When you have kids and tell them the same stories over and over they eventually roll their eyes at you, even sometimes when they think you can’t see what they’re doing, as if, okay, “I have to hear this one again.”
Like the one about how my mother made this graham cracker and pudding cake when my brothers and I were youngsters.
Everybody’s mother made this one. Some moms used one flavor of pudding. Mine always layered the cake with two flavors, chocolate and vanilla pudding. She used packaged pudding of course. My-T-Fine, back in the day when My-T-Fine pudding had like 5 or 6 ingredients and the list of additives didn’t take up several lines.
Anyway, so now since my grown children know the story about how my mom made it and will burst if I ever tell it again, it’s time to tell my grandchildren.
Which I did.
Last weekend Lila, age 6, and Nina, age 5, helped me make graham cracker pudding cake.
We made the pudding from scratch. It has like 5 or 6 ingredients and no additives.
Instead of vanilla we made butterscotch pudding.
A good time was had by all, rolled eyes or not. And I can assure you, this was a big, big winner. The kind of dessert you can talk about and repeat a story about for generations.
So for all of you out there whose moms or grandmas made this cake way back when, here’s a good recipe:
Graham Cracker Pudding Cake
about 20 whole graham crackers (I used Nabisco honey grahams)
one recipe chocolate pudding
one recipe butterscotch pudding
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
2-3 teaspoons sugar
grated chocolate
Place half the graham crackers inside a 9”x13” cake pan. Spoon the chocolate pudding on top. Cover with the remaining graham crackers. Place the butterscotch pudding on top. Whip the cream until thickened. Add the sugar and continue to whip until thick. Spread on top of the pudding. Garnish with grated or shaved chocolate. Makes 12-16 servings
Chocolate Pudding:
3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Heat 2-1/2 cups of milk until bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. In the meantime, sift the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 cup milk and mix ingredients until smooth. Add the heated milk, blend thoroughly with a whisk and return the mixture to the pan. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pudding is smooth and thick. Let cool slightly. Stir in the vanilla extract. Spoon into dessert dishes if not used for pudding cake. Chill and serve. Makes 6 regular dessert servings
Butterscotch Pudding:
3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 tablespoons butter, optional
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Heat 2-1/2 cups of milk until bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. In the meantime, sift the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt together into a bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 cup milk and mix ingredients until smooth. Add the heated milk, blend thoroughly with a whisk and return the mixture to the pan. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pudding is smooth and thick. Let cool slightly. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Spoon into dessert dishes if not used for pudding cake. Chill and serve. Makes 6 regular dessert servings