Eclair Cake

Eclairs are delicious but can take some effort to make. Rather than spending all day in the kitchen making a pastry that you’ll wolf down in a few minutes, make this easy eclair cake from scratch (well, almost from scratch) instead.

This old fashioned eclair cake recipe is going to make you happy, not just because you will see how easy it is to make a great-tasting eclair cake, but also because it is just so delicious. With a creamy pudding layer and a chocolate frosting layer, plus slightly softened graham crackers, this has a whole lot of deliciousness inside.

This dessert is light and fluffy. Baking eclair cake at home takes only a little effort, and it is so worth it once you take that first bite. As the cake sits in the refrigerator, the moisture from the pudding seeps into the crackers, creating a softened but still very much present layer of sweet, contrasting textures.

This eclair cake with frosting is definitely an impressive cake that you will be proud to show off! Amazingly, the flavor you get is almost identical to what you have when you purchase an eclair from a Bakery. The texture will be a little different; after all, you’re making an icebox cake rather than a choux pastry. But the flavor more than makes up for any quality lost due to the change in pastry type.

Be sure to try this recipe for yourself and let us know how it turns out!

Scroll to bottom for printable recipe card.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy prep! The most complicated parts of this eclair cake recipe are preparing the pudding mix and trying to spread the frosting over the top layer of crackers without lifting the crackers off the pudding layer.
• Delicious flavors combined to one cake. Vanilla and chocolate together are scrumptious!
• Make-ahead friendly. Make this in the morning and serve it in the evening. Or, make it one day and freeze individual servings for later treats.
• Great for parties or events! This recipe makes a good number of servings.
• Budget-friendly. The ingredients here are among the less expensive that you can buy.

Ingredients:

• Vanilla pudding mix
• Cool Whip
• Milk
• Chocolate Frosting
• Graham Crackers

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Vanilla pudding: You can use chocolate if you prefer. In either case, use instant pudding because that’s faster to make than cooked pudding.

Cool Whip: Name brand or store brand will be fine. Try to use the basic version and not fat-free or reduced-calorie versions. You can also make your own whipped topping if you prefer.

Graham crackers: Stick with honey grahams for this recipe. Cinnamon grahams will have a distinctly different flavor. You can also use Nilla Wafers or Ladyfinger Cookies instead of graham crackers.

Milk: Whole milk is a little better here than skim or 2% because the milkfat helps make the pudding mixture more luxurious and rich, but use what you have if you can’t get to the store. For moist eclair cake ideas for milk substitutes are never-ending.

How to Make It

Step 1. Layer the bottom of a 13×9 baking pan with graham crackers. Break a cracker into smaller pieces to fit into gaps between the other crackers and the pan’s sides.

Step 2. Mix the Cool Whip and pudding.

Step 3. Add in the milk and mix. Even though you’ve already prepared the pudding mix, you’ll add the extra milk to make the pudding layers thinner. That also makes it easier for the pudding to soak into the graham crackers and soften them.

Step 4. Spread half of the pudding mixture on top of the graham crackers in the pan.

Step 5. Layer more crackers on top of the mixture and repeat one more time.You want to have two layers of everything except the chocolate frosting.

Step 6. Spread the chocolate frosting over the top of the top graham cracker layer until everything is covered.

Step 7. Put in the fridge for four hours or more. The longer you leave it in, the softer the graham crackers will become. Then you can serve it straight from the fridge.

Tips for Success

Try to cover as much of the pan and the layers of pudding as possible. Don’t leave too many gaps. One of the more appealing things about this recipe is the contrast of softened crackers with the pudding, so you want layers of graham crackers that are as full as possible.

Storage & Reheating

Leftover eclair cake has to be refrigerated. Cover the pan tightly with foil, or place servings of the cake in an airtight container. Eat the cake within five days.

You can freeze the eclair cake, too, but the texture will change when the cake thaws. You may also want to slice the cake up and freeze individual servings as those will thaw more quickly. Place individual servings on a baking sheet with space in between each serving. Freeze for 30 minutes or so, and then wrap each slice in plastic wrap and foil, placing the bundles in a freezer bag. Use up the cake within three months. Let slices thaw in the refrigerator (or eat frozen, if you prefer).

Serving Suggestions

You could serve this homemade eclair cake dessert by itself or with tea or coffee, of course. You don’t have to limit it to mealtimes, although that might be a good idea given how delicious this is. You need some limits so that you don’t eat the entire cake (it is that good). Try serving it for dessert after a meal of this Instant Pot Roast, for example.

Notes

An eclair is a French pastry made from choux dough filled with cream or custard and topped with chocolate icing. They’re very similar to cream puffs, and both use essentially the same ingredients. However, cream puffs are round and have cream-filled bases covered with more pastry (usually just the top of the puff that was cut off before the puff was filled with cream). Eclairs are elongated and usually coated with some chocolate on top.

PIN FOR LATER!

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Strawberry Punch Cake – This Southern Strawberry Punch Cake is definitely one of our favorites – it’s easy to make, and the combination of flavors is absolutely amazing!