Description
Caramel apple éclair cake delivers a luxurious French-inspired dessert with crisp pastry layers and rich apple-caramel fusion. Creamy filling and golden caramel glaze invite you to savor this elegant, indulgent sweet treat that promises a delightful culinary experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 5 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) pieces
- 21 whole cinnamon graham crackers
- 16 ounces (454 grams) caramel apple dip
Sugar and Spice:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1–2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Creamy Filling:
- 2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding (3.4 ounces or 96 grams each)
- 3 ½ cups whole milk
- 0.5 cups sour cream
- 8 ounces (227 grams) Cool Whip, thawed
Instructions
- Gently sauté chopped apples with sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium-low heat until they soften and release their natural juices.
- If the apple mixture appears too liquid, dust with a light coating of flour to create a thicker consistency, stirring carefully to incorporate.
- Remove apple mixture from heat and allow to cool completely at room temperature, ensuring no residual warmth remains.
- Whisk vanilla pudding mix with milk until completely smooth, creating a silky base for the filling.
- Fold sour cream and whipped topping into the pudding mixture, blending until uniform and creamy.
- Create the first foundation layer by arranging cinnamon graham crackers across the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish, ensuring complete coverage.
- Distribute half of the caramelized apple mixture evenly across the graham cracker base.
- Carefully spread half of the pudding mixture over the apple layer, maintaining a consistent thickness.
- Position another complete layer of graham crackers atop the pudding, creating a stable middle section.
- Repeat the layering process with remaining apples, followed by the remaining pudding mixture.
- Crown the dessert with a final layer of graham crackers, creating a smooth top surface.
- Warm caramel sauce in short microwave intervals until softened but not completely liquid.
- Drizzle and spread the caramel evenly across the top layer, creating an attractive finishing glaze.
- Refrigerate the assembled dessert for a minimum of 8 hours, allowing flavors to meld and texture to set perfectly.
Notes
- Prepare apples carefully to avoid excess liquid, using flour as a thickening agent if needed.
- Cooling apples completely prevents soggy layers and maintains the cake’s structural integrity.
- Whisking pudding mixture thoroughly ensures a smooth, creamy filling without lumps.
- Layer graham crackers evenly to create a stable base for each delicious tier.
- Warm caramel just until softened for easy spreading without making the top layer too runny.
- Extended chilling time allows flavors to develop and graham crackers to soften into a cake-like texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg