Simple Eclair Ice Box Cake:
No baking, no fuss, this easy ice box cake is absolutely delicious and just so fun. Rich chocolate topping, fun vanilla custardy center, and graham crackers. It tastes like an eclair in cake form! And is way easier than baking eclairs.
You guys I am always looking for super duper easy to make dessert recipes. One of my all time favorite treats is an eclair. My husband used to work at a restaurant that had an onsite pastry chef, and she made the ultimate eclairs. Like so seriously tasty, and light, and creamy that I would gorge myself on them and could eat half a dozen before even realizing I had done it.
Granted they were mini eclairs, so don’t worry I am not as big of a glutton as I sound.
Anyway, my love for eclairs is only eclipsed by my loathing of super complicated, technical, easy to mess up baking recipes! I mean seriously, who wants to be disappointed by an eclair that doesn’t puff when all you want is the creamy, sugary, chocolate coated goodness of an eclair? So, this Eclair Ice Box Cake is my favorite solution!
I mean look at those layers of goodness! How can you not dive into that face first??? All you have to do is mix up a few simple ingredients and layer. Then you top it with this decadent hot fudge sauce, and chill. The recipe for the hot fudge sauce comes from my friend Sandra over at A Dash of Sanity.
She would constantly tell me about how rich and silky it was, and how she wanted to put it on everything, so I finally made it, and she was right. Rich, silky, delicious, chocolatey goodness, and the perfect topping to the ultimate eclair ice box cake.
I used Cool Whip, whipped topping, but any stabilized whipped cream will do, so feel free to make your own if you are adverse to Cool Whip!
Éclair Ice Box Cake Tips:
- Give it time, you need at least a couple hours for this to chill.
- A drizzle of your favorite white chocolate or some other fun topper makes it so much yummier because it is pretty! I promise.
- Use your favorite brand of Graham Crackers.
- Keep it chilled. If you are taking it to a BBQ or party, you want to eat it quick so it doesn’t get too warm, or be sure to use this great double hot and cold thermal food carrier. You can pack a Lasagna and this Eclair Ice Box Cake in the same thermal carrier.
Other Fun Eazy Peazy Desserts!
- 20 No Bake Desserts
- No Bake Oreo Cheesecake Ice Box Cake
- Crock Pot Peanut Clusters
- Grandma’s Carrot Pudding
- Texas Sheet Cake
Eclair Ice Box Cake
Ingredients
Eclair Cake
- 15-20 Graham Crackers broken in half
- 1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding 3.4 oz. size
- 1-1/2 cups 2% milk cold
- 8 ounces COOL WHIP Whipped Topping thawed
Chocolate Topping
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 Tbs vanilla extract
White Chocolate Drizzle
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
Eclair Cake
- In a large bowl beat the pudding mix with the milk, using a hand mixer.
- Let it set up a little, then stir in thawed Cool Whip.
- In an 8 x 8 square pan, put a single layer of graham crackers, approximately 10 squares, then top with 1/2 of the pudding cool whip mixture.
- Repeat this by adding 10 more graham cracker squares.
- Then spread the other half of the pudding mixture over the squares.
- Top with remaining 10 graham cracker squares.
- Then make chocolate topping (below), cover with topping, and then chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
- Just before serving take white chocolate chips and melt in microwave in 20 second increments, stirring between each. Should take about a minute to melt depending on microwave.
- Remove from fridge, and use a spoon to drizzle white chocolate over the top to resemble the top of an eclair.
- Cut, serve, and enjoy!
Chocolate Topping
- Stir brown sugar and cocoa powder together in a small bowl.
- In a medium sized saucepan, over medium heat, add butter and milk, and bring to a slow boil.
- Let it boil 3-5 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and add cocoa and brown sugar mixture.
- Return to heat, and whisk until smooth, 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.
- Set aside to cool for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour over Eclair cake and put in fridge to let set up.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Melissa Williams says
I make something somewhat similar but I have to try that fudge sauce!
Rachael says
Oh you really do need to. It is so good!
Sheryl Massey says
Does anyone know what Cool Whip is…….I am in Australia……and what would be the equivalent to Graham crackers? Thank you
Rachael says
Cool Whip is a stabilized whip cream product. So a stablized whipped cream would work. Not sure on graham crackers. Sorry
Sheryl Massey says
Is Cool Whip the cream that comes in an aerosol can?
Rachael says
No it is a whipped cream product you can find in the freezer section in most grocery stores in the US. You could substitute with a stabilized whipped cream, or make your own fresh whipped cream and add a bit of extra confectioner (powdered) sugar.
