Graham Cracker Custard Cake

This graham cracker custard cake is called an eclair cake when made with boxed pudding and cool whip, but I don’t use processed foods, so my dessert contains organic ingredients and home made custard. I love this dessert for its lovely chocolate glaze, its lightness and its cool filling that is so welcome on a hot July evening.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp sugar added to heavy cream before whipping

3 tblsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups milk (2% at least)

2 tbsp butter, cut into chunks

1 tsp vanilla for custard

1 tsp vanilla for glaze

1 tbsp water

1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp unflavored gelatin

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 plus 1/8 cup heavy cream for glaze

9 full size graham crackers (I use HoneyMaid)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 1/2 tbsp corn syrup for choc glaze

Directions:

In a heavy two quart saucepan place the cornstarch, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar. Whisk these dry ingredients together. Whisk in the 2 1/2 cups milk until dry ingredients are combined. On medium high heat, bring the milk to a boil, constantly stirring with a whisk. When the pudding boils and begins to thicken, lower the heat to medium low, still constantly whisking, and cook 5 minutes or until custard is nice and thick. Take off heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap that sits right on top of the surface and refrigerate at least two hours or until pudding is cold.

When pudding is cold, continue with the rest of the recipe.

Place the unflavored gelatin in a small bowl and add the water. Stir briefly and let sit for 10 minutes. Then microwave the mixture for 15 seconds. Set mixture aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whip, pour in the cup of heavy cream and add the tablespoon of sugar. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.

Then, in a steady stream, add the gelatin mixture while the mixer is continuing to whip the cream.

Whip cream until firm peaks form, but not so firm that it turns into butter!

Place one third of the whipped cream on top of the pudding and fold it in using a whisk. Add the rest of the cream and fold in using a rubber spatula. Fold until no streaks show and entire custard contains all of the whipped cream mixture.

Take out a 9″ square glass Pyrex dish or the equivalent size pan. Layer the bottom of the dish with 4 and 1/2  graham crackers until the entire bottom is covered. You can break up some of the crackers to fit around the edges.

Cover the crackers with a layer of 1/2 of the custard mixture, using a rubber spatula to spread the custard to all sides of the dish or pan.

Cover the custard with another layer of 4 and 1/2 graham crackers. Then cover the crackers with the final half of the custard mixture, spreading it to all sides of the dish or pan. Keep in the fridge while you make the chocolate glaze.

In a small microwavable bowl place the chocolate chips, the 1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup heavy cream and the 2 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup. Stir them together. Microwave for one minute and whisk until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Then pour the glaze over the top of the dessert and spread it quickly using an off set spatula or knife. Make sure the entire top is covered with glaze.

Place dessert in the fridge and keep it there for from 6 hrs to as much as 24. Actually this keeps well in the fridge for two days. I don’t know if it freezes well because I have never done it. I would hesitate to freeze something that contains gelatin, but maybe I am wrong. If so, let me know and I will add that info to this post.

Enjoy this lovely, light, melting, ice cream like dessert anytime or for a special occasion like a child’s birthday.