Layered Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe

Published: July 5, 2020Updated: July 17, 2020Author: Momma Cyd
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This Layered Chocolate Pudding Cake was often requested for any birthday or celebration. It takes very little cooking time and can easily feed a crowd. It's a no-fail recipe!
Layered Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe

Want to impress your friends and family? Make them this amazing dessert! Layered cakes are very easy to make everyone will rave about it!

This Layered Chocolate Pudding Cake is always requested for birthdays and family parties – you will definitely want to try it!

BELOW is a LIST OF THE THINGS YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS layered chocolate pudding cake RECIPE: 

Layered Chocolate Pudding Cake ingredients:

  1. Butter
  2. Flour
  3. Chopped Walnuts
  4. Cool Whip
  5. Cream Cheese
  6. Powdered Sugar
  7. Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
  8. Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
  9. Milk
  10. Vanilla
  11. Chocolate Hershey Bar

A few items you will need to make this recipe:

  1. 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish (THIS one is great)
  2. Hand Mixer
  3. Vegetable Peeler for your chocolate curls (THIS one is a favorite)

How To Make Chocolate Pudding Cake

The crust is so easy to make. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the butter, flour, and walnuts. Then press the dough lightly into a prepared 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake for 20 minutes and then let the crust cool completely.

 

Crust pushed into baking dish for pudding cake

In a large mixing bowl combine half of the Cool Whip, softened cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Cream together until smooth.

Carefully spread this mixture over the cooled crust. Set back into the fridge to set up for about 10 minutes.

The next layer is a smooth, chocolate pudding that goes perfectly with the crust and cream cheese layer. You will want to mix the 2 pudding mixes, milk and vanilla.

Beat with a hand mixer on low speed until it starts to thicken up. Carefully spread over the cream cheese layer.

cream cheese layer in chocolate pudding cake

 

Let that set up in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Cover the pudding layer with the remaining Cool Whip.

How To Make Perfect Chocolate Curls

Want to make your cake look fancy? Add these easy chocolate curls. The secret: use a vegetable peeler to shave off the edge of the candy bar!

Sprinkle the curls over the top of the entire cake. We used the whole chocolate bar because we love extra chocolate curls.

Cut into squares and serve! Your friends, family or party guests will LOVE it.

Chocolate layer in pudding cake

Quick Tips

  • Place the candy bar in the freezer at the beginning of your recipe prep, and by the time you make the chocolate curls it will be frozen for the perfect curls. It melts quickly in your warm hand.
  • This layered chocolate pudding cake can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve.
  • Use a vegetable peeler for easy and perfect curls, running it along the edge.
  • Cool Whip works better than real whipping cream in this recipe.

Chocolate shavings on top of pudding cake

what are the best nuts to use in the crust?

We are often asked if peanuts or other nuts can be used when making the crust of this chocolate pudding cake. Walnuts or pecans work best in this dessert.

Pecans can sometimes be bitter, which makes them ideal for desserts. They are often found in brownies, cookies, and cakes. If you store them in the freezer, you can extend their shelf life.

Walnuts are always best when combined with anything sweet. That makes them a perfect candidate for chocolate pudding cake. They are often baked, which brings out their hidden sweetness.

Topping chocolate pudding cake with whipped cream and chocolate shavings

Easy pudding Substitutions

If you are not a big chocolate lover, you could easily substitute chocolate pudding for other flavors.

We have seen this recipe made with pistachio pudding and lemon pudding.

You can replace the chocolate curls on top with white chocolate, or a cookies and cream bar. So many options to make this dessert to your liking.

Pan of chocolate pudding cake with layers shown

how to store the leftovers

This layered chocolate pudding cake doesn’t last long at our house. It is popular at most family parties.

If for some reason you have leftovers, no worries. You can easily save the leftovers for the next day. Just cover will with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.

piece of pudding cake on plate garnished with chocolate shavings

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More tasty treat ideas

We love a good layered dessert! For similarly layered treats, check out our other favorite recipes:

Serves: 20

Layered Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe

This Chocolate Pudding Cake is the ultimate dessert. With a nutty crust, creamy chocolate pudding, whipped topping and chocolate curls it is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

3 hrPrep Time

20 minCook Time

3 hr, 20 Total Time

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Ingredients

  • 10 Tablespoons butter (softened)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip (divided)
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (softened)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 (1.45 ounce) chocolate Hershey's bar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. For the crust combine the softened butter, flour and chopped walnuts. Mix and then press into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
  3. Bake crust for 20 minutes. Cool completely.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together half the container of Cool Whip, cream cheese and powdered sugar.
  5. Spread carefully over the cooled crust and refrigerate.
  6. In another bowl combine chocolate pudding dry mix, vanilla pudding dry mix, milk and vanilla.
  7. Using a hand mixer, beat on low speed until thickened and spread over the cream cheese layer.
  8. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  9. Spread remaining Cool Whip.
  10. Use a vegetable peeler or grater to sprinkle chocolate bar pieces over top.
  11. Keep in refrigerator until served.

