Éclair Cake

Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart. –Erma Bombeck

Ooey, gooey, chocolatey, delicious — this dessert is so easy to make and always a big hit. Trust me on this one {it tastes better than it looks }. Everyone loves it.

Éclair Cake

Crust
¾ cup {1½ sticks} butter
1½ cups water
1½ cups flour
6 eggs
Filling
1 package {8 oz.} cream cheese
2 large packages {5.1 oz. each} vanilla instant pudding
3 tablespoons milk
3 cups milk
16 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed
8 oz. jar Mrs. Richardson’s hot fudge

• Heat oven to 400º. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a jelly roll pan.
• In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add flour. Stir until it forms a ball; add eggs and stir until smooth.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan; bake for 25 minutes {the dough will be puffy and golden brown}. Allow to completely cool before adding filling.
• To prepare the filling, beat cream cheese and 3 tablespoons milk in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add pudding mixes and 3 cups milk; beat until smooth. Allow to begin to set {about 3 minutes} and then fold in whipped topping. Chill.
• To assemble, spread chilled filling over top of cooled crust. Warm the hot fudge according to package directions and drizzle over top of filling. Cut and serve.

Serves 24

Notes:
• This is a very messy, sticky dessert and does not travel well. However, it is a crowd pleaser and is great to take to parties. To reconcile the two, take the crust and filling separate and assemble after you’ve arrived.
• The recipe calls for Mrs. Richardson’s Hot Fudge, but you can use your favorite. I’ve even used Hershey’s chocolate syrup instead of hot fudge. This time I used Peg's Homemade Hot Fudge Recipe {yum!}.