by Sandra Merville Hart

My husband loves chocolate eclairs. He enjoys this treat from a local bakery two or three times a year. I was thrilled to find a no-bake recipe for chocolate éclair cake. I made it for a family Christmas party.

After reading several recipes that used instant vanilla pudding mix, I finally found one that gave an option to prepare the cake using pastry cream. The recipe I followed used whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla extract. You can find that here.

I made chocolate buttercream frosting from scratch, or you can use a 16-ounce container of chocolate frosting.

I used a container of whipped topping, but it is easy to make your own, if you prefer.

Because I prepared the pastry cream and frosting from scratch, this whole cake took about an hour to prepare

Ingredients

Pastry cream (link to recipe above)

3 cups whipped topping, thawed

1 16-oz. package Graham crackers

2 cups of chocolate frosting

In a medium mixing bowl, gently fold the whipped topping into the prepared pastry cream until well blended to create a thick, creamy pudding.

Depending on the size of your serving dish, you may not use all of the Graham crackers. I chose a 9×13-inch glass dish and had a few crackers left over.

First layer: Arrange a single layer of Graham crackers on the bottom of the dish. Break apart some crackers if necessary to create a whole layer.

Second layer: Cover the Graham crackers with half of the pudding. Spread evenly.

Third layer: Arrange another layer of Graham crackers over the pudding.

Fourth layer: Cover with Graham crackers with the remaining pudding.

Fifth layer: Top with the final layer of Graham crackers.

Sixth layer: Frost the top layer of Graham crackers with the chocolate icing, taking care not to dislodge them.

Cover the dessert with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving, as the crackers soften when chilled.

I served this cake at a holiday gathering alongside two other delicious desserts, and it was nearly gone at the end of the evening. My family loved it.

Enjoy!

Sources

Hill, Meggan. “Pastry Cream,” Culinary Hill, 2025/12/15 https://www.culinaryhill.com/how-to-make-pastry-cream/.