Chocolate Pudding Sundae Cake

This recipe comes from my late stepmother, who made it frequently to bring to Holidays and parties because it's so easy and so good!  Brought back lots of good memories making this and thinking about her.  

The crust is buttery, oh so buttery - I mean, after all, it's just flour and butter mixed together with your choice of nuts (optional) and then baked.  Topped with a cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and cool whip mixture followed by chocolate pudding, then more cool whip.  Add more nuts and Maraschino cherries (again, both optional) to really make it like a sundae!  I opted to use pecans in the crust, but didn't use any on top.  The original recipe calls for walnuts, but I didn't have any nor do I like them!    

Certainly not the prettiest dessert to take pictures of.  Usually it doesn't come out of the pan this nice and neat, but I really worked at it.  The best part is, it doesn't matter because you want to taste all the layers together in one bite and if it gets all mixed up as you serve it, then all the better!

Serves 18-20

Chocolate Pudding Sundae Cake

Crust
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans

First layer
1 (8 oz) package of neufchatel cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (8 oz) tub light cool whip

Second layer
2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk

Third layer
1 (8 oz) tub light cool whip
Maraschino cherries
1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Make the crust by mixing the flour, butter and pecans, with a spatula or fork, until everything is combined and smooth.  Press into a 9 x 13-inch cake pan.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Let cool.

Make the first layer by beating the cream cheese and butter with a hand held mixer until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients, beat well.  Spread on cooled crust.

Second layer - combine the pudding mix and milk, mix well with a whisk.  Layer over cream cheese mixture.

For the third layer, spread the tub of cool whip over the pudding mixture.  Top with more pecans and Maraschino cherries (optional).

Allow cake to sit in fridge for at least an hour to firm up.  Serve cold and store in fridge.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

I've been noticing a trend lately - pudding mixes in everything!  Thought I'd give it a whirl in chocolate chip cookies.    

They turned out amazing!  Moist and gooey, a little crispy on the edges...perfect!  This is very similar to my usual chocolate chip cookie recipe, except I added one more egg (and the pudding mix).

Do NOT overbake.  Seriously, you want these underdone.  Even if they don't look done, 12 minutes max is all you need.  I mean, how can you argue with this next picture??

Makes 3 dozen

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

2 sticks butter (1 cup), room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 (3.4 oz) package vanilla instant pudding mix

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Mix in the pudding mix.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, followed by the vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt.  Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir.  Add chocolate chips and stir by hand to incorporate.  

Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough onto a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until starting to turn a little brown on the edges.  Do not overbake! 

Double Layer Chocolate Cream Pie

One of the easiest dessert recipes you'll ever make.  My grandma used to always have chocolate cream pie at Holiday dinners for dessert...since we will all be thinking about Thanksgiving dinner soon enough, I thought I'd share!  

It's a no-bake dessert, including the crust.  Just use an already made graham cracker crust (directions will say to chill the crust first if you're not baking it).  Chocolate pudding, milk, cool whip - done! 

Serves 8

Double Layer Chocolate Cream Pie

1 graham cracker pie crust

1 1/4 cups cold milk

2 (3.5 oz) packages instant chocolate pudding

1 (8 oz) container of Cool Whip, thawed

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, pudding and 1/2 of the Cool Whip for 1 minute.  Spread into crust (mixture will be thick).  Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the pudding mixture.  Serve chilled. 

(Source: recipe from Food.com)

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Every year for my husband's birthday I make him a banana cream pie, his favorite.  This year I stuck to the theme but made a cake instead of a pie...a Banana Pudding Poke cake!  Yum, yum, yum!!  It was SO good.  And easy.  I love easy...

Layers of yellow cake and banana pudding are topped with sliced bananas...

Then Cool Whip and crushed Nilla wafers!!  Incredibly easy and you entire family will flip over this.  

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

1 box of yellow cake mix and all the ingredients needed to make cake

2 boxes (3.4 oz each) banana instant pudding mix

4 cups milk

2 bananas, sliced

1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed

1 box of Nilla wafers, cookies crushed

Prepare the cake according to the directions for a 9 x 13-inch pan and let cool slightly when done.  Using the handle of a wooden spoon, start poking holes in the cake.  You can poke holes all the way down to the bottom of the cake.  

Whisk together the instant pudding mix and milk until all the lumps are gone.  Let the pudding set for about 2 minutes until it is just slightly thickened, but still easily pourable.  Pour the pudding all over the cake and spread with the back of spoon to ensure that it gets in all the holes you poked!  Put the cake and pudding into the fridge until it completely sets.  Add the sliced bananas on top of the pudding.  Spread the thawed Cool Whip on top of the bananas, followed by the crushed Nilla wafers.  Serve chilled and store in the fridge.   

(Source:  Adapted from The Country Cook)