This cake is no-bake and uses three ingredients.
And it’s very chocolaty and easy.
Do I have your attention?
Okay, good. I thought so.
You could also make this cake using vanilla wafers and vanilla pudding or coconut cream pudding or banana pudding or whatever pudding you love.
Or if you’re like me, nothing other than chocolate will do. I was bound and determined to make a chocolate wafer cake using chocolate pudding and went to five grocery stores on the island for a three-ingredient recipe.
Not even kidding.
I wish I was but you know how it is when nothing besides chocolate will do. Had I wanted pistachio pudding or caramel flan pudding, there was a surplus.
This cake was worth schlepping into five different stores and if you don’t have to go to five stores for three ingredients, you can make it in your sleep in about five minutes.
With ingredients you can probably pick up at any 7-11 in America.
Let’s make a no-bake cake.
Gather your three ingredients: Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix, Cool Whip, and chocolate wafers
Recipe Notes: The stores here only had Fat Free Cool Whip in stock but use any kind you wish. Not a fan of Cool Whip? Make your own whipped cream by whipping heavy cream and adding sugar.
Not a fan of pudding mix? Make your own homemade pudding on the stovetop and mix it into your homemade whipped cream.
There’s a way to make an ‘easy dessert’ more complicated by making each component from scratch. I chose the easiest path but choose the paths you prefer.
Two boxes of instant chocolate pudding (not cook-and-serve style) and two containers of Cool Whip or whipped topping are necessary. I realize there’s only one box of each in the photos so I’m just pointing that out. Two containers of Cool Whip sounds like a lot but when it’s mixed with the pudding, it deflates, is much less fluffy, and starts to solidify from the pudding and doesn’t go as far as you think it will.
Line the pan with 9 wafers down the center. The more centered they are down the middle of the pan, the easier it will be to cover the sides of the cake in the final step.
Mix one tub of Cool Whip + one box pudding and spread the mixture on top of the wafers.
Make sure to work quickly after combining the Cool Whip and pudding because the mixture will thicken as time elapses and becomes harder to spread and you don’t want to crush those pretty little wafers trying to spread chocolate cement.
Add another layer of 9 wafers and cover with the remaining pudding mixture.
Add the third and final layer of 9 wafers
Mix up the second tub of Cool Whip + pudding and spread half the mixture on top the final layer of wafers
Use the other half of the mixture to cover the sides of the cake, by carefully smooshing it down the sides with a spatula or knife and it’s okay if it’s not perfectly applied. You just don’t want a bald cake on the sides. How horrifying.
Place the wafer baby in the freezer to set up for at least six hours, overnight, or even a couple days in advance.
Prior to serving, garnish with M&M’s (the fourth ingredient if you’re keeping track) or chocolate shavings, diced Butterfinger candies or diced peanut butter cups, coconut flakes, nuts, or whatever sound good and even if you don’t garnish it, it’s mighty tasty.
If you’re using M&M’s they will run and bleed as the chocolate pudding mixture softens at room temperature so don’t plop them on until right before serving your little masterpiece.
Slice and dig in.
So chocolaty and satisfying in that way that only chocolate can do, yet it’s light because Cool Whip and wafer cookies are inherently lightweights.
The chocolate mixture slightly softens the wafers over time but they definitely still retain plenty of crunch. They don’t turn limp like graham crackers do in an Icebox Cake or like Ladyfinger Cookies do in tiramisu. I am just not a fan of mushy desserts and the wafer cake isn’t mushy in the least.
When I asked Skylar if this was worth all those trips to all those grocery stores, she said, “Yes, Mommy. Absolutely.”
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Frozen Chocolate Pudding and Wafer Cake (No-Bake, 3-Ingredients)
Makes one 9-by-5-inch cake, about 9 one-inch thick slices
one 8-ounce package chocolate wafers, about 27 wafers (cake is 9 wafers in length x 3 stacks high = 27 wafers)
two 8-ounce containers Cool Whip or whipped topping
two 3.9-ounce packages chocolate instant pudding
about 1/3 cup mini M&M’s, optional for garnishing
Prepare a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan by lining it with aluminum foil and leave overhang over the sides. I sprayed my pan with Pam for Baking, just to be safe. Line the pan with 9 wafers down the center (the more centered they are down the middle of the pan, the easier it will be to cover the sides of the cake in the final step). 9 wafers fit perfectly and snugly in my pan; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine one container of Cool Whip and one package of pudding and stir until smooth and combined, working quickly as the pudding will start setting up as time elapses. Spread about half the mixture over the wafers in a smooth, even flat layer. Add another flat 9-wafer layer of wafers and spread the remaining chocolate-whipped topping mixture over them. Add another flat 9-wafer layer of wafers; set pan aside.
