Parties are often a perfect excuse to “play” with your food… and today’s guest post is the perfect example! Brought to us by Pernilla Meyer, mother of 3 boys and founder of PipPipHOORAY (more on this below) – her clever Dirt Cake Recipe is such a fun, creative treat for outdoorsy, camping themed, or nature-inspired birthday parties. And with its chocolate-y earth tones and woodsy feel, I think this recipe would make a wonderful addition to creative fall dessert tables and Thanksgiving celebrations too! Read on for full details…

FROM PERNILLA:

There’s this thing that keeps happening at my house over and over again. My three boys have a birthday—every…single…year.

And while I LOVE hosting a special birthday bash for each of them—you know, something a bit more inspired than just choosing something from the party isle—I don’t have a lot of time to spend on each party. Sound familiar?

I’ve created PipPipHOORAY party plans so that busy moms can throw a special birthday party without investing too much time. Each plan includes EVERYTHING YOU NEED—instructions, pictures, shopping and to do lists—to cover every detail of the party from start to finish. There are a slew of ideas to choose from. Feel like doing three or four? Great! Inspired to tackle them all? Go for it! Either way, awesome really can be easy.

I recently hosted a BOY vs. WILD outdoor survival party for my eight-year-old adventurer. It was a blast!

Imagine…these guys are in the middle of nowhere. Their only resource is their wits. How will they survive?

They were tested—both physically and mentally—in team tug of war, a first aid trek, animal tracking, shelter building, and a foraged foods challenge.

So after enduring all of that, I figured that these guys deserved something special…Dirt Cake!

Could there anything better for a fun, outdoor treat? I don’t think so – just the name itself makes me smile. As you dig into the crunchy, chocolate dirt topping and down into those layers of ooey, gooey chocolate, you realize that this cake is almost perfect, especially for some sweaty, hungry boys.

I’m happy to share the recipe for the Dirt Cake with you today. I love that it’s so simple to throw together, but super fun to serve to a crowd! Here’s how to make it:

DIRT CAKE RECIPE

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Ingredients:

• (2) Batches of your favorite large pan brownies
• (1) Large batch of chocolate pudding, chilled
• (1) 8 oz container of whipped topping
• (1) 14.3 oz Package of original Oreo cookies
• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• (12) Large pretzel rods
• Several sprigs of fresh herbs (sage, mint, basil, etc)

Cooking Tools:

• Glass pie pan
• Spoon
• Baking Sheet with rack or lined with wax paper
• Rolling pin
• Spatula
• Knife
• Medium metal bucket or bowl

For the Chocolate Filling:

1. Make chocolate pudding according to the recipe or the instructions on box.
2. Using a spatula, fold in the tub of whipped topping into the pudding. Chill until ready to assemble the cake.

For the Dirt Topping:

1. Place all of the Oreos into a sealed plastic bag. Use the rolling pin to crush cookies into small pieces to look like dirt.

For the Chocolate Sticks:

1. Pour chocolate chips into glass pie pan. Microwave on medium power for 25 seconds. Remove pan from microwave and stir chocolate chips with spoon. Continue this process of heating and stirring until chocolate chips are melted and completely smooth.
2. Place one pretzel rod into the melted chocolate and turn until completely coated. Remove from chocolate and place on rack or wax paper to harden.

3. Repeat Step 2 until all pretzel rods are covered in chocolate. It’s a good idea to break some of the sticks in half before coating them.

To Assemble the cake:

1. Clean the metal bucket well and dry it.
2. Cut your brownies into squares, and then completely cover the bottom of the bucket with a single layer of them.
3. Cover the brownies with a layer of the chocolate filling.
4. Repeat the layering of brownies and chocolate filling until you fill the bucket. You should end with a layer of the chocolate filling.
5. Spread the crushed Oreos (dirt) over the final layer of chocolate filling.

6. Decorate by placing chocolate sticks into a pile and arranging the herbs to resemble a forest floor. This does not have to be exact—just have fun and do what you think looks good!

Notes:

• This cake can be made one day ahead and refrigerated.
• Add the fresh herbs right before serving so they don’t wilt.
• To make a large cake like the one pictured, you will need to double the recipe. Or, use smaller buckets to make individual size cakes.

PipPipHOORAY party plans are available as digital downloads for $14.99 and include:

• EXPLORE YOUR WORLD party
• AMERICAN FRONTIER party
• PEDAL party
• BOY vs. WILD party
• TRICKS & TREATS party

Everyone loves a good party—so let’s get this one started!

Thanks again to Pernilla for sharing this fun recipe with us today! :)