Chocolate Éclair Ice Box Cake

Chocolate Éclair Ice Box Cake 

When you need to throw together a simple yet spectacular dessert in a hurry, this Chocolate Éclair Ice Box Cake is the answer to your prayers.  But although this is assembled in a flash, it still needs a full 8 hours for the ladyfingers to become cake-like so it's best done a day in advance.  

This fluffy cloud-like dessert is an easy go to when a friend or relative calls to say they’re stopping by tomorrow.  You can hang up the phone and literally have this fully assembled minutes later.  Now as far as what else you’re going to serve, I haven’t got a clue but I know you’ll have plenty of time to figure it out since we’ve already tackled dessert.   

Chocolate Éclair Ice Box Cake

Prep time: 30 min

Chill Time: 8 hrs (overnight is better)

Servings: 6-9

Ingredients

• 4 oz mini chocolate chips
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 ½ cups milk
• (1)  5.1 oz box of instant vanilla pudding
• (1) 8 oz container of Cool Whip, defrosted
• (2) 5.3 oz boxes Schar gluten free lady fingers

Video Tutorial: 

Instructions

1. To make the ganache in a microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream and microwave in 30 second increments stirring after each session until you have a smooth glossy ganache then set aside while you put the cake together.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the milk and instant vanilla pudding and once it is smooth give it a minute to start to set then fold in the Cool Whip until just combined.
3. Line the bottom of a rectangular dish with ladyfingers.  (As a reference guide to help you make adjustments based on the size of your container, I used a rectangular pyrex dish with an 11 cup capacity measuring about  9 ½“ x 7 ½“ on top and about 8 x 7 on the bottom)
4. Spoon over ½ the cream filling and gently spread to the edges.
5. Place another layer of ladyfingers on top of the cream then add the second half of the cream on top of those ladyfingers and spread to the edges.
6. Neatly cover the top of the icebox cake with a final layer of lady fingers and push them down slightly to allow some of the cream to rise between them.
7. Pour the room temperature ganache over the top layer and refrigerate until the ganache sets.  Once the ganache sets it will harden allowing you to cover the ice box cake as it rests refrigerated for at least 8 hours but overnight is even better.
8. Slice into desired sizes and serve.