In the same large mixing bowl combine the second container of Cool Whip and the second package of pudding and stir until smooth and combined. Spread half the mixture over the third row of wafers. With the remaining chocolate-whipped topping mixture, carefully apply it to the sides of the wafer cake using a spatula or knife to push it down the sides of the cake, covering the sides as best you can so that they will not be lacking in chocolate-whipped topping coverage or ‘bald’. Cover pan with foil or plasticwrap and place in the freezer to set up for at least 6 hours, overnight or 24 hours in advance is better, since the wafers will soften slightly from the chocolate mixture as time passes.
Before serving, optionally garnish with M&M’s (or chocolate shavings, sprinkles; or try coconut flakes, slivered almonds, toffee bits, crushed Butterfingers, diced peanut butter cups – don’t garnish until serving if using M&M’s because the color will begin to bleed and run). Lift cake out of loaf pan by holding the overhang and place on a cutting board, slice and serve. I try to slice where I know there’s a slight space or gap between the wafers rather than slicing through them. Cake will keep for up to one week in the freezer.
Notes: Make sure you use Instant Pudding, not Cook-and-Serve; two containers/packages each of Cool Whip and pudding are necessary. I made the recipe using Fat Free Cool Whip and it works just fine as would Lite or full-fat/regular. I’m sure Sugar-Free Pudding ‘works’ theoretically but I’m not sure how it tastes because I used regular instant chocolate pudding, as shown. I’m sure you could make this cake making your own whipped cream by whipping heavy cream, and incorporating cocoa powder, sugar or confectioner’s sugar into it, or making your own chocolate pudding from scratch and incorporating that into homemade whipped cream, and applying that mixture to the wafers; however I do not know the ratios and it’s more work than I am interested in doing for a fun and little dessert.
To keep Gluten-Free, use Glutino Gluten-Free Chocolate Wafers and take note that the pudding and whipped topping used are gluten-free and suitable for your dietary needs.
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Related Recipes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (No-Bake, GF, 3 Ingredients)
Chocolate “Turtles” (No Bake, Vegan, GF)
Chocolate Mousse (Raw, Vegan, GF) Made using 4 ingredients – including one ingredient you’ll never guess
Chocolate Saltine Toffee, i.e. Christmas Crack (4 key ingredients) – I made this the last time I was in Aruba, over Christmas 2011, and after making this and having it melt or nearly melt in the photos, I was ultra-prepared before I started photographing the wafer cake so that it didn’t melt on me. As an aside, I hated these photos but Martha Stewart liked them.
Have you ever made a wafer cake or a graham cracker cake?
Sometimes desserts made using graham crackers, like icebox cakes or tiramisu with Lady Finger Cookies, can get a little mushy for my taste, which is why I used wafers since they have more structure and crispness. Not to mention, I had a thing for them growing up. I’d try to separate them like separating an Oreo cookie. Crumbly, mess-making, kiddie fun at its finest.
Any good recipes for Cool Whip or a box of pudding?
Angel Lush is a favorite Cool Whip recipe of mine, a favorite of my mother’s, and of every other woman bringing a dessert to a church-basement potluck where I grew up in Minnesota.
We may as well milk the no-bake desserts until summer is over, right.
Hi Averie,
This is such a cool recipe. I would really like to try it. In India we don’t get instant pudding mix or cool whip. Can I prepare my own chocolate pudding (using cook and serve pudding mix) and use here. I can make my own cool whip by whipping cream. I can then mix the chocolate pudding with the whipped cream and use it for layering. Will this work? If yes, how many cups of pudding and whipped cream do I need? Thanks in advance for your response!
Regards,
Priya
You could possibly get this to work but the issue is that real whipped cream deflates over time and gets runny so I worry that this could turn messy and sloppy. You could try it using 16 oz very stiffly whipped cream and probably 4-5 cups of pudding.
Please advise how to print these recipes. Nothing works and the nobake
pudding cake sounds great.
Thanks.
Sorry this is an older recipe that never has been reformatted to my newer printing format. I recommend just copy/pasting the recipe portion into an email to yourself and printing that way. Should only take a second or two. Enjoy the dessert!
I….I think I love you! =P This looks so awesome!! I love those wafer cookies and take them apart like you did (do?). We have mocha wafer cookies where I’m at and I think I’ll try it with them. If I can control myself!! I’m thinking of all sorts of wafer cookie/pudding combinations now!
