Old Fashioned Eclair Cake (Icebox Cake)

For being so easy, eclair cake is one of the best loved desserts at any gathering! This no-bake sweet treat is made from just a few ready-made ingredients: graham crackers, instant pudding, Cool Whip, and chocolate frosting.

Layered and chilled, it’s a delicious ending to summertime meals. Make sure you plan this one ahead of time, as it needs 24 hours to chill before serving… but it’s well worth the wait!

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What Is Eclair Cake?

Eclair cake, sometimes called icebox cake, is a layered, no bake dessert featuring graham crackers, instant pudding, and Cool Whip. Eclair cake became popular during the 1980s, along with many other pudding-based desserts.

The ingredients of this dessert mimic the taste and texture of eclair pastries, though the preparation of the two desserts is not alike at all. It’s interesting, though, that the first published recipe for eclairs appeared in The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book in 1884, roughly 100 years before eclair cake became a popular dessert.

The most important thing to note about eclair cake is that it needs to be kept very cold. It does not travel well for this reason, and if you are serving it at home it should be kept refrigerated until the last possible moment. After serving takes place, the eclair cake should be promptly returned to the refrigerator to ensure it remains solid and set.

Why Didn’t My Eclair Cake Set?

Oh, no! I hate when that happens.

Usually, eclair cake doesn’t set because it hasn’t chilled long enough. I know the 24 hour wait time seems like a lot, but that length of time is truly needed if you’d like to cut it into slices.

If you’ve refrigerated it for 24 hours and it still didn’t set, it might be because there is too much in your fridge. This has happened to me before because I normally only make desserts like eclair cake when I’m expecting a crowd. I’ve started storing make-ahead desserts in our basement refrigerator (keeping any other food that I’m making the day before in our regular fridge) and haven’t had that problem before.

But if refrigeration isn’t the culprit, there’s one more thing that can cause your eclair cake to not set properly: the way you’ve treated your Cool Whip. If you’ve frozen Cool Whip and allowed it to thaw at room temperature, it will become more liquidy. The added moisture will not allow the Cool Whip to set.

An inability to set can also happen if the Cool Whip is overmixed. It’s fine to use your electric mixer to beat the pudding and milk, but the Cool Whip should be gently folded into the mixture with a spatula. If it is beaten, it can lose volume, which in turn causes it to liquify. This can cause pretty big problems for your eclair cake!

Can I Make Different Flavors of Eclair Cake?

I love the traditional eclair cake, but every now and again it’s fun to change it up! You can use different pudding flavors, different types of graham crackers, or try adding in fruits or candy pieces.

Here are some of my favorite new takes on the classic, original flavor:

• Banana Eclair Cake – Use honey graham crackers, banana pudding, and add a layer of sliced bananas over the bottom and middle graham cracker layers.
• Double Chocolate Eclair Cake – Use chocolate graham crackers, and chocolate pudding. For an extra treat, mix 1 cup of mini chocolate chips in with the pudding.
• Tiramisu Eclair Cake – Use chocolate pudding mixed with one teaspoon of espresso powder, sprinkle the top with extra espresso powder.

Print

Directions

• Line a 9x13u0022 pan with graham crackers, covering the bottom of the pan.
• Combine both packages of pudding with the milk. Beat well with electric mixer.
• Fold in Cool Whip.
• Pour half of the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Smooth to create a level layer.
• Add another layer of graham crackers.
• Pour the remaining pudding mixture over the crackers. Again, smooth to create a level layer.
• Top off the pudding with a final layer of graham crackers.
• Remove the lid and foil from the frosting package. Microwave the frosting for 30 seconds. Stir, then pour melted frosting evenly over the top graham cracker layer.
• Refrigerate 24 hours. Keep cold until just before serving for best results.

Looking for More Desserts?

• Indulge guilt-free with “Two Bite” Fruit-Topped Cheesecakes
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Old Fashioned Eclair Cake (Icebox Cake)

Recipe by Chicken Soup with DumplingsCourse: Cakes, Cook, DessertsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Chill Time

24

hours

Easy to make eclair cake is one of the best loved desserts at any gathering!

Ingredients

• 1 box graham crackers

• 2- 3.4 oz boxes instant vanilla pudding

• 3 cups milk

• 8 oz tub Cool Whip

• 16 oz container chocolate frosting

Directions

• Line a 9×13″ pan with graham crackers, covering the bottom of the pan.
• Combine both packages of pudding with the milk. Beat well with electric mixer.
• Fold in Cool Whip.
• Pour half of the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Smooth to create a level layer.
• Add another layer of graham crackers.
• Pour the remaining pudding mixture over the crackers. Again, smooth to create a level layer.
• Top off the pudding with a final layer of graham crackers.
• Remove the lid and foil from the frosting package. Microwave the frosting for 30 seconds. Stir, then pour melted frosting evenly over the top graham cracker layer.
• Refrigerate 24 hours. Keep cold until just before serving for best results.

Original Publishing Date: 8/3/2021

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