3/4 of the cake into 1/2-inch cubes. Layer half each of the cake cubes and pudding mixture in large glass bowl; repeat layers.
• Crumble remaining cake into crumbs; sprinkle over dessert. Top with fruit snacks. Refrigerate 15 min.

DECADENT DIRT CAKE: SIGNATURE GROOM'S CAKE OR SPECIAL OCCASION CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and lightly flour a large Bundt pan or alternatively use a vegetable release spray.
• Place the rack at the center of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.
• Melt, do not boil, butter, sugar, chocolate, and coffee in a medium-sized saucepan with the hot water, until the sugar is dissolved. Cool completely and pour into a large mixing bowl.
• Set the mixer on slow to medium speed.
• Sift together the combined flours and cocoa. In a separate bowl, combine the beaten eggs, vanilla, and coffee-flavored liqueur.
• Add the flour mixture alternately with egg mixture to the basic chocolate mixture. This is a thin mixture do not over beat. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and place into the preset oven.
• Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees F.
• Check with a skewer to be sure the cake is cooked through.
• Cool the cake for 20 minutes before removing it from the pan.
• Barely melt the chocolate in a double boiler over gentle heat. Remove from the heat source and pour into a large mixing bowl then cool for five minutes. Add the butter, cream, vanilla, coffee-flavored liqueur, and mix on medium speed until the mixture thickens. Finally add the confectioners' sugar in small batches until the mixture holds a medium peak. If the kitchen temperature is warm, and the icing is not of spreading consistency place the bowl in the refrigerator for a few minutes, then recommence mixing. Slather the icing over the cake with an offset palette knife.

DIRT DESSERT

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes; let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Gradually stir into cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipped topping. , Spread 1-1/3 cups crushed cookies into an ungreased 13x9-in. dish. Layer with half the pudding mixture and half the remaining cookies. Repeat layers. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with shaved white chocolate if desired.

JANE'S DIRT CAKE

Steps:

• If using a flowerpot with a drainage hole, reserve 1 cookie to place over hole to prevent leaking. Place remaining cookies in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture resembles dirt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and butter, and stir until creamy. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, whisk together instant-pudding mixes and milk; stir until well blended. Using a rubber spatula, fold pudding mixture into cream-cheese mixture. Fold in whipped cream.
• In a flowerpot or bucket with a 5-quart capacity, alternate layers of cookie "dirt" and pudding mixture, starting and ending with cookie "dirt." Chill at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Garnish with candy.

MINTY FRESH DIRT CAKE

Steps:

• Pulse chocolate sandwich cookies into fine crumbs in a food processor.
• Combine cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Add milk, chocolate pudding mix, and butterscotch pudding mix; beat on low speed until blended. Fold in whipped topping using a rubber spatula.
• Spread 1/3 of the cookie crumbs in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan. Top with 1/2 of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Scatter remaining cookie crumbs on top. Chill until set, at least 3 hours.
• Cut cake into 12 pieces; poke a gummy worm into each piece.

OREO DIRT CAKE

Steps:

• Crush 1/2 package of Oreo cookies in bottom of cake pan. (If you have a food processor this will probably be the easiest way) Set aside.
• Make pudding according to directions. Set aside.
• Mix cream cheese, cool whip, powdered sugar together until smooth. Add pudding to mixture. Mix well and pour over cookies in pan.
• Crush the other 1/2 package of Oreos and sprinkle on top of cream cheese mixture.
• Refrigerate for a couple of hours.