This Pumpkin Eclair Cake is the perfect fall dessert. It has all of the flavor of pumpkin pie with a creamier and lighter texture. Run to the grocery store right now and pick up some pumpkin spice instant pudding mix, because it is only available for a little while and it disappears off the shelf FAST! This dessert is called an eclair cake because you refrigerate it overnight in a 9×13 pan. This softens the graham crackers and gives them more of a pastry texture. Eclair cakes typically have a thicker frosting, but I wanted to incorporate white chocolate, so I made more of a glaze. I love how it turned out because it doesn’t overpower the pumpkin flavor like a thicker chocolate frosting would have.
Ingredients for Easy Pumpkin Eclair Cake
Four easy ingredients to create one of the best fall desserts! This cake is a great transition from summer to fall. I especially like this cake as an early fall dessert because it is a chilled cake and some of these “fall” days are still pretty warm.
Graham crackers – I used honey graham crackers but you can try cinnamon graham crackers too. Pumpkin spice instant pudding mix – This has all the flavor and seasonings to make the perfect layers of pudding cake. Milk – Whisk together the pudding and milk before adding in the cool whip.Cool whip – Thaw your cool whip ahead of time.
Tips and Variations for Making the Best Eclair Cake
With only 4 ingredients, it is hard to have too many substitutions and variations but make this recipe just the way you like it and enjoy it with family and friends. Here are some quick tips, ideas, and a sugar free version that may help!
To melt the white chocolate chips, I put them in a glass bowl with a little bit of canola oil and put the medium bowl over a pot of simmering water. You can use a microwave too. One really important thing to remember when covering the cake is to make sure that the plastic wrap or tin foil does NOT touch the top of the cake. If it sticks to the frosting, it will pull up the top layer of graham crackers when you take it off.Make it low fat/sugar free by using low fat graham crackers, sugar free pudding, skim milk with fat free cool whip. If you are using a shallow 9×13 pan, reduce the amount of pudding mixture when layering your dessert.
Frequently Asked Questions for Eclair Cake
Storing Homemade Layered Cake
This fall eclair cake is perfect to store in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days long. Keep it in the fridge when not eating since the cool whip and frosting will become room temperature and poses a health risk. When covering the cake, be sure to use an air tight container, plastic, or foil. If you are using plastic wrap or foil, stick toothpicks in the cake to keep the wrap from touching the cake.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you are in the mood for more pumpkin treats, try out these delicious pumpkin recipes.
Pumpkin Spice Steamer
Pumpkin Mousse
Pumpkin Cobbler
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
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