This recipe for Chocolate Eclair Cake is a classic no-bake dessert made with graham crackers, pudding, and chocolate frosting. Everyone loves this no-bake simple dessert recipe!
If you love no bake desserts, be sure to try this easy S’mores Icebox Cake. Also, my no bake cheesecake recipe is always a hit!
Why This Eclair Cake Recipe is Best
On this website, you’ll find desserts I’ve made over the years and some childhood favorites from my family.
I ate cinnamon swirl zucchini bread as a kid and have shared many other types of zucchini bread recipes.
And these Pecan Tassies were at every holiday gathering. You’ll love their buttery crust with pecan pie filling!
Today’s Eclair Cake though is the one dessert that I knew how to make at a young age. Easy enough for the kids to help make, and it tastes incredible.
Similar to our family’s dirt cake recipes, you’ll love the pudding filling!
A chocolate eclair cake is an easy, no bake dessert the resembles chocolate eclairs. Similar to a Boston Cream pie. Slightly different than my cream puff cake and cream puff desserts!
Ingredient Notes
Today’s recipe has layers of graham cracker with pudding and whipped cream filling. Topped off with a homemade chocolate frosting!
- Graham Crackers– you’ll need a whole box for this recipe!
- Pudding Mix– be sure to choose INSTANT pudding. I like french vanilla, but regular vanilla works great too!
- Milk– any variety
- Cool Whip– Use store bought whipped topping or homemade whipped cream
- Frosting- you can use canned frosting, chocolate ganache, or follow my homemade frosting recipe below!
How to Make Chocolate Eclair Cake
If you’re wondering how to make chocolate eclair cake, it is crazy easy. No messy pastry cream with this easy recipe!
Make the filling. Layer the graham crackers, pudding mixture, crackers, remaining pudding layer, and final layer of crackers. Top it with frosting.
Refrigerate cake for at least 8 hours. This is NON-negotiable. Refrigerating the cake allows the graham cracker layers to soften, which gives this dessert it’s signature flavor and texture.
Homemade Eclair Cake Frosting
STEP 1: In a small saucepan, with double boiler, combine the baking chocolate with corn syrup. Heat on medium heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat.
STEP 2: Add vanilla, butter, milk and powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.
STEP 3: Frost the top layer of graham crackers. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
PRO TIP: heat up a can of chocolate frosting and pour over the top of the cake! Either way works! Add a sprinkle of chocolate chips if you like!
Storage
- Store leftover cake covered in refrigerator for up to 4 days. The graham crackers will get incredibly soft, but they still taste amazing.
- Freeze eclair cake by assembling the cake in a freezer safe container (I like to use disposable foil pans). Wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap, then in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight until ready to serve.
Make-Ahead Instructions
I love making this cake ahead of time. Meaning you can enjoy your holiday or party stress free.
Assemble the cake up to 24 hours ahead of time. This allows you to have a delicious dessert without the mess on the day of your party!
Flavor Substitutions
- This Strawberry Eclair Cake contains Cheesecake JELL-O in the filling. Plus there’s no oven needed which means it’s perfect for the warmer weather!
- This easy Banana Eclair Cake is a favorite summer treat. It consists of layers of cinnamon graham crackers, vanilla pudding, and fresh banana. The best part is, you don’t even have to bake it! To top it off, I literally topped it off a cinnamon glaze!
- I made a simple No Bake Pistachio Eclair Cake with pistachio pudding mix and chocolate frosting. You’ll enjoy this tasty dessert!
- Too hot to turn on the oven? Make a No Bake Peanut Butter Eclair cake with Reese’s and peanut butter for a delicious chocolate treat.
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Chocolate Eclair Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 box honey graham crackers 14.4 ounce
- 2 packages instant french vanilla pudding 3.4 ounce each
- 2½ cups milk
- 12 ounce cool whip thawed
For the Frosting:
- 2 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate
- 2 teaspoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Mix pudding with milk in a medium size bowl. Fold in thawed cool whip.
