This chocolate éclair cake improves on an old favorite

Chocolate éclair cake is an instant dessert classic; this no-bake cake features layers of store-bought vanilla pudding and Cool Whip sandwiched between graham crackers and topped off with chocolate frosting.

As the graham crackers soften, the whole thing melds into a creamy, sliceable cake. We loved the ease of these convenience items, but our enthusiasm waned when confronted by their flavor. With a couple of easy techniques and very little active time, we produced a from-scratch version that easily trumped its inspiration.

Since the cake layers required no more work than lining a pan with graham crackers, we made the effort to prepare a quick stovetop vanilla pudding, folding in whipped cream to lighten it.

For the éclair topping, we created a simple microwave glaze. Six ounces of finely chopped semisweet chocolate can be used in place of the chips. Servings: 15

Start to finish: 3K hours plus cooling time Ingredients

1N cups (8O ounces) sugar 6 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon salt

5 cups whole milk 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces 5 teaspoons vanilla extract 1N teaspoons unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons water 2O cups heavy cream, chilled

14 ounces graham crackers 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

5 tablespoons light corn syrup Directions

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in large saucepan. Whisk milk into sugar mixture until smooth and bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping bottom of pan with heatproof rubber spatula. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low and cook, continuing to scrape bottom, until thickened and large bubbles appear on surface, 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer pudding to large bowl and place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding. Refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.

Sprinkle gelatin over water in bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave until mixture is bubbling around edges and gelatin dissolves, 15 to 30 seconds. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip 2 cups cream on mediumlow speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Add gelatin mixture and whip until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.

Whisk one-third of whipped cream into chilled pudding, then gently fold in remaining whipped cream, 1 scoop at a time, until combined. Cover bottom of 13-by-9 inch baking dish with layer of graham crackers, breaking crackers as necessary to line bottom of pan. Top with half of puddingwhipped cream mixture (about 5K cups) and another layer of graham crackers. Repeat with remaining pudding-whipped cream mixture and remaining graham crackers.

Combine chocolate chips, corn syrup, and remaining O cup cream in bowl and microwave on 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Let glaze cool completely, about 10 minutes. Spread glaze evenly over graham crackers and refrigerate cake for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days before serving.