This easy Amish chocolate eclair cake is a no-bake eclair dessert made with layers of graham crackers, creamy vanilla pudding, and rich chocolate frosting. It's simple to make and perfect for family gatherings, potlucks, or make-ahead desserts.
Unlike traditional French éclairs, this dessert comes together quickly and doesn't require any baking. Just layer, chill, and serve for a crowd-pleasing treat everyone will love.
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Why You'll Love This Chocolate Eclair Cake
- No-bake & easy: Layers of graham crackers, creamy pudding, and chocolate frosting - an icebox cake you can make in minutes.
- Rich & creamy: Layers of pudding and frosting that melts in your mouth.
- Make-ahead dessert: Chill overnight for perfectly set layers.
- Crowd-pleaser: A full 9x13" pan feeds a crowd - perfect for potlucks or family dinners.
- Flexible & fun: Use instant or homemade pudding, top with pie filling, or switch up the frosting.
How to Make No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake
- Prepare the Pudding Mixture
In a mixing bowl, beat the instant pudding and milk until smooth. Gently fold in the thawed Cool Whip (or whipped cream) until combined. Set aside. - Prepare the Frosting
In another bowl, mix and beat the softened butter, cocoa powder, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, Karo Syrup, and ¼ cup of milk until creamy and smooth.- Tip: If the frosting seems too thick, add a little more milk or a teaspoon of oil to make spreading easier.
- Assemble the Eclair Cake
Arrange a layer of graham crackers into the bottom of a 9x13" dish. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Add another layer of graham crackers on top, then spread the remaining pudding mixture. Finish with a final layer of graham crackers.- Tip: You may have to break a few crackers to fill gaps for even layers.
- Frost the Cake
Carefully spread the chocolate frosting over the top layer of graham crackers.- Tip: Chill the cake for 20-30 minutes before frosting - for easier spreading.
- Refrigerate and Serve
Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight, to allow the layers to set. Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 5 or 6 days.- Tip: Slice with a sharp knife dipped in hot water for clean edges.
Chocolate Eclair Dessert with Homemade Frosting
While this pudding and graham cracker cake is topped with a simple homemade chocolate frosting, you can save time by using a container of store-bought frosting if you like.
Try my whipped chocolate buttercream recipe for a thicker, fluffy chocolate layer, or use chocolate ganache for a richer finish. Feel free to switch it up -different frostings, toppings, or even pie filling can make this eclair dessert your own.
Eclair Cake Made from Scratch
The other day, I started making this easy eclair cake and realized I didn't have enough instant pudding. Rather than making a different dessert, I decided to make pudding from scratch - and it actually tastes even better than instant!
If you're wondering why some of my photos don't match the recipe exactly, it's because I used homemade pudding. My cornstarch pudding recipe makes a large batch, so even if you cut it in half you'll still have plenty for this eclair cake.
Since I had extra pudding, I added an extra layer of crackers and spread pudding between each layer. It turned out wonderfully - I actually liked it better than the original version.
Even though it adds an extra step, this eclair dessert is totally worth it and tastes amazing with homemade pudding.
Variations
This eclair dessert is super flexible. The recipe is given as a guide, but feel free to get creative!
- Pudding: Use regular instant vanilla, French vanilla, or homemade pudding. Try lemon pudding and top it with blueberry pie filling for a fun twist.
- Toppings: Swap chocolate frosting for cherry pie filling or chocolate ganache.
- Crackers: Chocolate grahams or vanilla wafers work just as well as graham crackers.
- Whipped topping: Cool Whip is quick and easy to use. However, I love homemade whipped cream, and use it instead of Cool Whip in many desserts. Whip 1½ - 2 cups heavy cream with a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla.
Why is it Called Eclair Cake?
Eclair cake is named after the French pastry because it has the same creamy custard and chocolate flavor, but in an easy, layered dessert.
I honestly don't know exactly where this dessert got its name, but it was a popular dessert in the eighties and found its way onto Amish dessert tables. Someone who loved French éclairs probably wanted a simpler version that tasted similar, and this easy dessert was born.
While it isn't made with puffed pastry, this chocolate eclair dessert has the same flavors as a classic éclair - without all the work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Homemade vanilla pudding works wonderfully and gives the dessert an even richer flavor. This layered dessert was popular when I was in the Amish youth group, and one family always made this with homemade pudding. Guess whose eclair dessert was our favorite.
Chocolate eclair cake should chill for at least 5 hours, but overnight is best so the graham crackers soften into cake-like layers.
Homemade eclair dessert will usually last about 4-6 days in the refrigerator when stored properly.
Here's the best way to store it:
Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid so it doesn't absorb fridge odors.
Keep refrigerated at all times since it contains milk and whipped topping.
Texture tip: After a day or two, the graham crackers soften and the dessert becomes even more cake-like.
After about 5-6 days, the pudding can start to break down and the layers may become overly soft, so it's best enjoyed within that timeframe.
A Traditional Amish Recipe?
I know I will probably get comments from people saying that chocolate éclair cake is not Amish food. And that's okay because I honestly don't know if this recipe originated with the Amish. But just because the food didn't originate with the Amish doesn't mean that it can't be an Amish recipe.
Sometimes Amish cooks will take a popular recipe and change something to make it how they like it. Or they'll taste a dish and try to create a copycat recipe.
For example, Amish haystacks are just a twist on tacos. Someone took basically the same ingredients and created a new dish that became popular with the Amish.
So whether a recipe had Amish or PA Dutch origins or not, sometimes it gets called Amish simply because it's a popular dish in many Amish circles.
More Amish Dessert Recipes
A few days ago, I was trying to remember what kind of desserts we ate a lot when I was growing up (besides cakes, cookies, and pies). And the first thing that came to my mind was this no-bake chocolate éclair cake. This easy eclair dessert was on our dinner table many times. It fits right in with other Amish layered desserts like:
A couple other popular ones were Strawberry Danish Dessert and PA Dutch-Style Apple Dumplings. We enjoyed so many different amazing desserts in our Amish community.
If you enjoy this chocolate éclair cake dessert, I would love it if you left a comment and star rating below. And let me know what variations you tried. Thank you!
📖 Recipe Card
Chocolate Eclair Cake (Amish Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz.) box graham crackers (3 pkgs.)
- 2 (3.4 oz.) pkgs. instant vanilla pudding mix
- 3 ½ c. milk
- 1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed (or heavy whipped cream - see post above)
Frosting:
- 6 Tbsp. butter (softened)
- 6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 ½ c. confectioners sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. Karo Syrup
- ¼ c. milk
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat instant pudding and milk until smooth. Gently stir in the thawed Cool Whip and mix to combine.2 (3.4 oz.) pkgs. instant vanilla pudding mix, 3 ½ c. milk, 1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed (or heavy whipped cream - see post above)
- In another bowl, mix and beat frosting ingredients until creamy and smooth. And if it seems too thick add a bit more milk or a Tbsp. of oil.6 Tbsp. butter (softened), 6 Tbsp. cocoa powder, 1 ½ c. confectioners sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 tsp. Karo Syrup, ¼ c. milk
- Arrange a layer of crackers into the bottom of a 9x13" dish. Spread half of the pudding over the top. Then put another layer of crackers and the remaining pudding. Then cover the top with another layer of crackers. (It goes like this: crackers, pudding, crackers, pudding, crackers.)1 (14 oz.) box graham crackers (3 pkgs.)
- Carefully spread the frosting over the top of the last layer of crackers. (If you prefer, you can refrigerate the dish for a while before frosting.)
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours (preferably overnight) before serving.
- Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 5 or 6 days.
Anna
So yummy!