- Layer in a 13×9 dish: graham crackers, pudding, graham crackers, pudding, graham crackers.
- For the homemade frosting, mix the baking chocolate with corn syrup in a double boiler over medium heat. Stir until smooth. Add vanilla, butter, milk and powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Frost the top layer of graham crackers. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours until serving.
Notes
- You can swap out homemade frosting for one can of milk chocolate frosting. Remove lid and foil cover. Microwave 20 seconds, stir, and spread over graham crackers.
- If you can’t find french vanilla pudding mix, swap it out for instant vanilla pudding mix.
Video
Nutrition
This Eclair Cake recipe is an old fashioned icebox cake with layers of graham crackers, pudding, and chocolate frosting. An easy no bake dessert recipe!
What is the difference in taste, between the vanilla and French vanilla pudding mix(I know taste can be hard to describe)?
I would say that the french vanilla is a little richer, like custard flavor.
You can’t microwave a can.
If you don’t like the taste of Cool Whip try the tub of whip cream from Kroger . It’s great !
My family loved this! I will say next time I make it I will double the Graham crackers on the bottom to make a thicker base for the crust , also I put mine in the freezer to firm it up because after 10 hours in fridge it still was very sloppy. Other than that I love it and will make again. Made original recipe. No subs
I added about a teaspoon of instant coffee granules to the pudding mix and turned it into a quick tiramisu-like desert. It was super yummy.
That sounds delicious!
Can I use see honey instead of corn syrup. And choc chips instead of choc.?
Just use canned icing. Melt in microwave and pour over graham crackers. So much easier and cheaper. It’s great
You truly have to be patient when waiting for this to be done in the fridge but boy, is it worth it!! So delicious and the perfect easy treat.
I love eclair’s! This is so much easier to make them!
This is such a classic dessert! My absolute favorite no bake sweet treat!
What can I substitute the Graham crackers with as live in UK and unable to find the crackers you mention in many of your excellent recipes I’m wanting to try. Thanking you in anticipation of your reply
I know many of my UK readers use digestive biscuits in place of graham crackers.
What a delicious dessert! Looking forward to enjoying this after dinner tonight! Looks too good to pass up!
This is always going to be my favorite dessert! I’ve made it so many times. It’s the best!
I actually tried this recipe for a girls night out, and everyone loved it! It’s now one of my go to recipes!
I can’t eat cool whip something in it gives me a headache. Would real whip cream hold up in this recipie?
Make homemade cool whip. A bit tedious but so much better!!
Do you make the pudding up first then add cool whip or do you pour dry pudding mix in bowl then whipped together?
Thanks!
Freida Johnson
I tried this one Oh so Good ! Ty
Hi
We don’t have honey graham crackers here in Portugal . Can I use regular graham crackers? Or what could I use instead of the honey graham crackers?
Thanks
I have made my own graham crackers. Not any more difficult than making cookies. Plus they taste awesome when they are fresh! I have used chocolate graham crackers….vanilla wafers….whatever I have on hand. This is a great recipe! I have been making chocolate eclair cake for years. Always ends up disappearing…..no left-overs. lol
I’ve been making this for over 40 years. My son asks for it every year for his birthday. He likes it made exactly like this. For my husband & I, I add sliced bananas on top of both layers of graham crackers (before pudding mix). After trying the bananas (use about 1 1/2 per layer), you won’t go back. This is then called “Banana Chocolate Eclair Cake”. I also agree the homemade frosting is better.
Oooh, love the banana addition!!
Can the pudding be made from scratch? It’s very hard to find pudding mix here in the Philippines plus it’s quite expensive. You have any suggestion for a pudding recipe? I would love to try this. Thanks!
How could I make vanilla pudding at home?
Just wondering if it would turn out good if i pour some coffee over the graham crackers. i’m afraid the crackers could fall apart.
I saw you mention this on facebook. I would be afraid that it would get too soggy. You could replace 1/4 cup of the milk with strong brewed coffee instead and that should work!
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