Great blog!
Thanks Jenie and glad you like it and my blog!
Oh YUM. Just last night I discovered I had cool whip and cream cheese and was craving peanut butter… mix with some cheesecake pudding mix.. Hello pie! Pie is probably my favorite pudding/cool whip treat. All of the no bake treats I’ve been seeing everywhere are amazing and remind me I have these things that I can use to easily make something yummy.
Your idea sounds awesome – pretty much any combo of pudding mix, Cool Whip, cream cheese, PB (Nutella, Cookie Butter) is destined to be great! Mmmm, I want to make a pie with that filling you just described :)
Your Chocolate Wafer Cake looks awesome! I hate to be so dense, but do you mix up the pudding or just mix the pudding powder with the Cool Whip?
Thanks so much,
Sharon
You just mix together the dry pudding mix and the Cool Whip. You don’t actually make the pudding with cold milk, etc.
And once you add the Cool Whip to the pudding powder, be read to GO! It starts setting up pretty quickly..within minutes. So have everything read to spread and you’ll be set. LMK if you make it!
seriously lady you have some GOOOOOD recipes. I check up on it everyday for new recipes and am never disappointed!!!
You have my attention for sure!!! This is totally worth going to 5 stores to get the right ingredients!!! It looks super incredible! I can’t believe it is only 3 ingredients…it looks way more complicated!!! I always look at those wafers in the store and wonder what I could make with them…now I know:-)
I love it when I can trick people into thinking I slaved over something when it’s really EASY – and this is one I think I totally could!
I love your recipe! Would you come over to Cast Party Wednesday at Lady Behind The Curtain and share it with us?
Thanks, I hope to see you there! ~Sheryl~ http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/?p=33671
Fabulous cake!
It’s very similar to a childhood cake my Mom used to make
I’m definitely planning to make it
Thanks!
enjoy it!
this looks so good i wish i could reach through the screen and take a bite.
wow, such a fantastically simple & delicious recipe… thanks avery!
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.ca
I love this idea more than words can describe! It’s like a homemade ice cream cake with zero effort needed. Plus, I recently found “accidentally” vegan wafer cookies and would love an excuse to play around with them a bit more. I can already imagine all of the possible flavor combinations when you factor into different “cream” fillings and puddings….
The Glutino brand makes GF ones and not sure if they are vegan too – but there’s Toffutti or TruWhip and given your amazing skills you can either make your own vegan whipped cream and doctor it up with cocoa powder and sugar or use some shortcuts and then the vegan wafers you found and you’re so there :) And yes, with your ice cream/fillings/toppings brain and how it goes in those directions – well, so many combos here! :)
Uh, yes. You have my attention. I LOVE cakes like this that are simple, with just a few ingredients required. Gorgeous! Fun! Sweet! Amaaaaazing!! :)
I’m sure you would probably like make pudding from scratch and whip your own cream b/c you are fabulous like that! Seriously you amaze me with what you whip up! But down here, yeah, 3 ingredients and no bake was perfffffect :)
This looks like an amazing summer treat!! Perfect for warm days when baking = nightmare :)
or in Aruba when it’s um 94F right now and I dont have AC in my kitchen!
Beautiful, Averie! I love how simple this cake is. Simple, yet totally impressive.
Thanks, Jen!
This looks incredibly good! I’ve never thought to use wafers in a dessert, only in chocolate, but I’m the same about squishy desserts. And I like the saltine photos – I can never get that ‘feel’ with mine, so I’m always in awe of pretty, soft-lit food snaps.
If you edit your photos, turn the slider more to the yellow side of the color scale rather than the blue and in something like Lightroom, increase the highlights and/or exposure, just a hair more.
Thank you for the tips! I tend to go for the saturated-but-balanced approach if I edit, so that does help. I just need to work on my composition a little more, then I should be on my way.
5 grocery stores?! What a production! But it seems like it was well worth it for this 3 ingredient chocolatey goodness!
It 100% was, yes – chocolate, ahhh, finally!
Brilliant! I love this idea and I bet you could make it gluten-free/dairy-free with a couple of tiny adjustments, too. Scary that you had to go to 5 different stores to get the ingredients for this recipe. That’s the worst. I just got back from a 3 grocery store run which should have been 1, but the first place didn’t have arugula and the 2nd didn’t have fresh basil, doh!
