Chocolate Candy Bar Cake — An easy frozen dessert with graham crackers, chocolate pudding, whipped topping, chocolate chips, PEANUT BUTTER CUPS and SNICKERS!! Perfect for when you don’t want to turn on your oven!!
No-Bake Candy Bar Cake Recipe
After my last icebox cake, I’m hooked for a few reasons. They’re ridiculously easy, there’s no cooking involved and no need to turn on a hot oven in the middle of summer, and my family raves about them. Sold.
My last version was a twist on Boston Cream Pie and it was time to break out the serious chocolate mojo for this chocolate icebox cake.
It’s made with a filling consisting of chocolate pudding, milk, and whipped topping. The filling goes in between layers of graham crackers and over time in the freezer the filling softens the crackers so you’re left with a ‘cake-like’ texture. Hence the name icebox cake.
I topped the chocolate and graham cracker icebox cake with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, Snickers, and Reese’s Minis because that’s what I had in my baking stash. Try Twix, Rolos, Crunch Bars, or your favorite candy. It’s a perfect dessert as is this one post-Halloween when you’re swimming in random candy.
It’s also a perfect dessert when your chocolate tooth is speaking loudly.
What’s in This Candy Bar Cake?
To make this no-bake chocolate candy cake, you’ll need:
- Instant chocolate pudding
- Whipped topping
- Cold milk
- Graham crackers
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Snickers bars
- Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
How to Make No-Bake Candy Bar Cake
Whisk together the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk. Set aside.
Cover the bottom of a foil-lined 9×13-inch pan with graham crackers. Add half the pudding mixture and spread evenly over graham crackers. Top with another layer of graham crackers. Repeat this process once more.
To a saucepan, add the chocolate chips, butter, sugar, additional milk, and vanilla and heat over low heat to melt, whisking continuously. Evenly pour the chocolate mixture over the top graham cracker layer, then top with chopped candy.
Cover pan and freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
How Long Do Icebox Cakes Last?
You can store this chocolate candy cake in the fridge or freezer based on preference (fridge for more of a melty texture or freezer for a more solid texture) for up to 5 days, noting that the crackers will become softer as time passes.
Tips for Making a Candy Bar Cake
You can top this chocolate and graham cracker icebox cake with whatever candies your heart desires. Pretty much anything pairs well with the chocolate pudding and graham cracker layers!
Note that you must use instant pudding in this candy cake. Cook and serve pudding won’t work, nor will sugar-free pudding.
I’ve only made this particular candy bar cake with chocolate pudding, but I’m sure you can use another flavor, if desired.
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Chocolate Candy Bar Icebox Cake
Ingredients
- two 3.9-ounce packets instant chocolate pudding, not cook-and-serve, not sugar-free
- one 8-ounce container whipped topping, thawed (I used fat free)
- 3 cups cold milk, I used skim; use cow’s milk and not soy, almond, etc. because pudding won’t set up
- one 14.6-ounce box graham crackers, I used Honeymaid lowfat honey
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chip
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- about 1 cup Snickers, diced small
- about 1 cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Minis, halved
Instructions
- Line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil; set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the pudding mix, whipped topping, milk, and whisk to combine; set aside.
- Add an even, flat layer of graham crackers to completely cover the bottom of the pan, breaking crackers as necessary for complete coverage.
- Add half the pudding mixture and spread evenly over graham crackers.
- Add another layer of graham crackers to cover completely.
- Add the remaining pudding mixture and spread evenly.
- Top with a final layer of graham crackers. Note – I was about half of one graham cracker short (about 2 square inches) and didn’t have complete coverage in one corner but it worked out okay; set aside.
- To a medium saucepan, add the chocolate chips, butter, sugar, milk, and heat over low heat to melt, whisking continuously.
- Add the vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Evenly pour the chocolate mixture over the top graham cracker layer, lightly smoothing with a spatula as necessary.
- Wait about 5 minutes for chocolate to cool slightly before evenly sprinkling with the Snickers and Reese’s (if you add them too soon, they’ll be prone to melting into the already melted chocolate).
- Cover pan and freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Store cake in the fridge or freezer based on preference (fridge for more of a melty texture or freezer for a more solid texture) for up to 5 days, noting crackers will become softer as time passes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More No-Bake Dessert Recipes:
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Frozen Chocolate Pudding and Wafer Cake – Chocolate wafers, chocolate pudding, and M&M’s are so good together in this easy version of an icebox cake.
Death by Chocolate No-Bake Cheesecake Bars — Only for serious chocoholics because they’re rich, creamy, decadent, and loaded with chocolate!! NO-BAKE and an easy MAKE-AHEAD dessert!!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Bars — Can’t decide if you want PB or chocolate? Make these easy no-bake fudge bars! Chocolate + PB is sooo irresistible!!
No-Bake Peanut Butter Oreo Pie — The pie is easy, no-bake, and uses a store-bought Oreo cookie crust. It’s full of rich peanut butter flavor and perfectly sweet and creamy from whipped topping.
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No-Bake Peanut Butter Snickers Pie — The pie is no-bake, fast and easy to assemble, but does need to freeze for at least 3 hours so it can set up.