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Easy Easter Dirt Cake (Gluten-free Option Included!)

March 23, 2017 by Rachael 18 Comments

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Easy Easter Dirt Cake: An easy, festive, no-bake Easter dessert. (Gluten-free option included!)

Indulge Your Inner Child

I still remember the first time I tried dirt cake as a kid. I was at a friend’s pool party. As they served what I thought would be regular birthday cake, all I could think was “What is this amazing goodness and why have I never had it?” With layers of crushed Oreo’s, chocolate pudding and a sweet cool whip and cream cheese mixture, dirt cake is an irresistible treat.

It’s been years since I’ve had dirt cake. So, when I stumbled upon a picture of dirt cake on Pinterest, I knew I had to make one. And with Easter right around the corner, I had the perfect opportunity to create a festive version of this classic dessert.Easy Easter Dirt Cake: An easy, festive, no-bake Easter dessert. (Gluten-free option included!)
Seriously though, how cute is this easy Easter dirt cake? G’s 2nd birthday is right around Easter (Two years old! How did that happen?) and I may have to let her help make one of these for her birthday party. She’s been an enthusiastic kitchen helper lately. She snuck a few Oreo’s while watching me create this one!

Easy, No-Bake Goodness

It’s probably pretty evident by now that I am all for simple, no-bake treats. With just a few simple steps, and no cooking, this Easter dirt cake was even easier to make than I anticipated. A little mixing, whisking and layering creates the base of the cake. For the finishing touches, mix food coloring with frosting and coconut, and pop on some marshmallow and candy treats! So, so easy.Easy Easter Dirt Cake: An easy, festive, no-bake Easter dessert. (Gluten-free option included!)

Make it Gluten-Free

Making a gluten-free Easter dirt cake is so simple. Just swap the Oreo’s for gluten-free sandwich cookies. All of our local grocery stores carry Glutino Chocolate Vanilla Creme Sandwich Cookies and they’re also available on Amazon. I’ve swapped regular Oreo’s for the Glutino version in recipes like my 3 Ingredient Valentine Oreo Truffles, and no one has been able to tell the difference! Any gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookie should do. The Glutino cookies come in a 10.5 oz package, so you will need two to make the full recipe.

Peeps or Burrowing Bunny

Easy Easter Dirt Cake: An easy, festive, no-bake Easter dessert. (Gluten-free option included!)There are two adorable options for bunnies when making this cake. For the easiest option, just stick a couple of Peeps Bunnies onto toothpicks and stick them in the cake.

To make a burrowing bunny, all you need is a marshmallow, some white frosting (optional), and a set of Wilton Bunny Feet Icing Decorations. I bought a set of twelve at Walmart for $5. You can also make your own bunny feet using candy melts (there are even candy molds specifically for that), but for me simplicity won out over frugality this time!


Steps to make a burrowing bunny: Cut the marshmallow in half and place one half, cut side down, on cake. Use a small bit of white frosting to attach feet to marshmallow. You can just prop them up if you don’t have frosting. Tear a small piece of marshmallow off the remaining half, roll into a ball and attach to the other marshmallow half as a tail. It’s that easy!Easy Easter Dirt Cake: An easy, festive, no-bake Easter dessert. (Gluten-free option included!)



Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Easy Easter Dirt Cake

A fun and festive Easter dessert! (Gluten-free option included!)
Course Dessert
Author Rachael

Ingredients

  • 18 oz Oreo's Family size package
  • 5.9 oz package Jell-o Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
  • 3 to 4 cups cold milk see note
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 8 oz Cool Whip
  • 1 can white frosting or make your own from scratch
  • 1 cup shredded coconut sweetened
  • 2 Peeps Bunnies or Bunny Feet Candy Decorations and 1 marshmallow
  • Food coloring red, yellow and green