I mentioned that Glutino wafers are GF in the recipe section and all other aspects can be easily adapted to be GF – and as for Vegan, with a little (not much) creativity, i.e. TruWhip not Cool Whip, you’re pretty much there, too! Glad you found your ingredients at a mere three stores :)
Wow, I totally missed that gluten-free mention. I blame the chocolate. It makes me do crazy things! I just got so excited :P
you’re actually the third person who missed it – not sure why that kept happening – I blame it on the chocolate too :) Makes me get a one-tracked mind too :)
Girl, simple and easy recipes are my FAVORITE!!! YAY!
What a fun and super easy idea! I love that it really leaves a lot of room for creativity and playing around with flavors and colors. Perfect for summer!!!
This looks fun and fabulous, awesome job! Great pics, perfect color! I’ve made a lot of no bake raw vegan cakes, but nothing with wafers or graham crackers yet.
You just never know til you whip the camera out how things are going to go – especially frozen desserts in the 90F++ heat :)
How gorgeous and delectable looking cake! Yum! The frosting on it looks so light and delicious! Man, I could go for a slice right now! I don’t know how you come up with these desserts, but keep them coming, I love them!!
My brain wanders to places like these, on long, isolated runs. Lots of mental time to conjure this stuff up. Passes the time :)
This is the beauty of your blog, Averie. Soooo simple, yet so awesome at the same time!
You sure you didn’t mean to make your blog title “Averie rocks?” ;-)
you’re so sweet – and I just realized that half my pics went “empty” like a shell – which sometimes happens when my servers have a brainfart- lol. So not sure if you saw all the pics, but I just re-inserted them. Fun times!
That looks SO good. I LOVE those darn wafer cookies. LOVE. Hope all is well! :)
Everything is great my friend. Hope you & the fam are staying cool in that heat!
Hi! I’m a new blog reader and blog writer. That no-bake 3 ingredient cake looks so delicious. Do you know if there is such a thing as gluten free chocolate wafers? I would love to make a GF version of that cake!
yes it’s linked in the recipe section of the post – go back and read it :) All info is there already!
Sometimes a girl just has to have her chocolate! ;)
you KNOW IT!
I think I could polish off a whole bag off wafer cookies. I try to prevent this by never buying them, or by buying the mini wafer cookies that are pretty much the larger ones cut up. YUMMM!
I knew this cake would use them all up, or nearly, which is why I bought them but normally don’t buy them for that very reason!
How did you manage to put so many of my favorite things into one cake? I looove those wafer cookies, I haven’t thought about them in years…and I had no idea they came in chocolate!!
they come in strawberry, Neapolitan, vanilla – and the options with the pudding + wafer combos are making my head spin in so many good directions :)
You had me at the chocolate pudding! Love this simple cake – chocolate layers of deliciousness!
SIMPLE – yes, key!
Ok… I’m packing my things and moving in with you, lady!!!
Pretty clever cake – I’ll be trying it with banana pudding to-night!!
Ok I would love a full report!!!
this is so genius! yes, you had me at creamy, and the no bake, and then the m&m’s stole the show.
no-bake is key down here!
I have to admit, I got (unduly) excited when I read that you tried to separate wafers like an Oreo–I thought you were actually going to say that you made a no-bake variation of this cookies ‘n cream style. Both sound delicious though! Have you tried making butter brickle frozen dessert? It’s simply divine, and my favorite cool whip dish!
about to google
butter brickle frozen dessert – sounds awesome!
I totally would have wanted this for my birthday parties as a kid :D
heck, I want this at MY next bday party!
This is so awesome Averie! I need to make it, stat. Love Cool Whip!
This is SO midwest. I love it and I want it right now!!
I know – it’s so church basement potluck, right!
No-bake and only three ingredients? I’m in! ;)
Ooh, definitely looks like it was worth all the shopping trips! Yum!
Now if I added PB it would have been perfect for your week last week but there was plenty going on already w/out the PB :) Then again…
This looks great, but the best part is that it is so adaptable to whatever flavors you want. And I also used to try to separate the layers of wafer cookies when I was younger! It made a much bigger mess than doing it with an Oreo.
1 million percent messier than an Oreo – if Skylar tried to separate them, I think I’d have her head :)
I love easy dessert recipes like this, especially because it looks really pretty and impressive. Usually when I have people over for dinner I make about 3 desserts (one to satisfy every taste), and it helps if one or two of them is super duper easy like this one. I can definitely see myself making this cake.
