No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake (Recipe + Video)

I definitely make the most effort to praise no-cook meals and desserts during the (ridiculously) hot summer months, but I honestly love those types of recipes all year long. No-cook and no-bake recipes are typically tasty, quick, easy and inexpensive… what’s not to love about recipes like that?! By golly, they deserve admiration on all 365 days of the year! That’s just my little opinion, of course.

A few well-loved, no-cook meals that I have shared with y’all before are these highly customizable Turkey and Cheddar Kabobs, Loaded Greek Hummus Dip, and these Easy Chicken Ceasar Wraps. The kabobs and the hummus dip may be technically appetizers, but they’re terrifically simple and satisfying light mains as well. They are also great make ahead options. As for no-bake desserts, we adore this delicious No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake as well as these Layered Lemon and Yogurt Parfaits for a snappy, but eye-catching dessert.

However, this No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake is seriously the Grand Poobah of no-bake desserts for my family, and no other dessert choice will ever quite measure up to it in our hearts. No matter the occasion or day of the week, this recipe always brings the joy at my house.

It’s a sensational no-bake ice box cake that’s indulgent, craveworthy and it’s almost embarrassingly simple to make.

We think this recipe is a big deal, y’all.

How to make a no-bake chocolate eclair cake

For this show stopper of an ice box cake, you’ll need instant vanilla pudding mix, a small tub of milk chocolate frosting, milk, frozen whipped topping (thawed), and a box of your favorite brand of honey graham crackers. This recipe is made quick and simple by using convenience items such as boxed pudding mix, frozen whipped topping (I use Cool Whip), and a tub of premade chocolate frosting. Honestly that is the only way I have ever made it, and I’m a gold card-carrying member of the if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it club.

However, if you wish to make homemade vanilla pudding, homemade chocolate icing, and homemade whipped cream for this recipe you can certainly do that too. If you choose the d.i.y. route to make an eclair cake, I suggest making homemade stabilized whipped cream for best results. Regular homemade whipped cream will flatten and separate over time, and it may not be the best option for this recipe as it needs a bit of structure from the custard. At this time, I do not have recipe for stabilized whipped cream on the blog, but you can check out this recipe for stabilized whipped cream on Allrecipes or you can visit another trusted site for a recipe on your own.

To construct this dazzling eclair cake, a light and fluffy custard, a mixture of instant vanilla pudding and whipped topping, is beautifully layered between rows of earthy graham crackers and then finished with a layer of rich, milk chocolate frosting. Once it’s all prepared in the dish the cake must refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving, but ideally it would chill overnight, or all day (6-8 hours).

The chill time allows the crisp graham crackers to soften up in the custard and they become an amazingly cake-like layer in this rich dessert. It’s heavenly!

This is a simple, but decadent sweet dish everyone gets giddy about when it’s placed on the menu at my house.

It’s worth it to mention that using a small offset spatula to apply the icing to this cake, or any other sheet cake really makes the job much easier. It’s a worthwhile addition to your gadget drawer, if you don’t already have one.

If you’re a fan of the classic chocolate eclair pastries, like the ones you can pick up from any traditional donut shop or grocery store bakery, I just know you will love this cake! It seriously tastes just like those scrumptiously light and airy pastries.

This chocolate eclair cake is easy enough for a weeknight treat, but it makes a deliciously fun change of pace for celebrating any occasion too. Just add some colorful sprinkles to the top right after the cake is freshly frosted, and this no-bake chocolate eclair cake works for birthdays parties, Christmas parties, a Thanksgiving dessert table, and office or church potlucks too.

Y’all, you can’t go wrong when serving up this one!

Please come back and let me know if you give this heavenly ice box cake a try. Let me know if you serve this any upcoming holiday gatherings, I’d love to hear about it!!

Please enjoy this sweet recipe and happy eating, friends! xo – M ⭐💖😊

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Chocolate Eclair Cake

Recipe by Marcelle at A Little Fish in the Kitchen Course: Dessert, BrunchCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Yield

1

9×13 inch cake

Prep time

25

minutes

Chill Time

6-8

hours

If you’re a fan of the classic chocolate eclair pastries, you will love this No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake! It seriously tastes just like those scrumptiously light and airy pastries. This is a delicious and easy dessert that works for any occasion and any night of the week, it’s a true treat! This recipe yields one large 9X13 inch cake, perfect for serving a crowd, or to have a tasty dessert ready to enjoy through the week. It refrigerates perfectly for up to 7 days. (*see notes below)

Ingredients

• 1 (14.4 ounce) box honey graham crackers (you will use all 3 packets of crackers inside the box)

• 2 (3.4 ounce) boxes French Vanilla Instant Pudding

• 3 cups (24 fluid ounces) milk (I used 1% milk)

• 1 (8 ounce) tub of frozen whipped topping (I used Cool Whip)

• 1 (16 ounce) container milk chocolate frosting (I used Betty Crocker brand- Hershey’s Chocolate frosting)

• seasonal, festive sprinkles of your choice, optional

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and milk. Whisk ingredients until the pudding begins to thicken (2-3 minutes). Fold in all of the Cool Whip and stir until ingredients are completely combined. Set bowl with pudding mixture aside.
• Completely cover the bottom of 9×13 in pan with graham crackers, arranging them as necessary to cover the bottom (a full video tutorial is below, if needed). You will have to break the sheets of crackers into different sizes to do this. Gently cover the first layer of grahams with one half of the pudding mixture and spread it out evenly over the top. Repeat the layers: graham crackers, remaining pudding mixture.
• Make a final layer of graham crackers over the top of the custard. Make the top layer of crackers as complete of possible (refer to video below, if needed). Use an offset spatula or a silicon spatula to gently cover the layer of grahams with the chocolate frosting. You will use the entire 16 ounce tub of frosting. Add sprinkles to the top of the cake when it’s freshly frosted, if desired.
• Allow the eclair cake to refrigerate, uncovered, for 20 minutes. (this step will protect the frosting) Remove chilled cake from the fridge, cover with a layer of parchment paper and then foil or plastic wrap, as you prefer. Allow cake to chill for at least 2 hours before serving. This is wonderful dessert to make the day before serving, chilling the cake over night or all day (6-8 hours) is ideal.
• Enjoy!

Recipe Video

Notes

• *To make a smaller chocolate eclair cake for a smaller crowd, simply cut the ingredients in half and make this cake in an 8 x 8 (or 9 x 9) inch baking dish instead.
• Recipe from A Little Fish in the Kitchen Blog at www.alittlefishinthekitchen.com. All content is owned by Marcelle G. Bolton. Please contact the author for permission to republish.