Instructions

  • Crush Oreo's in food processor or blender. Or, place small batches in large zip top bag and roll over with a rolling pin until crushed.
  • Spread a thin layer of Oreo's over the bottom of a 9x13 dish.
  • Combine pudding mix with 3 cups cold milk and whisk for 2 minutes. Add additional milk as needed if pudding is too thick. Spread over layer of Oreo's
  • Using an electric beater, combine condensed milk, softened cream cheese, and Cool Whip. Spread over pudding layer.
  • Cover with remaining Oreo crumbs.
  • Place about 1/2 cup frosting in a sandwich size zip-top bag and add several drops red and yellow food coloring. Close and knead bag to mix well. Refrigerate until firm.
  • Snip a small corner off of the frosting bag and pipe "carrots" onto dirt cake in rows. I recommend practicing on parchment paper or tin foil first.
  • Follow same steps to create green frosting and pipe a small amount onto each carrot.
  • Place coconut in a large zip top bag, add several drops green food coloring, seal and shake well until coconut is green. Sprinkle around the edges of the dish.
  • Place Peeps onto toothpicks and insert into cake or create a burrowing bunny by placing half a marshmallow, cut side down, with two candy bunny feet. Add a small bit of marshmallow from remaining half for the tail.
  • Insert popsicle sticks around perimeter of dish.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

The pudding mix calls for 3 cups cold milk, however I added about 3/4 cup additional milk before adding to the dirt cake to make it easier to spread. Start with 3 cups, and add more milk until the pudding reaches your desired consistency.
To make this recipe gluten-free, swap the Oreo's for a gluten-free sandwich cookie, such as Glutino Sandwich Cookies.




For more no-bake recipes, click here!

Planning to make this? I’d love to see the finished result! Post a picture on Instagram or Facebook and tag @mypennywiselife.

Filed Under: Desserts, Easy Recipes, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Seasonal Recipes Tagged With: gluten free, seasonal recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kim @ The Baking ChocolaTess

    March 23, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    What a cute cake for Easter! Pinning! 🙂

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      March 24, 2017 at 1:39 pm

      Thanks for pinning!

      Reply
  2. Debbie

    March 29, 2017 at 10:58 am

    This is one of the cutest cakes ever and No Bake! WOW. I don’t have a little one old enough yet to enjoy but I will be printing and saving this for next year. Thank you for joining TADA!

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      April 4, 2017 at 5:28 pm

      Thanks! I hope you have fun with it next year!

      Reply
  3. Karen Marie Kedzuch

    March 29, 2017 at 6:58 pm

    Rachel,
    Your dirt cake is absolutely adorable and I bet tasty. I prefer the burrowing bunny because it is different. Thanks for sharing with TADA! See you Thursday,
    Happy Creating,
    Karen Marie

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      March 30, 2017 at 11:32 am

      The burrowing bunny is my favorite too!

      Reply
  4. Destiny Hampton

    April 14, 2017 at 5:51 pm

    QUestion on the oreos did you take out the icing in them

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      April 14, 2017 at 5:59 pm

      No, I threw them into my food processor straight from the package!

      Reply
  5. Bonnie

    March 29, 2018 at 7:04 am

    can milk or sweetened condensed milk?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      October 10, 2018 at 9:41 pm

      Sweetened condensed! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Lisa

    March 30, 2018 at 9:44 am

    Hi. We are also dairy free. Any ideas how to replace The sweet condensed milk?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      February 13, 2019 at 12:50 pm

      That’s a tough one. I’ve seen some vegan recipes for sweetened condensed milk on the internet, but I haven’t tested them with this recipe.

      Reply
  7. minnie

    April 20, 2019 at 10:52 pm

    Can I put the frosting on the day before

    Reply
  8. Alanna

    April 4, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    5 stars
    Hi! This looks great! Will make it for my 5 year old son for Raster and I know he’ll be thrilled! Do you have a frosting recipe that you can share?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      January 15, 2021 at 4:16 pm

      Hi Alanna. I apologize for the late reply. I do not have a frosting recipe at this time.

      Reply
  9. Suzanne

    March 15, 2021 at 2:05 pm

    This is so cute! What a fun recipe to make with kids before Easter!

    Reply
  10. Vanessa

    March 15, 2021 at 2:06 pm

    Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      March 16, 2021 at 3:16 pm

      I’ve made it the day before with good results!

      Reply

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About My Pennywise Life

I'm Rachael: wife, mom, homemaker, Christ follower, and former teacher with a passion for saving money, simple, healthy, and affordable recipes and tips for daily life. Learn more about me.

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