All Natural Chocolate Delight Dessert
With a pecan-cookie-flavored base, topped with layers of chocolate and cheesecake, Chocolate Delight is a special summer dessert
I still remember the first time I tasted Chocolate Delight. It was at a family picnic, and my husband’s aunt brought a big tray. After the first bite, I realized it might be the best potluck dessert I’d ever had.
There was a layer of chocolate pudding, a cheesecake-like layer and a whipped topping that were delicious. But the best part of all was the base. Similar to a pecan cookie, the nutty flavor made it unique–and absolutely delicious!
The Semi-Frozen Innovation
Now she did one other thing that’s different from any of the Chocolate Delight recipes I’ve seen online. She served this semi-frozen. Whether it was due to not allowing enough thaw time, or on purpose, I loved it. And now I even eat it fully frozen on occassion!
It’s super refreshing on a really hot day–though it’s hard to beat in any state!
Just one caution if you do decide to try freezing. When frozen solid, I find it virtually impossible to cut through without the crust breaking. But no problem at all when not. So if you are going to serve this frozen, or semi-frozen, precut it and freeze the slices individually.
Going Natural
Now despite loving it, I did have one serious barrier to putting this recipe in my own repertoire. It’s that the original dessert was made with commercial whipped topping. And this is something I don’t eat.
Now, I think the main reason for its inclusion that people fear that whipped cream won’t hold up. But a properly made whipped cream will keep for at least a couple days. And face it, unless you have super willpower, this will never last longer than that anyway (this lasted 2-3 days with just my husband and me–shhh).
It’s even a myth that whipped cream won’t freeze. I learned this while prepping for my daughter’s post-Covid wedding garden party.
I made all the desserts, including lots of mini cheesecake bites which were frozen ahead of time. And in a hopeful experiment I discovered that whipped cream rosettes piped on top would freeze and thaw beautifully. So no piping the day of the event. YES!
And finally, since homemade pudding is so easy to make, I used that instead of packaged too.
Why You’ll Love This!
Flavorful. With a pecan cookie-like base, and layers of chocolate and cheesecake, this is a taste sensation.
Natural. While most of the recipes you see use commercial whipped topping and pudding mix, this uses real whipped cream and homemade pudding. But, sorry guys, it’s still not a health food!
Fun. These are an absolute crowd pleaser. And pro-tip, you can slice and freeze pieces individually to take out any hot summer day.
Step by Step Overview
Prepare the crust layer: Pulse the crust ingredients until combined.
Press evenly into a 9×13-inch baking dish and bake. Cool completely.
Prepare the whipped cream (or can use prepared whipped topping).
Prepare the cheesecake layer: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar on low speed until smooth and creamy. Then gently mix in a cup of whipped cream or whipped topping.
Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cooled crust.
Prepare the chocolate layer (alternatively can use 2 small packages chocolate pudding made with 3 cups of milk instead of 4): In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and cornstarch. Mix well. Add in cold milk, whisk until combined.
Turn heat to medium, stirring constantly. As soon as the pudding has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
Allow mixture to cool completely, stirring occasionally to avoid a skin forming on top. Spread the pudding mixture over the cream cheese layer.
Prepare the top layer: Spread the remaining whipped cream or whipped topping evenly over the pudding layer. Top with finely grated chocolate or chocolate curls.
Cover and refrigerate at least an hour.
Tips & FAQs
Some people save time and/or avoid baking by making a cookie or graham cracker crust out of cookie crumbs and butter. If you want to do this, I’d suggest using Pecan Sandies cookies or something similar. The nutty flavor of the crust is a big part of the charm.
To add a little interest to the top, I grate a bit of chocolate with a microplane. It’s not as fancy as chocolate curls but it’s nice—and super easy!
Easy Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Biscoff Chocolate Cheesecake from Creative Cynchronicity
- Chocolate Cherry Brownies with Ruby Port Ganache from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Chocolate Crockpot Cake from Jen Around the World
- Chocolate Hazlenut Truffles from That Recipe
- Copycat Wendy’s Frosty from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
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Chocolate Delight Dessert
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup butter cubed
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup sugar
Cheesecake Layer:
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup whipped cream or whipped topping
Extra Thick Chocolate Pudding (or prepare 2 small packages of commercial chocolate pudding using 3 cups of milk instead of 4):
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- pinch salt
- 3 cups reduced fat milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream (or one 8-ounce package of prepared whipped topping):
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
Garnish:
- A square or 2 of chocolate for grating
Instructions
Prepare the crust layer:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a food processor, pulse the crust ingredients (cubed butter, nuts, sugar and flour) until combined.
- Press the crust mixture evenly into a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Prepare the whipped cream:
- Put the whippingcream into a metal or glass bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, then continue beating until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.
Prepare the cheesecake layer:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar on low speed until smooth and creamy. Then gently mix in a cup of whipped cream or Cool Whip.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cooled crust.
Prepare the chocolate layer (alternatively can use 2 small packages chocolate pudding made with 3 cups of milk instead of 4):
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and cornstarch. Mix well. Add in cold milk, whisk until combined.
- Turn heat to medium, stirring constantly. As soon as the pudding has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
- Allow mixture to cool completely, stirring occasionally to avoid a skin forming on top
- Spread the pudding mixture over the cream cheese layer.
Prepare the top layer:
- Spread the remaining whipped cream or Cool Whip evenly over the pudding layer. Top with finely grated chocolate or chocolate curls
- Cover and refrigerate at least an hour.