Eclair Cake

This is a light dessert that I got from a coworker awhile ago. There are a few steps to it, but well worth it. It starts with a pastry shell that you make from scratch. I know making a pastry shell from scratch might sound a little intimidating, but it was actually easy. If you are like me, I sometimes have multiple food items going at once. Well, for the pastry, you want to just focus on making that one item to get it the right consistency. Because I made the eclair cake to bring to a party, I couldn't get a picture of what it looks like inside (figured it might be tacky to cut a piece of it), but it really does taste like an eclair.

Pastry Ingredients:

• 1 Cup water
  
• 1 Stick butter
  
• 1 Cup flour
  
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
  
• 4 Eggs
  

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan, lower temperature to medium and add butter. When butter is melted, add flour and salt. Stir vigorously until dough leaves side of pan and forms a ball. Cool slightly off the burner (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, stirring completely after each egg addition. Spread dough in a 10x14 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool and break any bubbles with a fork. Set aside.

Filling Ingredients:

• 2 Packages French Vanilla Pudding
  
• 1 8 oz Package of cream cheese, softened
  
• 2 Cups cold milk (whole milk)
  
• 12 oz Container cool whip topping
  

In a bowl, mix instant pudding, cream cheese and milk. Beat until smooth. Spread pudding mix on to cooled pastry shell. Then spread cool whip over pudding mixture, Set aside in the refrigerator.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup chocolate chips
  
• 1 Tablespoon butter
  
• 1 Cup confectioners sugar
  
• Milk
  

In a small saucepan melt the chocolate chips with the butter. When melted remove from the burner and add confectioners sugar and enough milk so frosting will drizzle.
Combine well and when cool, drizzle frosting over the cool whip and refrigerate until ready to serve.

This cake can be made 1 day ahead. Also even though the recipe calls for cool whip topping, I want to experiment using fresh homemade whipping cream(my favorite). Sometimes homemade whipping cream can get runny over time, but one of my neighbors gave me a hint to stiffen the whipping cream so it doesn't get runny. I will give it a try and let you know.