Chocolate eclair cake is an instant dessert, a no-bake cake that normally features layers of store-bought vanilla pudding and Cool Whip sandwiched between graham crackers and topped with chocolate frosting.

As the graham crackers soften, the whole thing melds into a creamy, sliceable cake. We loved the ease of these convenience items, but our enthusiasm waned when confronted by their flavor.

With a couple of easy techniques, we instead produced a from-scratch version that easily trumped its inspiration.

Since the cake layers required no more work than lining a pan with graham crackers, we made the effort to prepare a quick stovetop vanilla pudding, folding in whipped cream to lighten it.

For the topping, we created a simple microwave-and-stir glaze. Six ounces of finely chopped semisweet chocolate can be used in place of the chips.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIR CAKE
By America’s Test Kitchen

>> 1-1/4 cups (8-3/4 ounces) sugar
>> 6 tablespoons cornstarch
>> 1 teaspoon salt
>> 5 cups whole milk
>> 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
>> 5 teaspoons vanilla extract
>> 1-1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
>> 2 tablespoons water
>> 2 cups heavy cream
>> 14 ounces graham crackers

Glaze:
>> 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
>> 5 tablespoons light corn syrup
>> 3/4 cup heavy cream

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in large saucepan. Whisk in milk until smooth; bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping bottom of pan with spatula. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low and cook, continuing to scrape bottom, until thickened and large bubbles appear on surface, 4 to 6 minutes.

Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer to large bowl and place plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.

Sprinkle gelatin over water in bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave until mixture is bubbling around edges and gelatin dissolves, 15 to 30 seconds.

Whip cream on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Add gelatin mixture and whip until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.

Whisk one-third of whipped cream into chilled pudding, then gently fold in rest, 1 scoop at a time.

Cover bottom of 13-by-9 inch baking dish with graham crackers. Top with half of pudding-whipped cream mixture and another layer of graham crackers. Repeat with remaining pudding-whipped cream mixture and remaining graham crackers.

Combine glaze ingredients in bowl and microwave on 50% power, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely.

Spread glaze over cake and chill at least 6 hours, up to 2 days. Serves 15.

Approximate nutritional information per serving: 469 calories, 25 g total fat, 14 g saturated fat, 68 mg cholesterol, 334 mg sodium, 58 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 40 g sugar, 6 g protein.

America’s Test Kitchen publishes the magazines Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated, as well as numerous cookbooks, and produces the PBS television show, “America’s Test Kitchen.”