Normally when I share a recipe it's after I have successfully completed it in my own kitchen. But not this time. No, this time I have decided to share a total failure of a recipe that sadly should have been infallible.

I wouldn't go as far to say this was what the internet likes to call an "epic failure" (I didn't burn the house down which would have been even more impressive since this is a no bake recipe), but it is a failure nonetheless.

Here's the story, I was watching Cooks Country on PBS one night when they made their own version of Chocolate Eclair Cake. It looked downright heavenly, and relatively easy to make, only I decided I was going to make it even easier., which is probably where things went downhill.

You see, Cooks Country made the vanilla pudding for their cake from scratch, so I searched for a recipe using instant pudding which I found at Allrecipes.com. The video below, also from Allrecipes, shows the creation of an almost identical recipe. Pay close attention to what the finish product looks like.

The only difference between the video recipe and the one I used was that mine called for the whipped topping to be folded in after the pudding mix and milk are combined, which I did.

With my pudding made, it was time to assemble my masterpiece. First, lay down a bed of Honey Graham Crackers.

Ryan's Chocolate Eclair Cake Attempt - Step 1
So far, so good (baby steps, people, baby steps). (Ryan O'Bryan / 106-1 KISS-FM)
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Next, pour on half the pudding mix (which was a little runnier than I had hoped, but figured it would firm up once it set in the fridge for a bit) and top with another layer of graham crackers.

Ryan's Attempt at Chocolate Eclair Cake - Step 2
(Ryan O'Bryan / 106-1 KISS-FM)
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Repeat step two.

Ryan's Attempt at Chocolate Eclair Cake - Step 3
(Ryan O'Bryan / 106-1 KISS-FM)
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Now to add the chocolate gnache which I made using the Cook's Country recipe — sort of. It called for the following ingredients to be combined and melted in the microwave for one to two minutes:

  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 5 tablespoons light corn syrup

The problem was I forgot heavy cream, so I found a THIRD recipe that showed me how to substitute a mixture of melted butter and milk when heavy cream isn't available.

For what it's worth, it turned out not terrible. I poured it on, covered the whole thing with plastic wrap and stuck it in the fridge. Considering that the whole thing was sloshing back and forth as I sat it in there, my previous hope that things would firm up as it cooled decreased significantly.

It should be noted that while the video above instructs you to let it sit in the fridge for four hours before serving, the recipe I used said nothing more than to "refrigerate until set".

Ryan's Attempt at Chocolate Eclair Cake - Final Product
It's not much to look at, but it has a GREAT personality. (Ryan O'Bryan / 106-1 KISS-FM)
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When all was said and done, this thing sat in my fridge for about six hours. It was time for the moment of truth. Remember what the finished product looked like in the video? Here's a reminder, followed by my result.

Ryan's Attempt at Chocolate Eclair Cake - Finished Comparison
(Ryan O'Bryan / 106-1 KISS-FM)
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