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Peanut Butter Cup Eclair Cake is so easy, and NO-BAKE! Layers and layers of chocolate, peanut butter and cream will make this dessert a summer favorite for years to come.
I do love an eclair cake. I’ve been making them for years, and definitely made this Cookies and Cream Eclair Cake about five times last summer.
It may have started out as a way to purposely get leftover peanut butter cups out of my house before I devoured them single-handedly, but this cake has turned out to be an amazing addition to our summer dessert repertoire.
A bit ago, I made Karly’s Peanut Butter Cup Pancakes. And whoa baby, are they good. They have one flaw, if we’re going to call it a flaw. We like to buy things in excess around here, so we had an entire bag of those new Reese’s Minis Unwrapped Peanut Butter Cups leftover.
They were calling to me when I walked by. Haunting me when I tried to eat a salad. This would simply not do, friends. I have a hard enough time trying to resist all the Ghirardelli baking chips hanging out in there, having a party of their own. Add peanut butter to the mix? I’m in trouble. Serious trouble.
I decided the only thing to do was put them in a dessert that I wouldn’t dare finish all by myself. It’s self-preservation, really.
Now that we live so close to family, folks are always stopping by to visit. We love it. Since we’re both home with Elle, we get to see her relationships with our extended family grow and grow. But you better believe that when you have a baking and dessert website as your J-O-B, people expect to be treated to delicious things when they walk through my door. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So I made this delectable no-bake icebox cake, a Peanut Butter Cup Eclair Cake, that solved two problems. First, it got rid of those hauntingly scrumptious mini peanut butter cups. Second, this fabulous cake stores in the freezer for weeks.
Every time someone stopped by, all Eric or I had to do was pull the foil-wrapped cake out of the freezer, slice some pieces off, and wait for them to thaw on the counter a bit while coffee was made, water was offered, and Elle got snuggles.
This is the perfect entertaining cake. Sure, you can make it ahead of time and take it along to a barbecue, where it’ll feed a big ol’ crowd. But you can also keep it handy for when guests drop by – or a super mega peanut butter craving hits. Not that that ever happens to me. I heard about it from a friend.
I mean it, guys. This cake is for you if you love having something on standby for drop-in guests. With simple ingredients like chocolate grahams and Cool Whip or TruWhip, you’ll have it put together in minutes. Then just let it set up in the fridge overnight before serving or popping it directly into the freezer.
Next time the doorbell rings, you’ll be ready.
Peanut Butter Cup Eclair Cake
Ingredients
- 2 packages instant Jell-o Vanilla Pudding Mix 3.4 ounces each
- 3 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 12 ounces container frozen whipped topping thawed (Cool Whip or Truwhip)
- 14 ounces chocolate graham crackers
- 1 ½ cups mini peanut butter cups halved (divided use)
- 16 ounces prepared chocolate frosting
Instructions
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the pudding mixes and milk until thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in peanut butter until fully incorporated.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped topping until incorporated and no streaks remain.
- Arrange a single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers.
- Sprinkle 3/4 cup halved mini peanut butter cups over the pudding mixture and gently press them down into the pudding mixture.
- Top with another layer of graham crackers and the remaining pudding mixture.
- Top with a final layer of graham crackers.
- Melt frosting in microwave for 25 seconds and stir until it is an even consistency. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting over the whole cake, covering the graham cracker layer.
- Immediately sprinkle the remaining mini peanut butter cups onto the frosting.
- Cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.
I’ve made Eclair Dessert a number of times as it’s a family favorite for holidays. Another family tradition for holidays are buckeyes. This sound like a delightful marriage of the two. It’s chilling in the fridge, I can’t wait to try it.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Susan! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
Do you think cheesecake flavored pudding would taste good ?
Hi, Kerri! I’ve never tried it, but it sounds amazing! Let me know what you think!
Hi. My family loves this dessert. The only problem is that both times I have made it the pudding never firmed up, it stayed very runny. Followed instructions exactly. Any suggestions?
Hi, Annette! I’m so glad your family enjoys the cake! When you beat together the pudding mixes and milk, just make sure you beat for a full three minutes until thickened (it can actually seem like a long time!). Fold in the whipped topping gently so the thickened consistency remains. Let me know how it goes!
Which part of this makes it an éclair? Real éclairs are made with Choux pastry not Graham crackers. It looks lovely but the name mis-represents it.
There’s a quick “cake” called Eclair Cake that is made with pudding, graham crackers, and has a chocolate frosting. Presumably the cake was named “eclair” cake due to the flavor combination. This is simply a peanut butter version of that ice box-style cake.
-Jamie
This looks amazing!! Would it taste as good to use whipped chocolate ganache for the frosting on top? Thanks!! :)
Hi, Samantha! I think you should give the whipped chocolate ganache a go! Let me know how it turns out!
Thanks for yummy recipe. I would like to try it but do you have any substitute for instant Jell-o Vanilla Pudding Mix?
Hi, Ayu! I can’t think of a substitute for instant vanilla pudding mix offhand, but here’s a recipe for a homemade version: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/diy-homemade-instant-vanilla-pudding-mix/. Good luck!
This looks absolutely amazing. My husband recommend I make peanut butter balls sometime, but these may just substitute that…
Ok you should have seen my jaw drop when I saw that first picture. I can imagine myself taking a spoonfull of this cake right now. Looks so creamy and chocolatey. Love this!