Dirt Cake Trifle and Earthworms

If you are looking for a fun dessert that looks great and tastes amazing, then this dirt cake trifle and earthworms is the one to try. Ideal for a Halloween party, kid’s party or get together, or just for fun, everyone is going to love it!

Fun Creepy Crawly Dessert

The dirt cake trifle is full of chocolate cake and whipped cream. The Oreos help to create a “dirt” layer over the top which is your base for the “worms.”

Making worms is easier than you think by using the straws as a bit of shack to make those small wriggly worms. This dessert looks so creative but is actually very easy to make.

Using the cake mix box and a pudding mix makes light work of making this trifle. The only thing that is slightly frustrating is waiting for everything to cool or start before moving on to the next stage. But this can be made in the afternoon or the morning of a party if needed, so it isn’t too bad.

I love how tasty the chocolate cake and pudding mix is. The crumbly texture of the cake with the smooth pudding is delicious, and the cherry jello worms are super tasty. You have to try this spooky creepy crawly dessert.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfect for Halloween – Halloween foods are fun, and so is this creepy crawly dessert!
Impressive – If you’re looking for a show-stopper of a dessert for a Halloween party, kid’s party, or get-together, this is it!
Gummy worms – Everyone loves gummy worms!

Recommended Tools

Trifle Serving Dish or Large Bowl
Bendable Straws
Tall Glass

Ingredients

For The Jelly Earthworms

Cherry Jello
Unflavored Gelatin
Boiling Water
Heavy Whipping Cream
Green Gel Food Coloring

For The Trifle

Chocolate Cake – prepared from a cake mix
Chocolate Pudding Mix and Milk
Cool Whip
Chocolate Icing
Oreos

How to Make Dirt Cake Trifle and Earthworms

1. The first thing you will need to make is the wriggly earthworms. You do this by adding your box of cherry jello to your boiling water. Then place it in the fridge until the mixture becomes slightly warm. This should take about 15 minutes.

2. While you are waiting for your jello, you can prepare your pudding. Add your pudding mix to 2 cups of cold milk. Then place in the fridge to set for about 10 minutes.

3. When your cherry jello has become lukewarm, add one unflavored gelatin packet, heavy whipping cream, and stir until everything is combined. Add your food coloring one drop at a time until you achieve the deep red color you desire.

4. Take your bendable straws and pull them until they are fully extended. Put them in a glass, bendable end down. You will want to pack the glass tightly so the straws stand straight up.

5. Now it is time to make the worms. Pour your jello mixture over the straws until they are filled. Then place in the fridge for about 4 hours to set.

6. Meanwhile, your pudding should have set. Once it has, add 8oz of cool whip to your pudding and stir until everything is well combined.

7. In your trifle bowl or serving dish, add ½ of your prepared chocolate cake. You can cut it into cubes or crumble it. I thought it looked effective and crumbled up.

8. Next, add your pudding and cool whip mixture on top of the cake and smooth out evenly. Then add the remainder of your cake on top of that.

9. Place your chocolate icing in the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir well, and pour over the top of your cake.

10. Place your Oreos in a food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs.

11. Pour over your icing layer. This will be your dirt layer. Then set it in the fridge while you wait on your worms.

12. Once your straws have sat in the fridge for about 4 hours, it’s time to remove your “worms.” Gently squeeze your straw from the bottom to the top and squeeze your worms directly onto your Oreo crumbs. Push the ends of the worms down into the Oreo crumbs so you can’t see the ends.

13. Serve this creepy crawly dessert, and enjoy!

Substitutions & Variations

Use ready-made sweets instead. You can then add other creatures.
Why not make a garden trifle instead? You could add edible sweets that are in the shape of fruit and vegetables and create a garden on top.
You can use this method for a trifle with other flavors and ideas. Use a vanilla cake box mix or ready-made white cake and create a delicious trifle topped with other sweets. This can be a great way to incorporate different themes.
Add layers of cream or even jam or fruit sauces for different flavors.
Use chocolate chips as the dirt layer instead of crushed Oreos.

Notes and Tips

Make up the cake and give it time to cool. You could also buy a ready-made chocolate cake for a quick and easy hack.
The food processor will make light work of blitzing your Oreos. But if you haven’t got one, you can add the biscuits to a freezer bag and bash the cookies with something like a rolling pin.
You could always use creepy crawly sweets if you can’t make the earthworms. You can add other creatures like gummy spiders.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store the trifle?

This is a dessert that will need to be kept in the fridge until you need it. You might need to make this ahead of time. Cover the trifle and store for up to three days.

You will need to store any leftovers in the same way. Or add portions of the trifle to airtight containers and store them individually.

Can you make this Gluten-free?

Sure you can! Just make a gluten-free cake or use a gluten-free cake mix. You will also need to buy gluten-free Oreos or use something different for the top layer of dirt.

The rest of the ingredients are gluten-free, so this is an ideal dessert to make if you need to accommodate different dietary requirements.