I love the outdoors and I love cake, so dirt cake sounds fantastic! Making this grain-free chocolate dirt cake was so much fun, especially when I turned it into a fishing-themed cake to match my adventurous spirit. Cake and fishing? Surely those go together when you make a dirt cake topped with cookie crumb ‘dirt’ and gummy worm ‘fishing bait’! A sweet, moist chocolate cake base topped with rich chocolate pudding and decorated with gluten-free cookie crumbs and organic gummy worms… you can’t get much better than that! This fun chocolate dirt cake will definitely be a hit with modern pioneers of all ages!

a tray of gluten-free chocolate dirt cake topped with cookie crumbs and organic gummy worms

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Modern Pioneer Recipe

This grain-free chocolate dirt cake is a modern pioneer recipe! But it is certainly inspired by the great outdoors that pioneers from any era enjoy! Dirt and worms never tasted so good unless they are in the form of this modern pioneer cake.

We all know that real dirt is healthy for you. You’ve probably heard the statistics that say that kids who play in the dirt outside are healthier and that walking barefoot provides health benefits. However, did you know that cake dirt can be healthy too!?

This cake is made with low inflammation ingredients, no refined sugars, and is allergy friendly, what could be more healthy? Okay, maybe it’s as healthy as a cake can be, but that is still healthy enough to enjoy it guilt-free! This grain-free dirt cake is….

gluten-free
grain-free
tree nut free
dairy-free option
refined sugar free
corn free
soy free

The allergy-friendly aspect of this cake is enough to make it a modern pioneer recipe, but to top things off, it can be made completely from scratch (okay, maybe except for the worms)! I love whipping up a homestead dessert that is made entirely from ingredients in my homestead pantry… no boxed mixes or pre-packaged cookies needed.

However, if you are looking to shave a little time off of dessert prep, I will go over some healthier store-bought options you can use to make assembling this cake go a little faster.

Want to try some other cake recipes? Make sure you check out this Grain-free Vanilla Winter Cake or this double layered Moist Chocolate Cake!

slices of grain-free chocolate dirt cake on a rustic tray

Alternative Cake Toppers

To make this grain-free cake a ‘dirt cake’, it certainly needs to be topped with a little ‘mud’, a little ‘dirt’, and a few ‘worms’. Like I mentioned earlier, this cake can be made almost completely from scratch. I love using my no-fail, from-scratch chocolate pudding recipe for topping this dirt cake with, which I will share with you in a moment.

For now, let’s discuss the other essential dirt cake toppings: cookie crumbs and gummy worms. For the cookie crumbs, you need chocolate cookies to give the appearance and color of rich dirt. You can easily make grain-free chocolate cookies from scratch using one of these two recipes:

grain-free double chocolate cookies (makes a crunchier cookie)
grain-free chocolate mint cookies (makes a softer cookie)

You will want to let the cookies cool completely before crushing them into cookie crumbs for topping the cake. I like to use a meat tenderizer for crushing my cookies into cookie crumb ‘dirt’. Both of those cookie recipes can easily be made up ahead of time and the cookies frozen until you need them for decorating the cake.

If you don’t feel like making you own cookies for this grain-free chocolate dirt cake, then I have a few healthier store-bought options for you. Below are listed some of my favorite chocolate cookie brands that make perfect cookie crumbs for topping this cake:

As for the worm part, I’ve got you covered there too! I have yet to make my own gummy worms (although my mom has made elderberry gummy worms), but I do like to buy two healthier gummy worm options for special occasions, like this cake!

Black Forest organic gummy worms
Smart Sweets gummy worms (naturally sweetend)

Both brands of gummy worms make great cake toppers for this grain-free chocolate dirt cake! But to be honest, this cake would be just as delicious even if you had to leave off the gummy worms.

a slice of chocolate dirt cake made with dairy-free chocolate pudding and topped with gluten-free cookie crumbs

Making Homemade Pudding

What’s a dirt cake without a little mud?! That’s where the pudding comes in. It may be tempting to run out and buy a boxed chocolate pudding mix, but as a modern pioneer, making your own pudding right from scratch is definitely more fulfilling. And it’s super easy!

I never knew making your own pudding from scratch could be so easy and fun until I made this dairy-free chocolate pudding pie. This pie ended up being a family favorite on my homestead and is always a no-fail dessert that everyone loves! The pudding recipe that I use for the pudding pie turns out perfectly every time and is practically a no-fail pudding recipe. It works perfect for topping this grain-free dirt cake and acting as the ‘mud’ aspect for the dirt and worms.

