This Easter Dirt Cake is a fun no bake dessert to make for Easter that the kids love. With a crushed oreo crust and fluffy chocolate pudding center, this cake is topped with colorful Spring Easter peeps to make the cutest dessert.
Get the kids to help with this easy recipe because it’s so simple. They’ll have fun crushing the chocolate cookies and making the “dirt” – then getting to eat it and it’s always a huge hit.
We take the traditional dirt cake and turn it into a delicious Easter dessert perfect for all your Easter celebrations.
💗 Why We Love This Recipe
- FUN – this fun dessert brings out the kid in all of us
- No Bake – this cake only take a few minutes to prepare and there’s no baking required so it’s perfect as a make ahead Easter dessert
🛒 Ingredients
- 15.5 ounces Oreo cookies, 1 package
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened, 1 block
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 16 ounces. whipping cream – 1 tub Cool Whip, thawed
- 2 3.4 oz boxes Instant chocolate pudding Mix
- 2 3/4 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Easter PEEPs bunnies, for garnish (or make homemade Peeps)
- candy Easter Robin eggs, for garnish
- green sprinkles, optional
👩🍳 How to Make an Easter Dirt Cake
To start, spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray
Step One: Make Oreo Crust
- Pulse ⅔ of the Oreo cookies in a food processor until crushed. You can also crush them in a zip-top bag with a mallet or rolling pin if you don’t have a food processor.
- Spread the fine crumbs on the bottom of the baking dish and set aside.
Step Two: Cream Pudding Mixture
- Next, in the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and instant pudding mix until fully combined. Mix the pudding into the cream cheese mixture, then gently fold in the whipped topping until combined and smooth.
Step Three: Pour the Chocolate Pudding Layer
- Pour the mixture over the Oreo crumbs in the baking dish and smooth out with a spatula.
- Top with the remaining crushed Oreos and refrigerate for 2-3 hours to let the center of the cake set.
Step Four: Decorate
- Remove from the refrigerator just before serving and decorate with PEEP bunnies and candy Robin eggs.
- Slice and serve cold. Don’t worry if it doesn’t come out in one slice. This can be a messy dessert – it’s a dirt cake after all – and is more fun for the kids!
Suggestions and Alternatives
- Gummy worms – add some gummy worms is you want a true dirt cake
- Peeps – use different kinds and colors of Easter peeps
- Easter dirt cups – use the same process, but make individual Easter dirt cups instead of a cake
- Coconut grass – put coconut flakes in a zip top bag with a little green food coloring and shake. Place the green coconut on top of the cake as grass.
- Candies – use mini eggs, chocolate eggs, malted eggs, egg-shaped chocolate candies, or any kind of Easter candy eggs you like the most
- Vanilla pudding – if you’re not a fan of chocolate pudding, you can opt for vanilla or even cheesecake-flavored pudding. You’ll still get the dirt effect with the crushed Oreos.
Where Did Dirt Cake Originate?
The exact origins of dirt cake are unclear, but it’s believed to have been popularized in the United States in the 1970s or 80s. The dessert became popular as a fun and easy treat to make with kids, as it involves crushing cookies and assembling layers. Over time, variations of the recipe have emerged, including different flavors of pudding or cookies.
Can You Freeze an Easter Dirt Cake?
While it’s possible to freeze an Easter Dirt Cake, it’s not recommended. The whipped cream and pudding mixture may not freeze well and could become grainy or separate when thawed. If you have leftover Easter Dirt Cake, store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
How Long Does an Easter Dirt Cake Last?
An Easter Dirt Cake can last up to 3-4 days when stored covered in the refrigerator. After that, the texture and taste may start to deteriorate.
What is Dirt Cake Made Of?
Dirt cake is typically made of layers of crushed cookies (usually Oreos), whipped cream, cream cheese, and pudding. The layers are usually arranged in a dish or container to resemble “dirt” or a garden, and often include gummy worms or other candy as a fun garnish.
This Easter Dirt Cake recipe is a fun and easy way to celebrate the holiday with a delicious dessert for all of your Easter celebrations. With layers of Oreo crumbs, chocolate pudding, and whipped cream, it’s sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike. Remember to store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and have fun decorating with Easter-themed candy!
More Fun Easter Recipes
- Easter Bunny Cupcakes
- Easter Bunny Cake Tutorial
- Bunny Bait
- Easter Cookie Bars
- Bunny Butt Dip
- Crockpot Easter Candy
Easter Dirt Cake
Equipment
- 9 x 13 pan
Ingredients
- 15.5 ounces Oreo cookies 1 package
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened, 1 block
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 16 ounces. whipping cream 1 container Cool Whip, thawed
- 2-3.4 oz boxes Instant chocolate pudding Mix
- 2 3/4 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Easter PEEP bunnies for garnish
- candy Easter Robin eggs for garnish
Instructions
- Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a food processor add ⅔ of the Oreo cookies and pulse until crushed. You can also put these in a zip top bag and crush with a mallet or roll over with a rolling pin.
- Spread the Oreo crumbs on the bottom of the baking dish and set aside.
- In large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and confectioner’s sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside.
- In medium mixing bowl which together the milk and instant pudding until fully combined.
- Mix the pudding into the cream cheese mixture. Next, gently fold in the whipped topping until combined and smooth.
- Pour the mixture over the Oreo crumbs on the bottom of the pan and smooth out with a spatula.
- Top with remaining Oreo crumbs.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours to let the center of the cake set. Remove from refrigerator just before serving and decorate with Robin’s eggs and Peeps.. Slice and serve cold.
Nutrition
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