Description

This delightful Sand Pudding Beach Buckets recipe is a fun and creative no-bake dessert that mimics the look of sandy beach buckets filled with sweet treats. Combining a light white cake base with creamy cheesecake pudding, crushed cookies, and colorful candy decorations, it’s perfect for summer parties or a playful snack that both kids and adults will enjoy.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake Base

1 15.25 oz box white cake mix
Water, oil, and eggs as required on the cake mix box
1 lemon (juiced)
1 1/2 tablespoons blue sprinkles

Cheesecake Pudding Filling

2 3.4 oz boxes instant cheesecake pudding mix
4 cups cold milk
Blue food coloring, to desired shade

Toppings and Decorations

1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies
Teddy Grahams crackers
Rainbow stripe candy

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Instructions

Prepare Cake Batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine the white cake mix with water, oil, and eggs as directed on the box. Add the juice of one lemon to the batter to give a light citrus flavor. Mix thoroughly until the batter is smooth. Stir in blue sprinkles for a fun oceanic touch.
Bake the Cake: Pour the prepared batter into a baking pan and bake according to the package instructions, usually around 25-30 minutes at 350°F. Once baked, let the cake cool completely before proceeding to the next steps.
Make Cheesecake Pudding Filling: While the cake is cooling, prepare the cheesecake pudding according to the package directions. Combine pudding mix and cold milk, whisking until thickened. Add blue food coloring until you achieve a vibrant blue shade, reminiscent of ocean water.
Assemble the ‘Sand’ Layer: Crumble the cooled white cake into crumbles that resemble sand texture. Mix the cake crumbs with crushed vanilla wafer cookies to enhance the sandy look and add a tasty crunch.
Layer in Containers: In small beach bucket containers or clear cups, start by layering the cake-cookie ‘sand’. Follow by a layer of the blue cheesecake pudding. Repeat layering as desired to fill the containers, ending with a top layer of cake-cookie crumbs.
Decorate: Garnish the top layer with Teddy Grahams crackers and rainbow stripe candy to mimic beach toys and add colorful, playful details.
Chill: Refrigerate the assembled dessert for at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to meld and pudding to set perfectly.

Notes

If beach bucket containers are not available, use clear cups or small bowls to showcase the layers.
For a stronger lemon flavor, zest the lemon and add it to the cake batter along with the juice.
Adjust the blue food coloring amount for desired intensity of ocean color.
Crushed vanilla wafers provide a nice crunch; substitute with graham cracker crumbs if preferred.
These can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve.