Y'all, if you need a quick and easy recipe to take to your next potluck or serve at your family reunion, you can't go wrong with this generous panful of no-bake goodness!
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- No-bake chocolate eclair cake is an easy dessert recipe with only six simple ingredients—even your kids can make it!
- Eclair icebox cake is a big hit at parties, potlucks, and get-togethers for special occasions.
- Chill this refrigerator cake overnight before serving for the best results. (Plus, that's one less thing you'll have to prep on the day of a party!)
Creamy vanilla pudding sandwiched between layers of graham crackers and topped with a rich chocolate frosting—what’s not to love?
The best part of this no-bake cake is that you enjoy classic eclair flavors without the fuss of choux pastry or messy pastry cream!
Love a layered dessert? Try this lemon ice box cake, next!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Evaporated milk makes the pudding layer extra creamy, but whole milk or half-and-half will also work.
- You can buy Cool Whip from the grocery store or make your own whipped topping.
- Feel free to use other flavors of instant pudding mix, like plain vanilla, white chocolate, or plain chocolate pudding. You could even try banana cream pudding mix!
- I use regular plain graham crackers in this chocolate eclair cake recipe. You can also make it with chocolate graham crackers, vanilla graham crackers, honey graham crackers, or cinnamon sugar graham crackers.
- Use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips for a sweeter ganache or dark chocolate chips for a richer chocolate flavor.
- If you want a softer chocolate topping, you can buy a can of chocolate frosting from the grocery store or make homemade chocolate frosting from scratch instead of making chocolate ganache. It does change the flavor and texture of the icebox cake, however.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Whisk together instant vanilla pudding mix and evaporated milk in a large bowl. Gently fold in the whipped topping.
Line baking dish with a single layer of graham crackers. Spread half the pudding mixture over top.
Add another graham cracker layer, the remaining pudding, and a final layer of graham crackers. Let chill.
Microwave the heavy cream until it bubbles around the edges. Add the chocolate chips.
Stir slowly until melted and smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes.
Spread cooled chocolate ganache over the top layer of graham crackers.
🍴 Equipment
- 9x13-inch glass baking dish
- Large
mixing bowl - Medium-sized microwavable bowl
🥫 How to store leftovers
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for up to five days. Leftover no-bake eclair cake is delicious, but the graham crackers do get very soft and soggy the longer you store it in the fridge.
I don’t recommend freezing this chocolate éclair cake recipe. The process of thawing and freezing will change the texture of the creamy French vanilla pudding layer and graham crackers.
Expert tip:
You can use sugar-free pudding mix and fat-free milk in this but the result will not be the same.
💭 Things to know
- Use a glass casserole dish so you can see all the pretty layers of your delicious cake!
- Icebox cake no-bake recipes like this one need to be made with cold ingredients. So make sure to chill the evaporated milk in the fridge before mixing it with the pudding, and use Cool Whip directly from the fridge.
- Stop microwaving the heavy cream as soon as you start to see little bubbles form at the edges of the bowl—you don’t want to boil it! The cream should measure about 180 degrees F on an instant thermometer.
- Let your chocolate ganache cool for about 10 minutes before spreading it across the top of the cake. Hot ganache straight out of the microwave can start to melt the top layer of the Cool Whip pudding mixture!
- The hardest part is waiting for the cake to fully chill before digging in, but don’t rush it! You need all that time in the fridge to slightly soften the graham crackers and properly set the layers of vanilla pudding.
- The chocolate ganache gets very firm in the fridge and might crack when you’re slicing the cake. If you prefer a softer chocolate ganache topping, let the cake sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing it, or wait to frost your cake until just before serving.
👩🍳 FAQs
Eclair cake is a quick, easy, no-bake dessert that tastes just like fancy eclairs! The graham cracker layer softens to taste like pastry dough, and the pudding mixture is just like pastry cream, but easier.
Both chocolate chips and chopped bars of baking chocolate can be used to make chocolate ganache. I use chocolate chips because I already have them in my pantry.
However, baking chocolate doesn’t contain the additives or stabilizers found in chocolate chips, which creates a smoother, creamier ganache with a richer chocolate flavor. You do you!
It’s easy! Pour the cup of heavy whipping cream into a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat once it starts to simmer around the edges of the pan—don’t let it boil! Then, stir in the chocolate until it melts and creates a creamy ganache.
Absolutely! Since this easy chocolate eclair cake is served cold, it’s the perfect dessert to make in advance. You can store it in the fridge for up to five days, but it’s best in the first day or two before the graham crackers start to get soggy.
📚 Related recipes
- Boston Cream Poke Cake is an easy recipe that's complete with shiny chocolate glaze, creamy vanilla pudding, and moist yellow cake.
- Lemon Icebox Pie is a no-bake dessert recipe with a tangy lemon filling over a buttery crumb crust—the best thing is you only need 3 ingredients!
- One of my favorite layered dessert recipes, Nutter Butter Banana Pudding puts a delicious twist on the Southern classic using peanut butter cookies instead of vanilla wafers!
📞 The last word
Y'all, this eclair icebox cake recipe has stood the test of time. I know my mom made it in the 1970's and I think it was around long before that. If you live in the South you know that those potlucks can be brutal if you don't bring something delicious, right?
Well, they'll never ask you to "just bring the paper plates" when you put this on the dessert table, I promise.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you're a fan of this recipe, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it 5 stars if you enjoyed it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Eclair Icebox Cake
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2-½ cups evaporated milk, chilled
- 8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
- 7 ounces instant French Vanilla pudding mix, 2 3.5-ounce packages
- 16 ounces graham crackers
Topping
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Add a layer of graham crackers to a 13x9-inch casserole dish. Clear glass shows off the pretty layers.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the instant pudding mix and cold evaporated milk until it thickens.
- Gently fold in the whipped topping.
- Spread half of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers in the casserole dish.
- Top with another layer of graham crackers.
- Repeat layers ending with a final layer of graham crackers.
- Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so.
Topping
- In a microwave safe bowl heat heavy cream until bubbles form around the edge. It will read about 180℉ on an instant-read thermometer. Do not allow it to come to a rolling boil.
- Stir in the chocolate, stirring until smooth and all the chocolate is melted.
- Let ganache cool for about 10 minutes before proceeding.
Assembly
- Remove the chilled graham cracker and pudding layers from the refrigerator.
- Pour the warm ganache over the top of the graham crackers, smoothing with a spatula or spoon.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Notes
- You can use sugar-free pudding mix and fat-free milk in this but the result will not be the same.
- Icebox cake no-bake recipes like this must be made with cold ingredients. So make sure to chill the evaporated milk in the fridge before mixing it with the pudding, and use Cool Whip directly from the fridge.
- Stop microwaving the heavy cream as soon as you start to see little bubbles form at the edges of the bowl—you don’t want to boil it! The cream should measure about 180 degrees F on an instant thermometer.
- Let your chocolate ganache cool for about 10 minutes before spreading it across the top of the cake. Hot ganache straight out of the microwave can start to melt the top layer of the Cool Whip pudding mixture!
- The chocolate ganache gets very firm in the fridge and might crack when you’re slicing the cake. If you prefer a softer chocolate ganache topping, let the cake sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing it, or wait to frost your cake until just before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Cathy says
I made this for a BBQ it was a Big hit. Everyone loved it
I used the bittersweet chocolate.
I will be trying some of the other flavors next
Valerie says
I’ve never had no-bake eclair cake before, but this recipe is delicious! I’m not a fan of Cool Whip so I used your recipe for homemade whipped topping instead. I pushed the pudding mixture through a strainer because mine got clumpy for some reason. The only thing I added was a light dusting of cacao powder over each layer of pudding. I used bittersweet baking chocolate to make the ganache instead of chocolate chips and it came out super smooth and rich! This recipe is a keeper for sure!