A no-bake cake with layers of pudding and graham crackers and topped with fluffy whip cream.
Chocolate Pudding Icebox Cake is a no-bake cake that is so easy (and fun!) to make and has such a great taste and texture that you’d never know you were not eating an actual cake. It includes layers of graham crackers topped with chocolate pudding, stacked layer upon layer (the sky’s the limit!) and topped with whip cream. The cake works as well in a 9 x 13 pan (with the whip cream spread across the top), as it does when made more like a loaf or a seven-layer cake and “iced” on the sides and top. The best part? Since it is an Icebox Cake, it requires no baking!!
What is an IceBox Cake?
With origins dating back to the early 20th century, this classic dessert gained popularity during a time before modern refrigeration when people used iceboxes to keep foods cool. What’s an icebox you ask? Think of a small wooden cupboard with a block of ice on top. The “appliance” spawned a new era of dessert possibilities as homemakers soon realized they could use the cool temperature of iceboxes to “set” layers of cookies, typically chocolate wafers or graham crackers, and whipped cream. As the cake rested in the icebox, the cream would soften the cookies, creating a cake-like texture without any baking required.
Food manufacturers of the ingredients found in Icebox Cakes, such as Nabisco, started printing recipes right on their packaging which helped fuel the popularity of these no-bake cakes. Today, there are so many varieties of Icebox Cakes using different cookies and crackers as a base, flavored whip cream or pudding and fresh fruit. There are so many possibilities!
Following is our family friend Gloria’s version of an Icebox Cake that I love to make when I’m craving something sweet or need a crowd-pleasing dessert but don’t want to turn on the oven.
Where did the recipe come from?
Gloria’s recipe dates back to the ‘50s, when she was growing up and her own mother made this cake for her. She said her mom, who likely got the recipe off a package of graham crackers, would make the cake in a large pan and only coat the top with whip cream or even leave off the whip cream altogether. Sometimes they’d eat it right out of the pan.
“My mom liked to make anything that was easy,” said Gloria. “Sometimes we’d have waffles and ice cream for dinner because it was easy.”
Thankfully Gloria has carried on the tradition of this delicious dessert. She has made it often through the years for her own two sons, whether it was for their birthdays or other special occasions, and she still makes it to this day.
“I have yet to discover anyone who dislikes it,” she said.
Tips from Gloria
It is not a difficult cake, but Gloria offers these tips:
- Gloria prefers using Cook & Serve pudding (not instant) and says that the warmth of the pudding after cooking helps to moisten the cracker layers and make them cake-like.
- Don’t put too much pudding between the layers or it will start to tilt sideways.
- While you can make the cake in a 9 x 13 pan or any size for that matter, Gloria prefers to make this cake on a flat plate in a loaf shape, “icing” the sides and top and then slicing it like a seven-layer cake.
- She says if you are feeling fancy, you can add chocolate curls to the top!
My Take? The Proof is in the Pudding
With chocolate pudding, graham crackers and whip cream—what’s not to love here?
I make this recipe often and one of my favorite ways to get the desired loaf shape is to use my 9 x 5 loaf pan and put two full-size crackers side by side (vertical) and then place another cracker horizontally across the top that is trimmed to line up with the other crackers. I repeat this pattern as I go until I run out of pudding. I use the pan to chill and set the cake for a few hours and then turn it upside down to remove the structure (carefully) and “ice” it.
Also, I found that seven to eight layers (of three crackers each) give the cake a nice height but you can bet that I am going to aim to make it even taller the next time I make this recipe and see how high I can stack the crackers!
I have to admit, I felt like a kid again whenever I construct these cakes which made me think that this would be a fun project for the kids to tackle (or those who are kids are heart). I love layered cake creations with a whimsical flair and have made everything from a fancy, time-intensive crepe cake to a not-so-fancy bologna cake, but this Chocolate Pudding Icebox Cake is one cake I know I will make for years to come!
Thanks to Gloria for sharing this cherished, family recipe!