Nutrition

Calories

2884 cal

Fat

158 g

Carbs

303 g

Protein

46 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
7.8.1.2
610
https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/pudding-cake/

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  1. Amber @ The Bewitched Baker says:
    April 4, 2015
    Ooh, tasty! This looks like chocolate cream pie, in cake form. Definitely something that would go over well with kids. :) Thanks for sharing!
    Reply
  2. Theresa @DearCreatives says:
    April 4, 2015
    Looks good! Can't wait to try the recipe.
    Reply
  3. Taylor says:
    April 4, 2015
    Wow, looks so tasty! Its always nice to have an easy recipe like this in your back pocket. Taylor http://tspoonfulofsugar.com
    Reply
  4. Renee Rogers says:
    April 4, 2015
    This recipe is a family heirloom in my family !!! My hubby's aunt made this every family holiday gathering during the 70's, 80's , 90's. and on up until very recently (she is elderly now) and she gave me the recipe in her own handwriting when I first got married in 1977. I just tried to pin this recipe and got a pop-up window saying it is a copyrighted recipe...and would not let me pin it. Not sure why it is copyrighted because I have had it for going on 4 decades now. . Still delicious, and a classic!
    Reply
    • Renee Rogers says:
      April 4, 2015
      p.s. Her name for it is simply Four Layer Dessert.
      Reply
      • Julie Willson says:
        July 18, 2016
        I got the same recipe from my mother-in-law 30 years ago. She called it "Girdle Buster" delicious made with any type of pudding. The recipe is definitely an old one and well past copyright protection laws.
        Reply
    • Mo says:
      July 26, 2015
      can you use any kind of nuts(like peanuts) for the crust?
      Reply
      • Cyd says:
        August 3, 2015
        We have used pecans and walnuts.
        Reply
  5. Kylie says:
    April 5, 2015
    How cool to see this recipe! We have one that is pretty similar in my family and we call it Chocolate Yummy, it was a staple at our house on birthdays. Your picture brought on all sorts of nostalgia, thank you so much for sharing this, I'll have to try your version out soon!
    Reply
  6. rebecca says:
    April 11, 2015
    I've been looking for this recipe!!!! !y grandmother used to make this but it was called piggy pudding
    Reply
  7. Kay Palmer says:
    July 28, 2015
    My aunt called this "Better than Sex Cake"
    Reply
    • Carolyn Smith says:
      April 6, 2016
      This is what my recipe is called too. It's very yummy!
      Reply
  8. Soraya Cornick says:
    August 9, 2015
    I've, also, had this recipe for approximately 35 years. Although, it was called Pistachio Dessert, because of using pistachio pudding rather than chocolate. So delicious!!! No topping sprinkled on it in my recipe. Although, ground pistachios would be yummy!!!
    Reply
  9. Diane Herdt says:
    June 19, 2016
    My only problem is 5/8 cup butter is not 10 tablespoons.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      June 20, 2016
      Hi Diane. There are 10 tablespoons in 5/8 cups. 1 tablespoon equals 1/16 of a cup. 5/8 = 10/16. So you will need 10 tablespoons. Hope this helps. :)
      Reply
  10. Orly says:
    July 16, 2016
    Hi. I'm from New Zealand. What is cool whip? Thanks so much
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      July 16, 2016
      Cool whip is a non dairy whipped topping. It is found in the freezer section of the grocery store in the US.
      Reply
  11. Sandy says:
    May 3, 2018
    I grew up on this. Now I make the crust out of pecan sandies cookies and butter. In the spring/summer I use lemon pudding for a brighter flavor. Yum!
    Reply
  12. Gloria Scott says:
    June 15, 2018
    I too have had this recipe for about 35 years. We made it either with lemon pudding or chocolate. Both so delicious!
    Reply
  13. Celeste says:
    June 21, 2018
    Do you think this could be made with whipped cream(homemade) instead of the cool whip?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      June 21, 2018
      Hi Celeste, a lot of people don't like cool whip. Here is a recipe that you can use in place of cool whip. This Stabilized Whipped Cream uses cream cheese and powdered sugar for thickening so you can use it as a replacement for Cool Whip! Ingredients 4 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature 1/3 powdered sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup heavy whipping cream Instructions In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until soft and creamy. In another mixing bowl beat the heavy whipping cream just until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese and beat until stiff peaks are formed.
      Reply
  14. Nicole says:
    August 11, 2018
    Too much butter. Should only use 8 tablespoons (half cup).
    Reply
  15. Kennaanna says:
    August 25, 2018
    I tried making this and my cream cheese layer kept taking the crust up. I had a big mess of mixed cream cheese and crust. Do you think my cream cheese was still too cold or what did I do wrong? It still tasted amazing but not beautiful layers.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      August 27, 2018
      This recipe is one of our most popular dessert cakes. The crust needs to be completely cooled before adding the cream cheese layer. We like to put spoonfuls of the cream cheese layer all over the whole crust, then gently and carefully spread it around to cover the crust.
      Reply
      • Emma says:
        July 12, 2020
        Do you make the pudding before hand? Or put the instant powder mix in with the milk and vanilla?
        Reply
        • Cyd says:
          July 17, 2020
          Hi Emma, mix the 2 pudding mixes with the milk and vanilla listed in the recipe ingredients.
          Reply
  16. Rose Martine says:
    July 27, 2020
    You are AMAZING! Thank you thank you thank you so much for this. I was considering doing the same thing and you’ve just made the task a lot less daunting. Regards Rose Martine
    Reply
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