Want to give it a try? Check out my Dairy-free Chocolate Pudding Pie to find the recipe! This grain-free chocolate dirt cake will need 1 full recipe of the chocolate pudding. Once you find out how easy the pudding is to make, you will want to whip up a pudding pie, mini pudding cups, or anything else sweet that requires pudding!

slices of grain-free dirt cake topped with gluten-free cookie crumbs and organic gummy worms

About The Ingredients

I tried to keep the ingredients in this cake recipe as simple as possible, but when you are making a grain-free, nut free cake it can get a little complicated. Here are a few of the ingredients that I use and why I chose to use them:

Tapioca flour- keeps the cake light and prevents it from being too dense from the coconut flour
Cassava flour- gives the cake some substance and is a substitute for traditional all-purpose flour
Coconut flour- keeps the cake from becoming too stretchy in texture and helps balanced out the tapioca flour
Coconut oil- allows the cake to rise better and gives it a nice crumb while keeping the cake dairy-free
Eggs– act as a binding agent in the cake and works well with the coconut flour to prevent it from being too dense or spongy
Maple syrup- is a great natural sweetener that is the perfect substitute instead of loads of refined sugar which is classic of traditional cake recipes
Coconut sugar- is a slow-metabolizing, natural sugar that is low on the glycemic index

a slice of gluten-free dirt cake topped with organic gummy worms on a brown plate

Dirt Cake Recipe Tips

Hopefully this grain-free chocolate dirt cake doesn’t sound too daunting to make! It really is super simple to whip up and comes together in a jiffy. When I first created the recipe, I was so excited to try it out and see how the cake tasted! And it certainly did not disappoint!

Here are some recipe tips to make sure your dirt cake turns out perfectly:

Dry, then Wet– Whisk all of your dry ingredients together before adding the wet ingredients. This ensures that everything is evenly distributed and helps smooth out any cacao or flour clumps.
Room Temp Eggs– Use room temperature eggs so that all the wet ingredients mix together nicely and the warm coconut oil won’t solidify because of cold eggs.
Melted Oil– Melt the coconut oil all the way to ensure the batter consistency is correct. You can also use melted butter or avocado oil instead of coconut oil.
Thick Batter– Gently mix everything together and quickly smooth it into the baking pan, that way the coconut flour won’t absorb too much of the moisture before the cake starts baking. The batter may seem to thicken as you spread it into the pan, but that’s normal.
Flour Substitutes– I have not tried this cake recipe with any flour substitute for the tapioca flour, coconut flour, or cassava flour.
Cacao or Cocoa?– Either one will work in the cake recipe or the pudding recipe! Cacao powder gives the cake a richer chocolate taste.
Sugar Substitutes– You can use any liquid sweetener in place of the maple syrup and any granulated sugar in place of the coconut sugar.
Egg-free?– I do not recommend making the cake egg-free since the eggs are essential for the cake’s texture.

This grain-free chocolate dirt cake is the perfect allergy-friendly dessert for any celebration! I love how simple and delicious it is, plus the texture is amazing! Just how a dirt cake should be! I guarantee all the modern pioneers on your homestead will want to dig their mitts into this dirt!

Grain-free Chocolate Dirt Cake

Recipe by The Pioneer Chicks

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

4 15

Total Time 5 15

Servings 24 people

Author Alexa Lehr

Ingredients

1/4 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup cassava flour
1 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 large pasture-raised, organic eggs room temp.
1 cup coconut milk beverage
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted or avocado oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 batch dairy-free chocolate pudding (not made) see Notes
1 batch grain-free chocolate cookies see Notes
1 bag Black Forest organic gummy worms or Smart Sweets gummy worms

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly coconut oil a 9"x13" glass baking dish.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the cake. Create a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients. Place all of the wet ingredients in that hole.
Gently stir in all the wet ingredients until everything is combined. Quickly smooth into the 9"x13" glass baking dish. The dough may look a little dry due to the coconut flour.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. The cake should bounce back when pressed. It's okay if it seems a little flat. Let the cake cool completely before making the pudding.
Once the cake has cooled, make the pudding. Spread the pudding over the cake in an even layer. Let the pudding cool for 20-30 minutes.
While the pudding is cooling, crush the chocolate cookies into crumbles. Once cool, sprinkle the cookie crumbs over the pudding. Cover the cake loosely and place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours to let the pudding set up.
Before serving, add gummy worms to your dirt cake. Slice and serve with additional cookie crumbs if desired!

Notes

Chocolate pudding recipe:

dairy-free chocolate pudding

Chocolate cookie recipes:

Other cookie options:

Kinnikinnick gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies
Enjoy Life crunchy chocolate cookies (gluten-free & dairy-free)
Partake gluten-free chocolate cookies

Where to Find the Ingredients

a tray of grain-free chocolate dirt cake made with dairy-free pudding and gluten-free cookie crumbs

This grain-free chocolate dirt cake is super easy to make form scratch in the homestead kitchen and it uses wholesome, healthy ingredients. It is the perfect modern pioneer dessert for pioneers with diet restrictions! I love all the delicious tastes and textures in this cake: the smooth chocolate pudding, the soft and moist cake, the crunchy cookie crumbs, and the sweet and squishy gummy worms all make a delicious combination! Enjoy making this dirt cake and try to keep it from disappearing all at once!

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by Alexa