Dump Truck Cake

I made a dump truck cake Saturday for a kid’s third birthday with a construction theme. Sheet cake decorated with brown frosting (dirt) and graham-cracker rocks, with a small toy dump truck on top. Reimbursement $50 tip $40.

The recipe is below.

Dump Truck Cake

Prep Time: 40 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 16

Ingredients

• 1 box (15.25 oz) chocolate cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3–4 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (about 10 cookies, for “dirt”)
• 1 small plastic or toy dump truck, cleaned
• Gummy worms or rock candy, for decoration (optional)

Instructions

1. Bake the cake. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan. Prepare the chocolate cake mix according to package directions using the eggs, water, and oil. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, at least 1 hour.
2. Make the chocolate buttercream. Beat softened butter on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cocoa powder and salt, mixing until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with splashes of heavy cream. Add vanilla and beat on high for 2 minutes until smooth and spreadable. Add more cream a teaspoon at a time if frosting is too thick.
3. Frost the cake. Spread an even layer of chocolate buttercream over the top and sides of the cooled cake. Smooth with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
4. Create the “dirt” topping. Sprinkle chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs generously over the top of the frosted cake to resemble a dirt-covered construction site. Concentrate the crumbs toward one end of the cake where the dump truck will be placed.
5. Set the dump truck. Press a small, clean toy dump truck into the cookie-crumb “dirt” at one end of the cake, angling its bed so it appears to be dumping its load. Fill the truck’s bed with additional cookie crumbs, gummy worms, or rock candy.
6. Decorate and serve. Add candles, additional gummy worms crawling out of the “dirt,” or any other decorations your birthday kid loves. Serve directly from the pan and let the birthday child claim the toy truck as a bonus gift.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 55g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg