Dirt cupcakes made from chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, and crushed oreos were perfect for my son’s construction truck themed birthday.
Jump to RecipeFor my youngest son’s second birthday party we did a construction truck themed party. And a construction party needs some Dirt Cupcakes!
At that time, he was obsessed with construction trucks. I have to say, I never knew the intricacies of each truck until having two boys! We were driving to preschool one day when I said, “Look, a front loader out Ryan’s window!”. I was quickly corrected. “No, mommy, that’s a backhoe loader.”
Now that I have been properly educated, it was time to get to work on a birthday party for my little one. We made a bunch of decorations for it, and I was trying to decide what to do for his cake.
I started searching ideas and kept finding dirt cups. But those are usually made with pudding and I didn’t want that mess with a bunch of two- and four-year-olds. So I decided to try to make them into cupcakes, and they came out delicious!
Usually, I would make my homemade chocolate cake recipe, but for the
The kids all got a kick out of these cupcakes and the small cake I made just for Ryan. They thought it was really funny to have worms on their cake! We had a lot of toy trucks around the house. The small ones were perfect to put on the cake.
Dirt Cupcakes Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix (and ingredients to make the cake)
- 8 oz chocolate frosting
- 25 Oreos (or other chocolate cookies)
- 1 bag gummy worms
Preparation
If you are using a box cake, bake it as directed for cupcakes. I used our small 6″ cake pan to make Ryan his own cake, then used the rest to make cupcakes.
Once the cakes have cooled completely, frost them with chocolate frosting.
Use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer (my favorite for this) to crush the cookies. We used Oreos since I had some on hand, but you can use any chocolate cookie. Sprinkle the cupcakes with the crushed cookies to resemble the loose dirt.
Top each cupcake with a gummy worm. I used some of the extra crushed cookies to put around the tray, too, for added dirt effect.
Recipe
Originally Published On: March 27, 2017
Last Updated On: July 25, 2023
Dirt Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix (and ingredients to make the cake)
- 8 oz chocolate frosting
- 25 Oreos (or other chocolate cookies)
- 1 bag gummy worms
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Bake cake/cupcakes as instructed
- Once completely cool, frost with the chocolate frosting
- Crush the oreos or cookies into a crumble
- Sprinkle the cupcakes with cookies
- Top with a gummy worm on each
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
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Great party idea. Very creative and I think every kid loves chocolate!
You are so right, the kids all loved the chocolate cakes!
Aw, I love these… great idea for a birthday party! And I bet they taste delicious too…
They were perfect for the age of the kids because they each got their own little one to enjoy!
That is a really cool idea. Especially, for. the boys. Everyone loves chocolate and the worms add more colors and feel of the dirt.
The worms were a last-minute decision but the kids all loved them!
I absolutely love these! My cousin did a “Bob the Builder” (construction/dirt-themed) birthday sheet cake for one of her boys when he was little, and I remember thinking how fun and cute it was. But I really like the portion control and relative lack-of-mess of cupcakes for a birthday party, so these are just genius (and I agree, the worms are def the perfect finishing touch – kids LOVE Gummi anything!).
My son loved Bob the Builder at this time, but he said he didn’t want a “Bob party” but wanted construction trucks still. So, it’s what we went with! This is the same kid who had a “banana party” and is already talking about having a “red party” this year!
That is so cute and I bet, it’s a big hit with kids everywhere. It look delicious even with the fake worms. 🙂
The worms definitely made it more fun for the kids!
These would be so very fun! My kids love gummy worms so these would be perfect.
The kids have a lot of fun with these. And you can never go wrong with gummy worms!
These are adorable. They would be perfect for a fishing themed party or a dump truck party. My kids would love making these!!
Oh I didn’t even think about a fishing party. I believe that’s the theme for my nephew’s party later this month so I’ll give that idea to my sister!
A construction party is an awesome theme! My nephew is turning 7 soon and he would love these. The cupcakes would be a hit with the kids.
I made them again recently just for fun for a bunch of 6-7-year-olds and they all loved the cupcakes!
omg these cupcakes!!! They look so delicious!!! I would love to make them this weekend. Can’t wait.
You should definitely try them out, they are so chocolatey and delicious!
These cupcakes look so delicious!! Perfect for parties
They’ve been a hit at the couple of parties I’ve made them for now.
I totally remember doing something similar for my brother when he was young. It’s great to make food fun! These look delicious!
That’s so awesome! Fun food is always a great way to get the kids involved.
That’s good, I like how you added the top with something that resemble the sand ground haha, it’s nice idea to add styles to the cakes and food for parties and occasion.
It was fun to figure out a way to make it look realistic, but in a way the kids would enjoy.
Your son is so adorable Stephanie. My son would have loved this when he was little. Oh how I miss it so much. The Dirt cupcakes with chocolate frosting and crushed Oreos look so darn delicious.
Thanks, Glenda! He had such a great time at this party. Everyone loved the cupcakes.
Oh my gosh these look absolutely amazing. I love the presentation idea too – very cool and ideal for kids and parents too 🙂 xxx
Yes, everyone loved the cupcakes! They were a hit with kids and adults.
One of the reasons I love reading your posts is because you always share such great recipes to make with my son. These cupcakes are definitely a winner!
I’m so glad you get inspired to work with your son in the kitchen. My boys and I have a lot of fun cooking and baking together.
Oh this reminds me of making “dirt and worms” as a kid. Such a fun cupcake!
I know a few people who would make it with pudding, but I wanted it to be a cake for his birthday. It worked so well and everyone loved them!