Skip to Main content
Create logo
Grandma Cecil's Eclair Pie

Grandma Cecil's Eclair Pie

This recipe from Cyndy Cecil, a top-18 winner in the Create Cooking Challenge: My Family's Recipe, has been handed down in through the generations. Eclair pie is the dessert everyone devoured at family reunions.

Recipe Ingredients

  • This recipe is in four stages:
  • - pudding
  • - whipped cream
  • - chocolate ganache icing
  • - layering graham crackers
  • Pudding
  • - 2 1/2 cups whole fat milk (divided)
  • - 1/2 cup sugar
  • - 3 egg yolks
  • - 1/2 cup whole milk
  • - 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • - 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • Whipped Cream
  • - 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
  • - 2 Tablespoons confectioner's sugar
  • - 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • Chocolate Ganache Topping
  • - 6 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • - 1 stick of butter
  • - 1.5 cups confectioner's sugar
  • - 1 tsp vanilla
  • - 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
  • - 3 Tablespoons milk
  • Bottom layer
  • - box of graham crackers

Recipe Instructions

Pudding

- Heat on low: 2 cups whole fat milk and 1/2 cup sugar

- In another bowl whisk: 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup whole milk and 1/4 cup cornstarch

- When the milk and sugar steaming, slowly pour 1 1/2 cups into the egg mixture bowl, whisking the whole time. This keeps the eggs from getting too hot. Return the combined mixture to the pan and continue to heat until you have a pudding consistency. You may need to turn the heat up a little.

- Add 1 tsp vanilla bean paste and whisk that into the pudding. The paste is very flavorful and will provide an amazing vanilla pow. The texture isn't like a paste. It is more like a thick syrup. They should call it vanilla bean syrup. Anyhoo, allow it to get room temp and then put in the fridge.

Whipped Cream

- Put a metal mixing bowl and the whisk attachment in the fridge or freezer to get really cold. This is the trick to get whipped cream perfect.

- Whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract for 3-4 minutes. Stiff peaks will form.

- Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the whipped cream. Put in fridge for now.

Chocolate Ganache Topping (this will form a hard shell in the fridge after you assemble the dessert)

- Melt in microwave: 6 Tablespoons cocoa powder and 1 stick of butter,

- Hand whisk until smooth: 1.5 cups confectioner's sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 Tablespoons corn syrup and 3 Tablespoons milk

- Fold in the whipped cream with the pudding.

- Grab a box of graham crackers and lay them out, ready to layer. If you use a 9x11 dish, layer them on the bottom. I made them in individual square ramekins.

Layer the dessert

- graham cracker on bottom

- pudding mixture

- graham cracker

- pudding mixture

- graham cracker

- chocolate topping

- whipped cream

Put in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.