No Bake Éclair Cake
This cake, if you can call it that, is a cool creamy delight. The first time I tried it was 28 years ago at a summer potluck and I just had to have the recipe. The person who made it happily shared it as they’d found it in a magazine!
I’ve morphed it over the years trying it this way and that way and eventually swapping out the canned chocolate frosting for an easy ganache. I have to say almost every variation of this No-Bake Éclair Cake is tasty and delicious, even the one with canned frosting!
The secret to the no-bake éclair cake is in the layering and chilling. You’re essentially layering pudding with graham crackers to make the “cake.” The moisture of the pudding softens the grahams so that they’re more like a crumb layer. Or three layers or pudding with 4 layers of graham crackers.
Once the layers are in place the easy ganache is poured over the top of the last layers of grahams. After refrigeration this easy
What You Need To Make A No-Bake Éclair Cake
This recipe does call for some specific items so be sure to add them to your shopping list.
- cream
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- graham crackers
- instant
Vanilla pudding (can also use Frenchvanilla ) - milk
- heavy whipping cream
vanilla extract- powdered sugar (Low on powdered sugar? Use these easy alternatives)
Ways To Change Up This Recipe
This recipe can be made with some variations.
- swap out the regular graham crackers for chocolate or cinnamon grahams
- use a can of chocolate frosting to top the cake with instead of the ganache
- try using chocolate, French
vanilla , pistachio, or butterscotch pudding mix - you can use sugar-free/fat-free pudding mix
- use cool whip in place of the whipping cream
- instead of ganache on the top of the cake you can use Hershey’s syrup but it is runny so beware if using this sub
Mix and match the substitutions for fun variations on the original recipe.
How To Store This No-Bake Dessert
Keep this pudding-based
No-Bake Eclair Cake
Equipment
- 8×11 baking pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 24 full sheet graham crackers see note
- 2-3.4 oz. packages of instant Vanilla pudding can also use French vanilla, chocolate, pistachio flavors
- 3 cups milk
- 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place topping ingredients in a heavy saucepan and heat over low heat until cream is just hot to touch, do not boil it
- Remove from heat and let sit for about 5 minutes
- then stir or whisk to combine chocolate chips, set aside while working on the rest of the cake.
- In a large bowl add milk and pudding mix, and blend until thick
- In a separate bowl, whip cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form
- Fold whipped cream into pudding mixture
- Add a single layer of graham crackers to the bottom of an 8×11 inch pan or container
- Spread 1/3 of the pudding over the graham cracker layer
- Add a second layer of graham crackers
- Spread second third of pudding over graham crackers
- Repeat with a third layer of graham crackers and pudding
- Top with a final layer of graham crackers
- Spread the now mostly cooled chocolate ganache over the top of the graham crackers
- Cover carefully and then refrigerate a minimum of an hour
Can u freeze the eclair cake..it’s made and now I don’t need it until 6 days..how do I freeze it
I have no idea? I’ve never done that.
I’ve made this for decades; my family loves it.