Oreo Dirt Cake with Succulents

It you’re looking for a memorable chocolate cake to take to that next birthday or event, you’ve come to the right place! This decadent dessert is a fun new spin on the old “dirt cake” we used to make for the kids. This one is loaded with dark chocolate cake, Oreo cheesecake mousse, crushed Oreos, and chocolate whipped cream. Oh, and fudge sauce. Lots of fudge sauce!

Best of all, this classic dessert is served in a flower pot. And the succulents on top? They are the icing on the cake, pun intended. They are made of fondant, but you can always pipe yours with buttercream or use artificial succulents purchased in a store. For that matter, you don’t have to use succulents. Any type of flower will do for your flower pot cake. I plan to make an Easter dirt cake and serve it with pastel flowers.

Dirt Cake for Grown-Ups

The kiddy version of this cake comes complete with gummy worms. I decided to skip those. And I guess–truth be told–you could technically call this a trifle. (You guys know I love those! I make a terrific Mint Oreo Trifle and my Cookie Butter Trifle is the bomb!)

That said, I was baking for my friend’s birthday and a dirt cake had been requested. And since it was her 60th and we were instructed to bring gag gifts, I decided to order a cake topper that said, “Older than dirt” and then stick it in the cake. It just made sense!

It took a bit of shopping to find the perfect flower pot to put this Oreo cake in. I needed one that was big enough to accommodate a crowd and also wide enough to dip into.

Fun note: The recipe made so much that I ended up making a second dirt cake, which I serve in a clear trifle dish. (That’s why you see two in the picture.)

Let’s talk about what I put into this dirt cake and then I’ll give you a breakdown of how I built it inside of the flower pot. You’ll find a full printable recipe at the bottom of this post but for now, here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients for this Oreo Dirt Cake with Succulents

Some people call this Oreo Dirt Pudding. Me? I call it delicious!

For the Cake:

• Devil’s food cake mix (I used Pillsbury)
• whole milk (room temperature)
• instant chocolate pudding mix (powder)
• water
• vegetable oil
• whole eggs (room temperature)

For the Chocolate Whipped Cream

• whipping cream
• powdered sugar
• unsweetened cocoa powder

For the Oreo Cheesecake Mousse

• room temperature cream cheese
• Oreo pudding (boxed mix powder)
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• powdered sugar
• cold milk (whole)
• chocolate whipped cream (to fold in)

Other Ingredients

• Chocolate syrup (I used Hershey’s dark chocolate but you can use whatever you like)
• Crushed Oreo cookies (two sleeves)
• Chocolate rocks (optional)

How to Make this Oreo Dirt Cake with Succulents

How to Make the Cake

This might sound like a complicated cake but trust me when I say it comes together quickly, especially if you opt for silk flowers on top. Here’s how to make this tasty Dirt Cake. (Bet you never thought you’d see the words “tasty” and “dirt” in the same sentence, did you?)

Put the Devil’s Food cake mix and instant pudding in a large bowl. Add oil and mix. Add room temperature eggs, one at a time. Slowly work in the milk and water, being careful not to splash. Bake in a 9″ round or square pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch.

How to Make the Chocolate Whipped Cream

Put the heavy cream, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Using your electric mixer (or the whisk attachment on your stand mixer) whip until peaks form. Set aside 2 cups to add to your mousse. Put the rest in a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

How to Make the Oreo Cheesecake Mousse

Put the room temperature cream cheese into a mixing bowl and whip until smooth. Add the instant pudding mix, cocoa powder, and about 1/4 of the milk. Mix until smooth. Slowly add the rest of the milk, mixing non-stop at low speed. Once it’s finished, fold in the two cups of chocolate whipped cream that you set aside.

(If you want to thin down this cream cheese mixture, you can always add a tiny bit of milk.)

Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.

Prep Your Oreos

Take two sleeves of Oreos and put them into a plastic ziploc bag. Using your rolling pin, smash them. (I take out my aggression when I do this!) Some people use a food processor for this step but I like mine kind of chunky. You will need some fine crumbs for the top layer. (Potting soil, anyone?)

Let’s Put this Dirt Cake Together!

Cut your cake into small squares. Place a layer of the squares in your (clean!) flower pot. (Note about the flower pot: make sure the hole at the bottom is covered. I used a small (pink) plastic plate that was just the right size.)

Now add a layer of your Oreo Mousse. (This creamy pudding mixture is so yummy!)

Add some chocolate syrup.

Add a layer of crushed Oreos.

Add a layer of chocolate whipped cream.

Now start the process over again! Add another layer of cake squares.

Add a layer of Oreo Mousse.

Add some chocolate syrup (or chocolate ganache).

Add a layer of chocolate whipped cream.

Cover the top is finely crushed Ores. (I used a few chocolate sprinkles, as well.) It looks like edible dirt!

It’s a good idea to cover your dirt cake with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill. If you have chocolate rocks, you can add them along with your dirt. I used a few chocolate sprinkles.

It’s Time to Make the Fondant Succulents

I didn’t take photos of my process, but I did want to show you guys a picture of how I got the succulents to hold their shape once they were done. Most of these were free-handed, but a few were made with fondant plungers.

As I mentioned above, you can definitely use buttercream for this process. You can also use artificial succulents or even silk flowers. It’s your choice! If you do decide to use fondant, you can always purchase a succulent mold from Amazon.

Let your succulents sit overnight to firm up. (You can make them with gum paste instead of fondant if you like. They harden better that way.) Just before your event, place your succulents in any design you like on the top of your dirt cake. (These edible succulents are the bomb!)

Y’all, I wish I’d captured a picture of the inside of this cake once we scooped it out onto our plates at the party. You’ll just have to trust me when I say those layers showed up and showed off! And talk about yummy! It brought great joy to my heart to hear all of the oohing and aahing! Folks seemed to really love it. This is truly the perfect dessert recipe!

Variations on this Dirt Cake

Check this out, y’all! For Easter I did a variation on this dirt cake. I went with different colors of flowers.

This cake is a fun treat for people of all ages. It’s one of those easy recipes you will use again and again! That said, you don’t have to stick to my recipe. Be adventurous! Come up with your own. Here are a few things you might try:

• You can make this Dirt Cake in a trifle dish or even a 9×13 baking dish. It’s great for kids and adults, alike!
• Looking for a no bake dessert? Skip the cake and layer cookies, mousse, whipped cream, and fudge topping.
• In a hurry? Use a prepared whipped topping like Cool Whip. You can make it chocolate by adding a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder.
• If you’re in the mood for mint, you can always use my Mint Oreo Trifle recipe.
• Not into Oreos? Any type of cookie crumbs will do! You can even use Golden Oreo crumbs or Mint Oreo crumbs.
• Another option would be Cookies and Cream cake. Use Pillsbury’s Oreo cake mix (the chocolate version) instead of Devil’s Food.
• Looking to simplify? Cake, chocolate pudding, and cookie crumbles are all you need to pull off the simplified version of this cake. Serve it in a 9×13″ pan with crushed Oreos on top.

If you’re not feeling the chocolate thing, then check out this whiter-than-snow Coconut Texas Sheet Cake recipe from South Your Mouth!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.