Dirt & Worms Cake

Hayden had his fourth birthday last week. I love to make cakes for my kids' birthdays that they will love. This is the first kid birthday in our house that I haven't spent eight hours making the cake. This year we had lots of company and I just didn't have the time to spend on a cake. After checking out the internet for a recipe I finally decided on a "dirt & worms" cake. It was easy and so good. You could easily make this into a girl's cake by putting it in clay flower pots and topping with flowers. I doubled this recipe and it filled the truck perfectly but it was about twice as much dessert as we needed. It gave Chris & I something to eat after our runs this week ;)

1 to 1 1/4 lb. pkg. Oreo cookies
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 cups milk
1 (12 oz.) tub Cool Whip (can use chocolate)
2 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla or chocolate pudding (I used choc. fudge pudding)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 gummy worms and/or other critters


Crush Oreos. Put 1/3 of the crushed Oreos into a clean dump truck. Set aside.

Mix butter, cream cheese and sugar and vanilla together. Set aside.

Combine milk and pudding mix. Fold Cool Whip into the pudding.

Fold together pudding mixture and butter-cream cheese mixture.

Layer this mixture (about 1/3 of it) onto the crumbled cookies in the truck. Next, add another layer of the pudding mixture, then another layer of cookie crumbs, continuing until all ingredients are used.

As you're layering the ingredients, decoratively place several gummy worms and critters in the "soil" so they will be seen emerging. If you have a toy (clean) garden trowel, this can also be used creatively to embellish the presentation.

Chill in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours before serving.