This kitty litter cake may look unpleasantly realistic with its crumbled “litter” and chocolate “surprises,” but beneath the icky appearance is a soft, moist dirt cake tossed with pudding and cookies!
Why this recipe works
I know, kitty litter cake may look gag-worthy, but it’s actually a tasty treat! It’s essentially a dirt cake made with cake mix, vanilla pudding, crumbled cookies, and Tootsie Rolls. I’ve made this quite a few times over the past 10 years, and without fail, it’s the talk of every Halloween party I’ve brought it to!
One of the main reasons this kitty litter cake looks so real is due to the small amount of cookie crumbs that are colored with a smidge of green food coloring. This makes it look like the green chlorophyll in cat litter. The more realistic, the better! It’s a fun little switch-up from the swarm of cutesy Halloween party foods out there if you’re going for more of a classic spooky or “gross” vibe.
RELATED – These Boogers on a Stick are another good but gross Halloween party idea that’s super easy to make!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CAKE – Pick two flavors of cake mix. Either yellow and chocolate, or white and chocolate. Having the two stark color differences helps give the cake a more realistic look.
COOKIES – Golden Oreos are perfect here, but you can easily substitute with off-brand vanilla sandwich cookies with the same results.
PUDDING – Make sure to grab instant vanilla pudding. Feel free to use other pudding flavors as well. I’ve previously made this cake with pistachio pudding, and it came out just as good!
SERVING – You can grab a small, cheap kitty litter box to serve it in, same goes for the pooper scooper. I found mine at the dollar store, and it was the smallest one they offered. It goes without saying that the box should be brand new! Give it a good wash before using. You don’t want too large of a cat box as the cake won’t take up that much space. Try to find one that’s rather shallow if possible. The photos here show this cake made in an 18x14x5 box.
How to Make Kitty Litter Cake
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions on the back of the box (any size pans, but 13×9 is easiest).
- Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble.
- Crumble sandwich cookies in small batches in a food processor, scraping often. Set aside all but about 1/4 cup.
- To the 1/4 cup of cookie crumbs, add a few drops of green food coloring and mix using your fingers until it reaches an even green color.
- When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble them into the new litter box. Toss with half the remaining cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. Mix in just enough of the pudding to moisten it. You don’t want it soggy. Combine gently.
- Put three unwrapped Tootsie Rolls in a microwave-safe dish and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie rolls and bury in the mixture. Sprinkle the other half of the cookie crumbs over the top.
- Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly over the top. (This is supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter.)
- Heat 3 Tootsie Rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake; then sprinkle with cookie crumbs.
- Spread remaining Tootsie Rolls over the top; take one and heat until pliable, hang it over the side of the kitty litter box, sprinkling it lightly with cookie crumbs. Serve with a new pooper scooper.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store any leftovers covered tightly with plastic wrap. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Yes, you can prepare this kitty litter cake the day before serving. Simply wrap the top with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your kitty litter cake slightly above room temperature. You can make it a day in advance or prepare it the morning of, then store it in the fridge until about 30-40 minutes before serving to allow it some time to come down to room temperature. Happy Halloween!
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Kitty Litter Cake
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- 15.25 ounce chocolate cake mix prepared
- 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix prepared
- 5.1 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix one large box, prepared
- 25 ounces vanilla sandwich cookies such as Golden Oreos
- Green food coloring
- 15 small Tootsie Rolls
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Pick two flavors of cake mix. Either yellow and chocolate, or white and chocolate. Having the two stark color differences helps give the cake a more realistic look. Be sure to grab the ingredients needed on the back of the boxes to prepare the cake mixes as well.
- Cake mix weights have changed over the years. It won’t make a drastic difference if your cake mix weighs in at 15.25 ounces or 13.25 ounces. Either will work.
- You can grab a small, cheap kitty litter box to serve it in, same goes for the pooper scooper. I found mine at the dollar store, and it was the smallest one they offered. It goes without saying that the box should be brand new! Give it a good wash before using. You don’t want too large of a cat box as the cake won’t take up that much space. Try to find one that’s rather shallow if possible. The photos here show this cake made in an 18x14x5 box.
