Chocolate Delight is a delicious layered dessert loved by many. This creamy dessert has a crunchy pecan crust, rich cream cheese layer, luscious chocolate pudding layer, and fluffy whipped cream on top. It’s the ultimate homemade dessert to make for special occasions and potlucks.
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What is Chocolate Delight?
Chocolate Delight is not quite a cheesecake and not quite a pudding pie, but it takes the best from each and combines them into one fantastic dessert. The crunchy pecan crust is the perfect base for the layers of sweetened cream cheese, rich chocolate pudding, and fluffy whipped topping.
What Makes This Chocolate Delight Dessert So Good
Some people call this no bake Chocolate Delight recipe Four Layer Dessert. Whatever you call it, it’s perfect for those times when you are craving a rich and decadent dessert but don’t want to spend all day in a hot kitchen.
Pre-bake the crust, and you can put this dessert together in less than 20 minutes. It’s perfect for serving at a large gathering because it appeals to both kids and adults making it ideal for picnics and potlucks.
Chocolate Delight Ingredients
To make Chocolate Delight with pecan crust, you need:
- All-purpose flour
- Chopped pecans
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Cool Whip
- Milk
- Instant chocolate pudding mix
How to Make Chocolate Delight
Here are the simple recipe steps and photos for making this four layer dessert:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Place the pecans in a plastic bag using a rolling pin to crush them. You don’t want the pieces to be any finer than rough sand.
- Mix the crushed pecans, flour, and melted butter in a bowl until it resembles wet sand, and press the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Do not bring the crust up the sides of the baking dish.
- Bake the crust in the oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the crust cool.
- Place the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and half of the Cool Whip into a bowl.
- Use an electric hand or stand mixer to beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and half of the whipped topping.
- Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled pecan crust.
- Empty the chocolate pudding mix packets into a separate bowl and pour in the milk. Stir to combine.
- Beat the pudding mixture with a mixer for three minutes until it is thick and shiny. Since the recipe calls for less milk than the directions on the box, the pudding will be a little thicker than usual. Set aside
- Spread the chocolate pudding layer on top of the cream cheese mixture. Try to keep both of the layers separate.
- Cover the top of the baking dish with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for about an hour until the pudding layer sets. Also, pressing the plastic wrap on the pudding will prevent a skin from forming on top.
- Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and add a layer of whipped topping on top.
- Sprinkle some chopped pecans on top (optional).
- You can serve the Chocolate Delight immediately or cover with plastic wrap and put it back in the fridge for later.
- Slice the dessert into squares.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
Nut allergies are more prevalent these days, so consider making the crust with graham crackers or Oreo cookies to guarantee everyone can enjoy it.
- For a Chocolate Delight with graham cracker crust, mix together a cup and a half of crushed graham crackers, five tablespoons of melted butter, and a quarter cup of white sugar.
- For a Chocolate Delight with Oreo cookie crust, mix together a cup and a half of crushed Oreo cookies and four tablespoons of melted butter.
How To Serve Chocolate Delight
This recipe tastes the best when you make it the day before and serve it straight from the fridge; the colder, the better.
What Goes Well With Four Layer Dessert
Try garnishing chocolate chips or chocolate shavings on the top. Crushed praline pecans add extra sweetness and crunch to the dessert.
How To Store Four Layer Dessert
Keep it in the baking pan, cover the top with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge.
How Long Does It Last
Although the whipped cream topping may get a bit crusty, chocolate delight should still be good for up to four or five days in the fridge.
Favorite Chocolate Desserts
- Black Bottom Pie
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
- Chocolate Pudding Pie
- German Chocolate Pie
- Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie
Creamy Dessert Recipes
- Banana Cream Pie
- Banana Split Cake
- Coconut Custard Pie
- Kool-Aid Pie
- Lemon Cream Cheese Pie
- Lemon Lush
- Tapioca Pudding
Check out more of my easy dessert recipes and the best Christmas and Thanksgiving recipes here on CopyKat!
Thanks to Catherine for this one!
Chocolate Delight
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 stick butter (1/4 pound) softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 16 ounces Cool Whip divided
- 3 cups milk
- 2 packages instant chocolate pudding mix 3.5 ounces each
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Place the flour, pecans, and butter in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly and press into the bottom of the greased baking dish.
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Then place the dish on a wire rack to cool.
- Place the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and half of the Cool Whip into a medium bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to beat until well combined and smooth.
- Spread the mixture over the cooled crust and refrigerate.
- Place the milk and chocolate pudding mix in a large bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat for 3 minutes at low speed until thickened and glossy.
- Spread the chocolate pudding evenly over the cream cheese layer in the dish.
- Refrigerate until the pudding is set.
- Spread the remaining 8 ounces of Cool Whip evenly over the chocolate layer, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nite Loon
Been making this dessert since 1970. It was a recipe in the “Longmont Times Call” newspaper. It was called ” Better Then Robert Redford Dessert”. The original recipe had vanilla pudding & gave other pudding substitutions. My hubby and I like it with Pistachio pudding. I use pistachio nots or his fave walnuts instead of pecans.
Lori Smith
This is not really “cake” we always called it Four Layer Dessert… Anyway, it is surely to die for!!