Summertime is the season of vacation. And vacation with family is always the best. Hellos and warm hugs that have waited all year to be given, piles of cousins getting to know one another again, warm sun and cool water, laughter in the kitchen and around the table.
Every other summer as a kid, my family would make the never-ending, twelve-hour trek down south to the Outer Banks. We'd finally cross the miles-long, over-water bridge and I would know we were close. Pulling up to the big house on the beach would bring a tinge of apprehension that was soon dissipated as we scrambled into the gigantic, beach house and hugs were given all around. My dad's three sisters and their families and my grandparents would be there for a week-long soak in the hot, Carolina sun.
The first thing we cousins would do, of course, was run down the long wooden boardwalk, through the sharply hot sand and plunge our toes into the cool ocean water. Long days of basking in the sun, punctuated by swims in the ocean or pool, were rounded off with a meal around a large table, all seventeen of us, eating good food and enjoying a whole year of catching up.
It was during one of these vacations that my Aunt Kathy made Chocolate Eclair Cake, the perfect dessert for a hot summer day. Although, somehow my sister or I misunderstood and started calling it Chocolate "Declare" which it has been to us ever since.
Chocolate Eclair Cake, aka "Chocolate Declare"
Makes a 9 x 13 pan
22-24 graham crackers, depending on how closely you lay them
2 3 oz. boxes instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
1 8 or 9 oz. tub of cool-whip
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 T. butter
3 T. milk
2 T. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Combine pudding mixes and milk in a large bowl
Be smart and you use a tall, deep bowl and not a wide, shallow one,
or you'll splatter all over like me!
Beat on high speed with a hand-held mixer for 2 minutes, until pudding is thick.
Gently fold in the cool-whip.
It should look like this. Set aside.
In the bottom of your 9x13 pan, layer 7 and 1/3 graham crackers.
This seems to be the best layout that I have found.
Spread half of the pudding mixture on top.
Layer another 7 1/3 graham crackers.
Spread the rest of the pudding mixture on top.
Layer once more with graham crackers. I used more than 7 for the last layer because I wanted every area to be covered so I could easily spread the chocolate.
In a small saucepan, carefully melt butter and chocolate together over low heat.
Then, off the heat, add the milk, corn syrup and vanilla.
Measure the powdered sugar into a medium sized bowl...
...and pour the chocolate mixture over it.
Then beat with an electric mixer until it all comes together and no lumps of sugar remain.
(The mixer is really necessary.
It's a rather stiff frosting and it's so hard to get out the lumps without electric power!)
Working quickly, spread the frosting onto the top layer of graham crackers.
I try to drop little spoonfuls all over and then spread instead of dumping all the chocolate in one spot.
It makes it easier to spread, because the graham crackers tend to move if you try to spread too much.
Refrigerate and let cool for 3 hours before serving. Best eaten that day or the next.
This recipe is easily halved.
Recipe from my Aunt Kathy.
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