Sand Cake and Sand Pudding Cups
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Our Sand Cake recipe is an adorable beach-inspired treat. You’ll love the crunch from the Oreo sand layers with fluffy vanilla pudding waves. We make them into cute little Sand Pudding Cups, it’s a fun twist for homemade snack packs.
Kids and even grown-ups love to get involved in decorating these. I just put out some teddy bear graham cookies, gummy Life Savers, and drink umbrellas. Their imaginations will do the rest. It’s always a joy listening to their conversations while they are creating.
Who’s ready for some fun in the kitchen? We’re about to make our own Sand Cake as pudding cups. It’s like a day at the beach, but even better because we get to eat our creations! These treats are perfect for birthday parties, family gatherings, or just because.
Sand Cake Ingredients
Vanilla sandwich cookies – I use Golden Oreos. You can also use graham crackers or Nilla Wafers. Sandwich cookies give it more realistic sand, like you might find in a sandbox.
Chocolate sandwich cookies – I use regular Oreos. You can omit the chocolate cookies, but it really does lend to the appearance of the sand.
Vanilla instant pudding: You can use whatever flavor you like here. Chocolate pudding is always a kid’s favorite! Banana pudding and butterscotch pudding are also amazing in this recipe.
Milk – any milk will work here.
Cream cheese – you can use full-fat, low-fat, and fat-free.
Salted butter – we use salted butter, but feel free to opt for unsalted. You may need to add a pinch of salt if the pudding mix is a little too sweet.
Powdered sugar
Whipped topping – We use Cool Whip Extra Creamy since that is what’s always on hand here, but the regular version works. Homemade whipped cream and even Dream Whip can be used as a substitute. You’ll need about 6 1/2 cups.
How To Make a Sand Cake
1. Crush the Sandwich Cookies until they look like sand.
2. Mix the vanilla instant pudding with milk until there are no lumps.
3. Blend the softened cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until smooth.
4. Combine the pudding with the whipped topping and mix until smooth and there are no white streaks.
5. Add a couple of cups of the pudding mix to the cream cheese mixture and mix it until smooth.
6. Add in the rest of the pudding mix and mix until everything is incorprated.
7. Layer the Sand Cake: Sand, Pudding, Sand, Pudding, Sand on top.
8. Chill the Sand Cake in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes before serving.
Instructions for Individual Sand Cups:
1. Sprinkle the cookie crumbs in the bottom of each dessert cup.
2. Add pudding on top of the sand in each cup.
3. Repeat layers: Sand, Pudding, Sand.
5. Chill the pudding cups in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Crush Cookies Without a Blender or Food Processor
The cookies can be crushed into sand by placing them into a sealed baggie and lightly hitting them with a rolling pin, a meat mallet, or a small saucepan.
Bring a beach vibe to your next gathering and watch this dessert disappear. Don’t like the beach? It’s no problem serving them plain or using a kids’ sandbox theme.
How to Store
This is a dairy-based cold dessert. It needs to be stored in the fridge. It can be held for up to 4 days before it starts to deflate.
It can also be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
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Sand Cake
Ingredients
- 19 ounces Vanilla Sandwich Cookies like Golden Oreos
- 4 chocolate sandwich cookies like chocolate Oreos
- 2 3.4 ounces vanilla instant pudding
- 3 1/2 cups milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 16 ounces whipped topping thawed
Instructions
Sand Cake
- Place the vanilla and chocolate cookies in a blender or food processor. Process until it looks like play sand.
- Combine the pudding mix and milk in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, blend cream cheese and butter in a separate large bowl until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Combine the thickened pudding with the whipped topping.
- Add 2 cups of the pudding to the cream cheese and mix until combined.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix again until there are no lumps.
- Fold in the remaining pudding.
- Add 1/3 of the sand to the bottom of the serving container.
- Add roughly 1/2 of the pudding on top of the sand and gently spread out to cover the sand.
- Repeat the layers.
- Finish by topping the dessert with sand.
- Refrigerate for at least 60 minutes before serving.
Sand Pudding Cups
- Add 1 heaping tablespoon of Oreo crumbs to the bottom of the dessert cups.
- Add roughly 2 tablespoons of the pudding to the cups. Use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture out if necessary.
- Repeat the layers.
- Finish by topping each cup with sand.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may vary based on exact ingredients used. For accuracy, consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
This recipe was written and tested by a human.
Editor: Oliver Baysinger
Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller
Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller is a food journalist, CEO of Pear Tree Kitchen, and co-creator of Food Blogger Help. She also has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a registered nurse licensed in the State of Oklahoma. When she has free time between writing, blogging, and cooking, she can be found volunteering as an RN with the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps.
