Serving Up {Cake}: (easy) Eclair Cake

If you have as many helpers in your kitchen as I do, this is the recipe for you!  It is a "cheater" cake that tastes really yummy but is ridiculously easy.  Easy enough that I can pass it off to my kiddos and I can walk away completely, only to return to a delicious, tempting treat.  The hardest thing about this recipe is waiting for it to refrigerate (it get's better after a day in the fridge).

I have tweaked this recipe since making it years ago for the first time, thus the somewhat vague recipe proportions.  The original recipe calls for one box of pudding to one 8-ounce container of cool whip and it was made in an 8x8 pan.  I always prefer more of a good thing, so I make it in a 13x9 and double the pudding but I keep the cool whip where it was and add cream cheese.  Totally good move on my part, if I do say so myself.  I admit that I was inspired by this pudding as I made my tweaks, and will even admit that I am not opposed to adding a can of sweetened condensed milk while I am at it.  Yum!

ECLAIR CAKE     Pin It

(recipe adapted from Kraft Food & Family)

printable version

1 box graham crackers 

2 small boxes (4-serving size) French vanilla instant pudding (plain vanilla works too)

3 1/2 cups milk

8-12 ounce cool whip

4-8 ounce cream cheese, softened

1 can chocolate frosting (or use homemade chocolate fudge frosting)

Line the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan with whole graham crackers.

In a large bowl, combine the milk and pudding and beat with beaters for 1-2 minutes.  In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese until softened.  Add pudding to cream cheese until well combined.  Fold in whipped topping.  Pour half of pudding mixture over the graham crackers.  Place another layer of whole graham crackers of top of the pudding.  Pour remaining pudding mixture over the top of those graham crackers.  Top the pudding layer with one more layer of graham crackers.

Prepare chocolate fudge frosting, or if using canned frosting warm it slightly in the microwave and stir.

Pour frosting over the top of the last layer of graham crackers.

Refrigerate for at least 12 hours prior to serving.  

***For a taller "cake" you can use a 9x9 pan and use four layers of grahams, dividing your pudding into thirds...Grahams - 1/3 pudding - Grahams - 1/3 pudding - Grahams - 1/3 pudding - Grahams - frosting!