Mixing it up with Eclairs

Why not take a normal every day recipe and mix it up.  Today I decided to mix it up with an Éclair recipe.

Change it from this one lonely Éclair

to this decadent Éclair Cake topped with Fresh Strawberries

Did I mention this makes a great take along for any family dinner, potluck, or party dessert.   Even though it looks like a lot of trouble to go to, it is not.  I would rate this as an easy recipe although it has a few steps to create the end product.

Chocolate Éclair Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened and room temperature
1 large box (5.1 ounces) vanilla instant pudding
2 cup milk
Heavy cream to make one batch of homemade whipped cream (or cool whip)
Hershey’s chocolate syrup

Fresh Strawberries

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9"X13" glass baking pan.

Crust:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter in water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour. Once flour is combined, mix in one egg at a time. Mix each egg completely before adding another egg.  Spread mixture into 9x13 pan, covering the bottom and bringing the batter up the sides.  Do this as evenly as you possibly can. If the sides of your pan are too greased you won't be able to get the mixture to stay up the sides so make sure to just lightly grease.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.  I check it occasionally: starting at 20 minutes.  You don't want to overcook the crust.   Remove from oven and let cool (don't touch or push bubbles down).



Filling:

In separate bowls make vanilla pudding using only 2 cups of milk. In second bowl beat cream cheese  until soft.  Make sure pudding is thick before mixing in with cream cheese.  Slowly add pudding to cream cheese, mixing until there are no lumps. Let cool in refrigerator.  When the crust is completely cooled, pour filling in and spread it around evenly, being careful not to pop or squish the bubbled areas.  

The layer of pudding and cream cheese filling.

Whipped Cream:
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. powdered sugar

Keep heavy cream very cold until ready to beat it.   Pour into chilled bowl and mix on high.  While it is mixing add the vanilla and powdered sugar.    Beat until medium soft peaks are formed (do not over beat or you will have butter).

Once whipped cream is ready top pudding/cream cheese layer with layer of  whip cream. Drizzle with chocolate syrup.  Decorate with fresh strawberries or chocolate dipped strawberries. 

Layer on the whipped cream

Drizzsle with chocolate syrup or not.

Top with fresh strawberris.

   

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve and refrigerate all leftovers if you have any.

Notes:

Why not try this with chocolate pudding instead of vanilla.  Or make it completely strawberry by leaving out the chocolate and mixing a few crushed berries or seedless jam into the pudding and cream cheese mixture.    

Get the recipe here...........

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From the bottom of my heart..............