Dirt cake isn’t just for kids! Learn how to make a dirt cake centerpiece that’s both gorgeous on the table and delicious to eat using. This dirt cake looks stunning in our sponsor Luigi Bormioli’s footed serving bowl topped with colorful spring flowers.
I made my first dirt cake for my son’s first birthday. I couldn’t believe how much people loved it. My kids still talk about the “dirty cake!” 6 years later! Last year for Halloween I made a pumpkin patch dirt cake. I was trying to figure out a pretty yet fun centerpiece to make for Mother’s Day brunch this year and it hit me – a flower garden dirt cake.
I just happened to have this beautiful new footed serving bowl from Luigi Bormioli, the world’s leading glass maker. I love glass ware, glass dishes, glass serving ware and I am super picky about quality. I want my glass ware to look elegant, but I don’t want to spend a small fortune to get that classy look. Luigi Bormioli rivals fine crystal in appearance and elegance, but is lead-free, affordable and widely available. It seemed a little bit of a shame to put “dirt” in this gorgeous bowl, but the end result is so elegant thanks to the quality of Luigi Bormioli.
There are two parts when learning how to make dirt cake. First you need the “dirt”, which is just crushed chocolate sandwich cookies. The cookie crumbs are finer if you use a food processor, but I just used a plastic storage bag and a rolling pin to smash these. They turn out a bit chunkier, but they do the job.
The second part of dirt cake is the filling. There are a lot of different filling options ranging from whipped cream to straight pudding to a mixture of the two together. For this filling I wanted something a little lighter and fluffier so I mixed together pudding, cream cheese, and whipped cream.
The ingredients are then layered in the serving dish. I started with the cookie dirt on the bottom. Whichever is first, the cookie crumbs need to be the last layer in the bowl.
And that’s it! Dirt cake whips up super quickly. It does need to sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving. I put in a bunch of faux tulips I picked up at a craft store. I love how the colors pop.
This flower garden dirt cake made in a Luigi Bormioli footed serving bowl is the perfect addition to a Mother’s Day brunch or dinner. It’s elegant enough for mom and it’s a fun dessert the entire family will enjoy.
How to Make a Dirt Cake Centerpiece
Ingredients
- 1 package chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed in to crumbs
- 8 oz package of cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 tub whipped topping
- 2 boxes chocolate pudding prepared according to directions
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Turn mixer down to low and beat in the powdered sugar until incorporated. Turn the mixer back up to medium and beat until light and fluffy.
- Gently fold in the pudding and whipped topping to the cream cheese mixture.
- Alternate layers of the cookie crumbs and the chocolate pudding mixture in a Luigi Bormioli footed serving bowl beginning and ending with the cookie crumbs.
- Gently push in faux flowers to the middle of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this Ambassadorship via Splash Media Engagement on behalf of Luigi Bormioli. The opinions on this blog are my own.