Terri Broviak says
It is a non dairy frozen whipped topping.
Imagine says
Arnotts, lattice biscuits are good for this recipe, I just add 250ml of cream to the milk and custard mixture and whip 🙂
Rachael says
What an awesome suggestion. Thank you!
Candy says
Whipped cream, for graham crackers I’m not sure probably a flat sweet cookie
Victoria says
Digestive biscuits are very similar to Graham crackers in the UK
Rachael says
Thank you for the help!
didi says
A sweet cracker if u have something like that where your from
Cherie says
“Drizzle with white chocolate” would you elaborate a bit please. Thank you
Rachael says
Oh my goodness, what an oversight on my part. All fixed now. Basically at the end (and this is totally optional), you take a half cup of white chocolate chips, melt them, and drizzle them over the top of the ice box cake so it looks like the top of an eclair.
Debbie says
Sounds yummy. Will have to try that. Thanks!!
Robin R Hribar says
You need to melt the white chocolate chips preferably in the microwave.
Lynn Harvey says
Are graham crackers something you have cheese on or is it a sweet biscuit?
Rachael says
It is a sweet biscuit.
Chris says
I have made this for decades. I use chocolate graham crackers and French vanila pudding. Yummy.
Kat says
Delicious comfort food, even the lightened up version I made! I used sugar free pudding, lite cool whip, low fat graham crackers and sugar free fudge topping from a jar. I can only imagine how much better this ice box cake is with regular ingredients, especially your Chocolate Topping, I look forward to trying it someday,
Rachael says
Thanks Kat! This literally made me laugh out loud. I hope some day you can try the full fat, full flavor, full fun chocolate-y fudge-y goodness! But in the meantime it sounds like you found a good solution.
Connie says
Confusing on the size of pudding, large box here is 1.5 oz, you state one package, here it would be two packages. So would the mike be doubled them?
To make regular pudding it set 3 cups. Milk with one box.
Connie says
Oops spelling errors,
The amount of pudding your calling for would be two boxes. (Here) The pudding box for only one box on it said 3 cups milk.
Need this clarified please
Rachael says
For 3.4 ounces of pudding mixture you need 3 cups. So just adjust according to the packaging size you can find.
RecCook says
Re graham crackers, digestive biscuits might work, as they have a similar taste. They’re round and graham crackers are square, but the taste is the main thing.
Gabby says
How far in advance can you make this? And a 3.4 oz box of pudding is 1.5 cups of milk? Thanks!
Linda Ritchie says
Yes, please let us know if it is better if made ahead…..?? TY
Joy says
This is my kids favorite dessert! It is better if you can make and refrigerate a day or two in advance. I also add cream cheese to the pudding mixture.
Rachael says
Oh that sounds wonderful. I do make one that is an OREO cheesecake one, I will be sharing it soon.
Kay Landell says
The hot fudge sauce is the best I have ever eaten! I added just a pinch of salt. Also instead of white chocolate I just whipped up a little powdered sugar glaze. I put it on while the hot fudge was still warm in circles and swirled them so the top looked like a classic Napoleon top. Great recipe! Thx
Rachael says
Kay,
Wow! What a great idea. Thanks for sharing it with my readers. We love that fudge sauce too. I literally put it on everything and sometimes I just eat it with a spoon.
Karly says
You are absolutely killing the game! I am so happy everytime I stop by. And hungry. Deinitely hungry,
Rachael says
Hahaha well thanks Karly, this one is a good one for making you hungry.
sandra bellomy says
i make something similar all the time. i use a 9 x 13 container. i use two 3.4 oz pkg of french vanilla instant pudding, 3 cups cold milk, 8 oz container of cool whip, a package and a half of biscoff cookies. i only use two layers of cookies; one on the bottom and one on top. i make a homemade chocolate icing topping. this dessert is better if made the night before. this gives the cookies time to soften. i will definitely try this fudge sauce.
Nicole says
To fit this in a 9×13 pan, would I have to double the recipe? I can’t wait to make it!
Rachael says
Yes, this is for a square pan, so doubling would be good!
Toni says
Sooooo fabulous!! When I made the chocolate topping I let my 22 yr old son lick the spatula I used to stir it and his eyes popped!! He said “WOW!! Can’t wait til it’s done!!” I will try and post pics of the final results.
Rachael says
THank you Toni! That fudge sauce is soooo good. Have a great day!
Martina says
Thank you so much for this recipe! It came out amazing and it’s so simple to make. I replaced the pudding with a thick custardand crackers with Marie biscuits. Also added chopped walnuts to garnish.
Rachael says
So glad you liked it, and the changes seem great.