Halloween Dump Cake With Candy Bars

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This Halloween Dump Cake recipe is full of big flavor! With chocolate cake mix and a variety of mini candy bars, this is one of my favorite desserts for Halloween. Trust me, you’ll want to make this treat all year long!

Halloween Dump Cake with candy eyes and pretzels on a table. — My chocolatey Halloween dump cake recipe is so simple it’s scary!

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Why This Halloween Dump Cake Works

You need to make this Halloween Dump Cake. I totally invented this and I think it’s pretty special. If you’re looking for Halloween dessert ideas, this is it!

It uses fun-sized candy bars and chocolate cake mix and I don’t want to be too bold here, but it’s dessert magic.

Or, you can wait until after trick-or-treating and make this with leftover candy bars! Dump cake recipes are so easy and always a crowd-pleaser!

Yes, the term dump cake sounds absolutely terrible. But it somehow works perfectly for this creepy holiday. Whether you’re having a Halloween party or just want a treat for your kids, this is a great recipe!

I hit the jackpot with this one. If you have a sweet tooth, you’re going to love this dump cake with candy bars! Because cake and candy are a match made in heaven.

Related: Chocolate Caramel Dump Cake

This is a small batch dump cake recipe. A standard dump cake is usually made in a 9 x 13 dish.

But with the candy bars and caramel sauce making this extra decadent, I felt like a smaller version (8 x 8) made a lot of sense.

If you wanted to make this with leftover Halloween candy, I also wasn’t sure if your kid would end up with enough fun-sized candy bars to cover the bottom of a full-sized baking pan.

Pair this with some Halloween Cocktails, like a black tequila cocktail, or some easy Halloween Cupcakes and your sweet tooth is taken care of.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for halloween dump cake - fun sized candy bars, pretzels, boxed cake mix and caramel sauce. — What you need to make a candy bar dump cake.

Scroll to the printable recipe card for full measurements and detailed instructions.

Fun-sized candy bars put the magic in this dump cake recipe. I used Twix, 3 Muskateers and Kit Kat and they were SO GOOD!

I chose a Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake Mix. Devil’s Food sounded appropriate for Halloween, but it’s also extra chocolatey. Also, dump cakes are pretty forgiving.

So when I say to use half a box of chocolate cake mix, do your best. I literally sat the bag on the counter and guestimated what half would be.

My dump cakes are always heavy on the butter, but for this I used one whole stick (instead of my usual 2 for a full batch).

Grab your favorite brand of pretzels. You really can’t mess this up!

I love (and used) caramel sauce because it complemented the fun-sized candy bars that I used, but chocolate sauce would be tasty too! You can feel free to make your own caramel sauce but store-bought is just SO easy.

Candy Eyes are not optional. This really pushes it over that Halloween edge.

*BEWARE: If you put all of them on before it goes in the oven, they will most likely melt. I put on a few before and more after. The eyes make it perfectly festive.

How to Make a Candy Bar Dump Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8′ x 8″ baking dish with baking spray.

Chopped up fun sized candy bars in a glass baking dish.

Step 1

Break up the fun-sized candy bars and add them to the bottom of the pan.

Yes, you will have to unwrap them all first. Yes, it’s very tedious. This would be a great thing to have your kids help you with.

I counted out that I used 25 pieces of candy. You can use more or less.

I just wanted to make sure that I created at least a full layer to cover the whole dish.

You are using the candy bars in place of fruit filling in this case so you don’t want to be stingy.

Chocolate cake mix poured over candy bar pieces.

Step 2

Drizzle with caramel sauce.

It’s totally fine to eyeball it. No need to measure. Again, too much caramel isn’t wrong.

Step 3

Sprinkle the cake mix over the top of the candy.

Can you even think of better ingredients for a Candy Bar Dump Cake??

Add melted butter evenly to the baking dish.

Step 4

Evenly, pour melted butter over the top.

And, yes, you are correct. This candy bar cake looks terrible. But it tastes AMAZING when it’s done!

Step 5

Drizzle with more caramel.

Step 6

Add broken-up pretzel pieces.

SO decadent!

Close up image of a Halloween dump cake idea with candy bars and topped with pretzels and candy eyes.

Step 7

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 1 hour.

Dump cake recipe for a half batch of a Halloween dessert.

Step 8

Remove from oven and add candy eye pieces.

Eat hot or at room temperature.

My best friend was skeptical when this came out of the oven. It doesn’t look great. But then we tasted it.

I was nervous that the candy bars would solidify instead of melt. But they didn’t. Part of one type of candy bar turned into a toffee-like substance.

The way the butter mixed with the chocolate cake mix made it gritty and crumbly and the perfect texture to mix with the caramel sauce.

We ate it hot and then I tried it again at room temperature and proceeded to eat this whole pan by myself over the next few days.

The crunch and salt from the pretzels keep this from being too sweet. You need to make this!

This is definitely going to be one of my favorite Halloween desserts to make every year.

Tips and Tricks

For ease of use, you can use a disposable baking dish. Chocolate and caramel can get really hard and crusty in spots and I’m lazy. Throwing out the pan is my jam.
Have your kids help you unwrap all of the candy ahead of time. It takes a while!
You may be able to use other types of candy bars, but as they bake, their texture may change. I know the candies that I listed above work really well.
But it’s easy to make a full batch if you have enough candy, just double what you see below!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do they call this kind of cake a dump cake?

Because you’re literally dumping the ingredients in a pan and baking. This type of cake is as easy as you can get. No stirring is needed.

How long will the Halloween dump cake last?

Dump Cake is best stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container, but this cake is so good I don’t think that it will have time to lose its freshness. To enjoy, place a portion in a bowl and microwave on half power for 30 seconds. Or leave it on the counter for about half an hour to soften a bit.

Can I use whatever candy bars I like?

I don’t want to force you to follow this recipe exactly. I usually prefer for people to use my easy recipe as a starting point and put their own flair on it.

But I’m going to implore you to use Twix, 3 Muskateers, and Kit Kats. Other candy bars may work. But something magical happens when you bake these candy bars. I’m sure it’s science and I can’t begin to break it down. But it just works.

I will say, that other candy might not melt down the same way. It might just get all hard and unchewable.

Close up image of a slice of dump Cake for halloween with pretzels and caramel.

If you’re looking for a fun festive treat to make, this Candy Bar Dump Cake is it. The candy bars and pretzels make it decadent and delicious! You kids will love this Halloween candy cake!

A party table with text next to it to get email sign ups for a Thanksgiving Planner.

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This Oreo Pumpkin Ice Box Cake from 4 Hats and Frugal sounds like something my kids would love.
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This Chocolate Covered Crickets is perfect to make around Halloween or anytime you want to scare your family a little bit!
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