Six ingredients and half an hour of work, then a long wait in the refrigerator.
Nothing is baked. The only heat involved is warming cream for the ganache, and the graham crackers soften into layers that slice like sponge overnight.
Five Layers, Bottom to Top
This is a stacking recipe: three sheets of graham crackers with filling between them and ganache over the lot. It helps to keep two things in mind as you build it - NO BAKE IS LITERAL, and ÉCLAIR REFERS TO THE GRAHAM-VANILLA-CREAM-CHOCOLATE FLAVOR STRUCTURE, NOT CHOUX PASTRY.
GRAHAM, first layer
A SINGLE LAYER OF GRAHAM CRACKERS from a 14 oz BOX, LINING THE BOTTOM OF A 9-BY-13-INCH DISH. Break pieces to fill the corners - a gap here becomes a weak line in the finished slice.
HALF the PUDDING-CREAM
2 BOXES (3.4 OZ EACH) INSTANT VANILLA PUDDING MIX WHISKED WITH 3 cups COLD WHOLE MILK UNTIL THICKENED, then 8 oz THAWED WHIPPED TOPPING FOLDED IN - and HALF of it SPREAD OVER THE CRACKERS.
GRAHAM, second layer
A SECOND GRAHAM LAYER laid over the filling, which will soften from both sides as the cake chills.
The REMAINING FILLING, then GRAHAM again
THE REMAINING FILLING and A FINAL GRAHAM LAYER. Three cracker layers and two of cream is what gives the even stripes in a cut square.
GANACHE - the only heat in the recipe
3/4 cup HEAVY CREAM HEATED UNTIL STEAMING, POURED OVER 8 oz CHOPPED SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE, RESTED 2 MINUTES, STIRRED SMOOTH and SPREAD OVER THE TOP.
COVERED AND REFRIGERATED AT LEAST 6 HOURS, PREFERABLY OVERNIGHT, UNTIL THE GRAHAM LAYERS SOFTEN ENOUGH TO SLICE CLEANLY. For safety keep it AT 40°F OR BELOW. The filling is instant pudding and whipped topping rather than an uncooked egg custard.
How to Make It
Pudding whisked with cold milk, whipped topping folded in
Whisk the instant vanilla pudding mix with the cold milk until thickened. Fold in the whipped topping to make a thick pudding-cream filling.
First graham layer, then half the filling
Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch dish with a single layer of graham crackers. Spread half the filling over the crackers.
Second graham layer, the rest of the filling, a third layer
Add a second graham layer, the remaining filling, and a final graham layer.
Ganache made with steaming cream and spread on top
Heat the heavy cream until steaming and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Rest 2 minutes, stir smooth, and spread the ganache over the top.
Covered and chilled at least six hours
Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until the graham layers soften enough to slice cleanly.
Why This Recipe Works
- Instant pudding whisked with cold milk sets thick enough to hold the layers apart.
- Folding in whipped topping lightens that pudding into a cream rather than a custard.
- Three graham layers and two filling layers keep every slice in even stripes.
- Steaming cream poured over chopped chocolate makes a ganache that stays glossy when cold.
- A long chill is what softens the crackers, which is why the cake cuts cleanly.
Ingredient Notes
- Instant vanilla pudding mix
- Two boxes whisked with cold milk. Instant, not cooked - this is not an egg custard.
- Whipped topping
- Eight ounces, thawed and folded in. It turns set pudding into a pale cream.
- Graham crackers
- About a fourteen-ounce box, in three single layers. They are the cake part of this cake.
- Semisweet chocolate and heavy cream
- Eight ounces chopped with three quarters of a cup of steaming cream for the ganache.
Success Tips
- Whisk the pudding until it visibly thickens before the topping goes anywhere near it.
- Break crackers to fit the corners so each layer is complete edge to edge.
- Give it the full six hours, and overnight if you can - this is what makes it sliceable.
Serving Ideas
Twelve squares cut from the dish, each showing three softened graham layers, thick pale vanilla cream between them and a glossy dark chocolate top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there pastry in this?
No. The éclair in the name refers to the graham, vanilla cream and chocolate structure, not choux pastry. Nothing is baked.
Is the filling a custard?
No. It is instant vanilla pudding whisked with cold milk and folded with whipped topping, so there is no uncooked egg in it.
Can I cut it sooner?
It needs at least six hours, and overnight is better. Before that the graham layers are still crisp and the slices break apart.
