AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN’S CHOCOLATE ECLAIR CAKE

Serves 15

INGREDIENTS

1¼ cups sugar

6tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon table salt

5 cups whole milk

4tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4pieces 5teaspoons vanilla extract

1¼ teaspoons unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons water

2¾ cups heavy cream, chilled, divided 23graham crackers

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

5 tablespoons light corn syrup

PROCEDURE

1. 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 rubber spatula. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low and cook, continuing to scrape bottom, until thickened and large bubbles appear on surface, 4-6minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer pudding to large bowl and place parchment directly on surface of pudding. Refrigerate until cool, about 2hours.

2.Sprinkle gelatin over water in bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5minutes. Microwave until mixture is bubbling around edges and gelatin dissolves, about 30seconds.

3. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip 2cups cream on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1-3minutes. Add gelatin mixture and whip until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.

4. Whisk one-third of whipped cream into chilled pudding until smooth. Fold remaining whipped cream into chilled pudding until only a few white streaks remain. Cover bottom of 13-by-9-inch baking dish with a layer of graham crackers, breaking crackers as necessary to line bottom of pan. Top with half of pudding-whipped cream mixture (about 5½ cups) and another layer of graham crackers. Repeat with remaining pudding-whipped cream mixture and remaining graham crackers.

5. Combine chocolate chips, corn syrup and remaining ¾ cup cream in bowl and microwave on 50% power, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1-2minutes. Let glaze cool completely, about 10minutes. Spread glaze evenly over graham crackers and refrigerate cake for at least 6hours or up to 2days before serving.

Source: “The Complete Summer Cookbook: Beat the Heat With 500Recipes That Make the Most of Summer’s Bounty” (America’s Test Kitchen, $33)

COURTESY OF AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN This chocolate eclair cake follows the icebox method, with Cool Whip and homemade vanilla pudding between layers of graham crackers.