Kitty Litter Cake: The Grossest Halloween Dessert Ever

Every Halloween party needs one dish that makes someone leave the room. This is it. Kitty litter cake is cake, pudding and cookie crumbs mixed into something that looks exactly like a freshly used litter box, served in a real (brand-new, never-used) litter box with a scoop.

It is the undisputed champion of disgusting Halloween food. It is also, annoyingly, delicious: think of it as a trifle that has made some poor life choices.

This is a classic, well-known party recipe, not an UglyFood invention, and we haven’t kitchen-tested this exact version ourselves. Follow your package directions where they differ. For more horrors, see our disgustingly delicious Halloween recipes.

Ingredients

• 1 box (about 15 oz / 430 g) spice or chocolate cake mix, plus the eggs, oil and water listed on the box
• 1 box (about 15 oz / 430 g) white or yellow cake mix, plus the eggs, oil and water listed on the box
• 1 large box (5.1 oz / about 150 g) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3 cups (720 ml) cold milk
• 1 package (about 12–14 oz / 350–400 g) vanilla sandwich cookies
• A few drops of green food coloring
• 12 Tootsie Rolls (or similar chewy chocolate candies)
• 1 new, clean, unused litter box and a new litter scoop (wash both well), or a large serving dish lined with baking paper

Steps

1. Bake both cakes according to the package directions, in two separate pans. Let them cool completely.
2. Whisk the pudding mix with the cold milk for about 2 minutes and chill until set, about 5 minutes or as the package says.
3. Crush the cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor or in a bag with a rolling pin. Set aside about a quarter. Mix a few drops of green food coloring into that quarter until it looks like clumping litter.
4. Crumble both cakes into a very large bowl. Add the pudding and about half of the plain cookie crumbs and toss gently until everything looks clumpy and damp.
5. Spoon the mixture into the litter box. Sprinkle with the remaining plain crumbs, then with the green crumbs.
6. Unwrap 3–4 Tootsie Rolls at a time and microwave them on a plate for about 5–10 seconds, until soft and pliable. Shape them into blunt, slightly curved logs.
7. Bury some of the logs partly in the “litter,” leave a few on top, and hang one off the edge of the scoop. Roll some in the crumbs. Chill until serving.

How to make it look worse

• Fresh deposit: warm a couple of extra Tootsie Rolls and leave them visibly glossy on top, as if just delivered.
• Wet patches: drizzle a little melted butterscotch or caramel into a few spots. We are so sorry.
• The scoop: serve with the scoop and nothing else. Do not provide a cake server.
• The setting: place it on the floor next to a bag of (clean, unopened) real cat food. Watch reactions.
• The label: a handwritten sign saying “Please clean up after Mittens.”

Allergy and food-safety notes

• Allergens: contains wheat (gluten), milk, egg and usually soy. Many cake mixes and cookies also carry “may contain” warnings for nuts. Check every package.
• The litter box must be new: buy a new box and scoop for this cake only, wash them well with hot soapy water, and never use them for a cat afterwards (or before). Lining the box with baking paper or foil is an extra precaution.
• Keep it cold: the pudding contains milk. Refrigerate the cake and don’t leave it at room temperature for more than two hours.
• Warm candy: microwaved candy gets very hot in the middle. Let it cool a little before shaping with your fingers.

Variations

• Smaller batch: use one cake mix, a small pudding box (about 3.4 oz / 96 g with 2 cups / 480 ml milk) and half the cookies. Serve it in a new shoebox-sized container.
• Gluten-free: use gluten-free cake mixes and gluten-free sandwich cookies.
• Homemade: any plain sponge or leftover cake works. This recipe is excellent at hiding a cake that collapsed.

Image note: the images in this article were generated with artificial intelligence.