All-Natural "Diet of Worms" Cake Recipe for Reformation Day!

Hello, folks! Still alive, still not blogging, but stopping by to post this recipe!

This is our third year of making a "Diet of Worms" cake for Reformation Day. The kids love it, and it's a great and funny way to remind us of history.

In the past, I've made this cake (technically called Dirt Cake), but the ingredient list is less than optimal. This year I decided to try my hand at making my own from scratch!

(I should say that this is an "almost-all-natural" version, as I'm still using store-bought gluten-free Oreos and storebought gummy worms. Feel free to attack that next level on your own!)

And... it was a huge success! My one complaint was that it was overly sweet, so I've reduced the powdered sugar in the creamed mixture from one cup to one-quarter cup, and the sugar in the homemade Cool Whip from three tablespoons to two. Feel free to adjust as needed. I will probably continue to chisel down the sugar content of the various components until I find our lowest threshold.

Enjoy!

"Diet of Worms" Cake

For Crumbs:
15 oz package of gluten-free oreos

For Cool Whip:
¼ cup cold water
1 tsp. gelatin
½ tsp. cream of tartar
1 ¾ cups whipping cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla

For Pudding:
3 cups milk
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup sugar
2 dashes salt
2 eggs
4 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. vanilla

For the rest:
½ cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
¼ cup powdered sugar

Gummy worms

THE DAY BEFORE:

Make crumbs: Pulverize in food processor. Set aside, covered.

Make Cool Whip: Bloom gelatin in water. Melt over low heat. Cool completely. Mix cream of tartar and 1 Tbsp. cream in sandwich bag. Snip a corner of the bag to get it out - Put tartar mixture, cream, sugar, vanilla in stand mixer. Beat for about 2 minutes. When it starts to thicken, slowly pour in gelatin. Beat until thick and smooth but not to stiff peaks. Cover and refrigerate.

THE DAY OF:

(Set butter and cream cheese out to soften in stand mixer.)

Make pudding: Mix milk, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and eggs in pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, boil gently 1 minute, remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Cool in ice water bath.

Assemble: Beat butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in stand mixer. When light and fluffy, add in cooled pudding and mix. Fold in Cool Whip. Place in 9x13 pan: half of the Oreo crumbs on the bottom, then the creamed mixture, and half the crumbs on top.

Adorn with gummy worms. Remember to cut these in pieces when serving to young children! (Otherwise there is a risk of them trying to eat an entire gummy worm at once and choking on it. Don't ask me how I didn't know this before last night, and now I do.)

Enjoy, dear friends!!