Graveyard Dirt Cake
The spookiest dessert on your Halloween table! 🪦 Graveyard Dirt Cake is layers of creamy chocolate pudding and cookie “dirt” with tombstone cookies and gummy worms crawling out.
Chocolate sandwich cookies get crushed into dirt, and the creamy layer is cream cheese, powdered sugar, chocolate pudding and whipped topping. Layer it all in a trifle dish and decorate the top.
No baking at all, and it’s even better made the night before.
Why You’ll Love It
- No baking. Just crush, mix, layer and chill.
- Feeds a crowd. It serves 12 to 15.
- Make ahead. Overnight in the fridge makes it even better.
- Kids love decorating. Tombstones, gummy worms and candy pumpkins.
- Show-stopper. A trifle dish shows off all the layers.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chocolate sandwich cookies: Crushed into the cookie “dirt”.
- Cream cheese and powdered sugar: Beaten smooth for the creamy layer.
- Milk and instant chocolate pudding: Whisked until thick.
- Whipped topping: Folded in to make it light.
- Chocolate wafer cookies, gummy worms and candy pumpkins: The graveyard decorations.
You’ll find the exact amounts and steps in the printable recipe card below.
How to Make It
Pulse the sandwich cookies in a food processor into fine crumbs and set aside 1 cup for the top. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. In another bowl, whisk the milk and pudding mix until thick, fold it into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the whipped topping. Layer half the remaining crumbs in a trifle dish, then half the pudding mixture, and repeat. Top it with the cup of crumbs you saved, push in the wafer-cookie tombstones, and scatter the gummy worms and candy pumpkins on top. Chill it at least 2 hours before serving.
Tips for the Best Graveyard Dirt Cake
- Save some crumbs. Set aside 1 cup of cookie crumbs for the top layer.
- Soften the cream cheese. It beats up smooth with no lumps.
- Use cold milk. It helps the pudding thicken.
- Fold gently. Fold in the whipped topping so it stays fluffy.
- Chill it. At least 2 hours, or overnight if you can.
Would your crew eat the gummy worms first or the tombstones? 😂
Graveyard Dirt Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pulse the sandwich cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Set aside 1 cup of crumbs for the top “dirt” layer.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes until thick. Fold into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the whipped topping.
- Layer half of the remaining crumbs in a trifle dish, then half of the pudding mixture. Repeat both layers.
- Top with the reserved 1 cup of crumbs. Push the wafer-cookie tombstones into the “dirt” and scatter the gummy worms and candy pumpkins on top.
- Chill at least 2 hours (overnight is even better) before serving.
Notes
- Set aside 1 cup of the cookie crumbs for the top layer.
- Chill at least 2 hours (overnight is even better) before serving.
