An éclair cake is simply a chocolate éclair but bigger and better—in cake form. It’s stacked in sweet, creamy, delicious layers of pudding and graham crackers. The fluffy chocolate frosting finishes it off, creating a decadent éclair cake that looks much harder to make.
My favorite part is you don’t even have to use the oven. It’s a no-bake layered dessert, so I just make the cake the day before, pull it out of the fridge, and it’s ready to serve.
For those hectic times when you need to entertain, this chocolate eclair cake is such an easy recipe requiring very few ingredients. Bring this to a party, baby shower or potluck and no one will know how little work it took to make.
For other no-bake treats, try our no bake peanut butter pie and our jello pie recipes. Our mocha poke cake is another fantastic option — if you’re willing to expand beyond no bake but still want to keep things easy.
No Bake Eclair Cake
This easy eclair cake recipe tastes just like an éclair, only it’s much easier to make.
If you’ve heard of an icebox cake, an éclair cake is similar. It’s like a Boston Cream pie meets an éclair. So delicious!
From one foodie to another, I was pleased to find out that the word éclair, pronounced ay-clair, means flash of lightning in French. That makes sense—we were wondering how our éclair cake disappeared in a flash!
Eclair Cake Ingredients
You will need:
ingredient substitutions & additions
TOPPINGS: Cut the éclair cake into generous squares and make it yours with whichever toppings you prefer. What doesn’t go with chocolate and vanilla filling? Sprinkle your piece with some chopped nuts or if you believe you can never have too much chocolate, add chocolate chips.
My son loves chocolate chips on his. For a topping, that’s an easy winner. I like to smother mine with some whipped cream or Cool Whip and top it off with strawberry slices. You could also add sliced bananas.
PEANUT BUTTER: Try a variation with peanut butter by adding 1 cup to the pudding and milk.
PUDDING: For a real twist of flavor, change the pudding to banana or lemon. Try strawberry pudding for one layer and vanilla on another. Mix and match. Éclair cakes are both versatile and beautiful so you can you really play with flavor combinations.
GRAHAM CRACKERS: Get creative by alternating between chocolate or honey graham crackers.
FROSTING: If you’re a milk chocolate fan rather than dark chocolate, go for it! Kids love the sweeter taste of milk chocolate and I don’t blame them! The frosting could even be delicious cream cheese frosting. The options are endless!
Your kids will have a blast deciding how to make it. Let them be your cute little helpers in the kitchen. There are no eggs to worry about, so my son happily licks the spoon.
How to Make an Eclair Cake
This easy dessert takes no time at all to assemble. It may not be from scratch, but that’s the beauty of it. Quick and easy éclair cake here we come!
STEP ONE: Begin by mixing together the dry pudding mix and the milk. Blend well for about two minutes. Then fold in the Cool Whip with a spoon or a spatula.
STEP TWO: Grab a 9×11 pan and coat it with non-stick spray or parchment paper. Cover the entire bottom of the pan with a layer of whole graham crackers. Break the crackers apart as needed to cover the pan.
STEP THREE: Next, spread only half of the pudding mixture over the top of the graham cracker layer.
STEP FOUR: Repeat steps by adding a second layer of graham crackers on top of the pudding layer. Then pour the rest of the pudding mixture over the next set of graham crackers.
STEP FIVE: Finish the last layer with more graham crackers. I wasn’t kidding—this is why you need a whole box of graham crackers!
STEP SIX: Microwave the chocolate frosting for 20-30 seconds to make it easy to pour over the cake. Evenly spread the warm frosting over the top layer of graham crackers.
STEP SEVEN: Put the éclair cake in the fridge to chill for 12-24 hours. I know, having to wait overnight is the hardest part. But this is when the magic happens! You want the graham crackers to be nice and soft.
The filling will set up oh so creamy and deliciously, while the graham crackers create a perfectly soft, moist texture.
The creamy, rich layers of pudding, graham crackers, and chocolate make this Eclair Cake the perfect dessert year-round. It’s cool and light in the spring and summer, and it’s the best comfort for cozying up in the house during fall and winter. You can’t beat the superb results for a treat that takes minimal effort to make.
No Bake Eclair Cake
This content was originally published here.