You always need a super duper easy one in the arsenal and this is definitely it! And it does look really showy when you slice into it which is a nice bonus!
you had my attention at the title :) I just so happen to have a tub of cool whip in the freezer. These may need to happen soon. and I love the addition of the wafers for the added crunch. Gorgeous pics btw!
thanks for the compliments on the pics and glad you have ‘whip in the freezer!
oh gosh, so easy and so delicious! looks lovely! and so chocolaty!!
Wow, this is gorgeous!! And brilliant. :) It looks like it came out of a pastry shop! I’m definitely going to make this with my niece who will go crazy for it.
Well that’s a lucky niece you have – and if you do end up making it, LMK! Would love to hear the field report!
you are my new best friend. this cake is pure genious
well that cake was MY new BFF :)
Sugar wafers rock. And so do beautiful, unrelentingly chocolate-y no bake cakes!! This is gorgeous, Averie. And hell, SO easy! I’m definitely going to make this cake and experiment with the different pudding and wafer flavors. A neapolitan one sounds fun, or perhaps strawberry wafers with banana pudding. Eeek! So versatile, I love it.
Flavor experimentation definitely needs to happen – my wheels are already turning too :)
OMG, this looks amazing! Where do you come up with all of these great ideas?!? I am making this asap! The glutino chocolate wafers are amazing, so I will try them and let you know how it turns out! Yum!!!
That’s right, Glutino DOES have the GF wafers. Edited the post to reflect that.
And I come up with this stuff on long, hot runs alone in the 95 degree heat. This is where my mind wanders on long runs. It’s like seeing a desert oasis in my own mind when it crystallizes :)
I love love love sugar wafers. This looks great!
I do, too. They’re a childhood treat I never outgrew the taste for :)
Such a FUN cake Averie!!
And 100% easy!
Awesome new avatar pic of you!
I never liked the icebox pies b/c of the mushy crust. This would be so fantastic for a birthday party. Super fun!
yes this is 100% NOT mushy and 6 days later in the freezer, still isn’t mushy. I saved a couple slices to literally trial it!
wow
seriously easy.
this would be dangerous, easy but dangerous.
make then eat. lol
A little bit TOO easy :)
GENIUS! I love me some cool whip. It is so versatile. Maybe now the best ingredient list but….delicious none the less! The cake is so darn pretty too
Sometimes dessert should just be dessert – AND it should be easy :) And not worry about anything else!
That sounds so easy I might even be able to avoid messing it up! My sister got all the baking genes in the family. Every time I try to make a cake, something inevitably goes wrong halfway through and I end up calling it brownies or cupcakes or a mess I can break little pieces off of and throw into yogurt as a garnish.
This looks like it was totally worth the 5 grocery store trips!
There’s pretty much no way you can screw up a no-bake 3 ingredient recipe – make it and impress your sis!
you weren’t lyin’ Averie… this is DEFINITELY the easiest cake recipe I’ve ever laid my eyes on! i had some trouble with my reese’s pieces running their colors with my nobake pie, but they were still obviously delicious nonetheless. Oh well, maybe next time I can fix that! I love your suggestions for different variations, too! I think I would go for sprinkles as my tipping and try the banana cream pudding. OR vanilla. :) But the chocolate version still looks damn good!! Can’t even believe you went to FIVE STORES down there!!!
I had a massive choc craving come over me…Lol and it just had to be chocolate! I was thinking vanilla wafters with banana cream or coconut cream or even like key lime pudding. You can find some unusual pudding flavors if you keep your eye out! Yes, five stores. In and out of the car. For a flippin’ box of choc instant pudding. Not even kidding!
I love your photos Averie! I felt like that delicious cake was right in front of me and all I could do was grab a spoon and dig in! :D
Well that’s super high praise coming from you and I appreciate it! :)
Awww so easy!! I love it!
I have made a no bake layered pudding, graham cracker concoction which was fine the day I made it but the graham crackers nearly dissolve by the next day. Wafers never occurred to me…I forgot about those! I also never thought to put the pudding mix right into the cool whip–most recipes call for making the pudding then adding cool whip or something else, so I can see how your filling would be much “sturdier”. Love these quick shortcut recipes–and your tenacity for getting that chocolate pudding. I know when I’m on a mission, nothing else will do…!
Oh NOTHING else was going to do besides choc pudding. Period. ha!
And yes, pudding mix stirred into Cool Whip is very sturdy. It can get a little too sturdy if you’re trying to spread it but you have a good 4 to 6 mins before it gets too thick. Then it sets up and is just a perfect texture.
And yes the mushy graham cracker stuff — ick. I saved a few slices of this stuff and 6 days later, it’s in the freezer and I just trialed a few bites and it’s still got some crunch!