Instructions
- Prepare cake mixes and bake according to box directions (any size pans, but 13×9 is easiest).15.25 ounce chocolate cake mix, 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix
- Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble.5.1 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix
- Crumble the sandwich cookies in small batches in a food processor, scraping often. Set aside all but about 1/4 cup.25 ounces vanilla sandwich cookies
- To the 1/4 cup of cookie crumbs, add a few drops of green food coloring and mix using your fingers until it reaches an even green color.
- When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble them into the new litter box. Toss with half the remaining cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. Mix in just enough of the pudding to moisten it. You don’t want it soggy. Combine gently.
- Put three unwrapped Tootsie Rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie Rolls and bury them in the mixture. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over the top.
- Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly over the top. (This is supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter.)
- Heat 3 Tootsie Rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake; then sprinkle with cookie crumbs.
- Spread the remaining Tootsie Rolls over the top; take one and heat until pliable, hang it over the side of the kitty litter box, sprinkling it lightly with cookie crumbs. Serve with a new pooper scooper.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store any leftovers covered tightly with plastic wrap. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- You can prepare this kitty litter cake the day before serving. Simply wrap the top with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
This kitty litter cake originally appeared here on October 30th, 2011 and has since been updated with new photos and expert tips. Below is the original image that gained popularity over the years!
Amanda Davis
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Doug says
I loved this cake but it seemed to really confuse my cats!!!!!!!! lolz
Amanda Formaro says
LOL Doug! :)
Barbarella a.k.a. The Mad Cat Lady says
Hmmm yeah, you wouldn´t want to find a *real* kitty turd in there!!! :O
Amanda Formaro says
I would hope not LOL
june says
I saw this once but you would have to use the word turds,got a laugh this morning I saw this and really didn’t feel like eating but good idea for kids show it to teens later.lol hilarious.love it
shirley hughes says
we had this at a halloween party, but nobody would eat it because it looked so real.
Sharon Burnside says
Thanks so-o-o-o much, been looking for this recipe for a long time! Can’t wait to try it out!!! :)
Amanda says
You’re welcome! It’s always a hit :)
Cajun Chef Ryan says
I believe this will gross out jsut about anyone who sees this cake!
Amanda says
I have made this for years. I made it last thanksgiving for my mom. It looks a bit gross but if you use a regular pan to serve it in its not as gross looking. I will be the 1st to say ITS REALLY GOOD.
Robyn says
OMG! This is soooo funny. of course I have cats and wouldn’t dare to eat it myself!
Raso says
Great recipe, I really must say. Happy halloween to you Amanda and rest of bloggers.
Cheers.
Karen B says
Sooooo grossly neat!!! When I made this, it was a “LITTLE” difficult to get anyone to eat it….Can’t imagine why; I used a brand new litter pan and scoop LOL
Sharon Field says
Absolutely THE grossest halloween cake i’ve ever seen… ugh!! Bet the teens and tweens love it!
Jay says
Oh gosh, I made a kitty litter cake when my now grown children were youngsters. The only difference being my litter cake had darker “litter” but all in all not much difference.
I doubt I could make one nowadays though. Seems the tummy get overly sensitive as one ages!
I can attest your litter cake looks just like the real thing. Which means, in my youngest grandson’s own words upon eyeing your photo, Ewww, gross! Why are you looking at a cat box? What? It’s a cake? No way!! Really? Sweeeeeet! That’s soooooo totally cool!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN AMANDA!! :-)
MaryBeth says
I have not made one of these since my kids were little…they are always so much fun!
Diane {Created by Diane} says
looks so weird, kept hearing about this idea but had no idea what it looked like. My kids would LOVE this!
Sue says
So realistic! I don’t know if I could eat it…maybe with my eyes closed:) HAPPY HALLOWEEN, Amanda!
Katrina says
Yeah, you really should clean out that cat litter box! ;)
Jersey Girl Cooks says
This is so funny!
Ann says
Perfectly gross! I don’t know if I could over-look it! Brilliant!
Avril says
Happy Halloween Amanda! A great cake for this holiday indeed….I bet you your daughter’s friends are going to absolutely LOVE this cake!
gail says
ewwww, the litter pan and the scooper make it totally gross!!!
lol
gail
Jessica says
lol that is so gross. Perfect for Halloween :P