Chocolate Delight is an old fashioned chocolate pudding dessert that will impress your guests! It’s easy to make, and everyone will love the shortbread crust and smooth, creamy layers.
“This dessert was FANTASTIC!! Everyone loved it & went back for seconds!!” -Kris
If you love chocolate pudding, this is the dessert for you! Chocolate Delight is a four-layer pudding dessert with these delicious layers:
- Shortbread crust with pecans
- Sweetened cream cheese
- Chocolate pudding
- Whipped topping + chocolate shavings on top
It’s made in a 13×9 inch pan and it’s great for gatherings. You can make it up to one day in advance, and guests of all ages will adore how sweet, creamy, and tasty it is.
A few readers mentioned they served Chocolate Delight (it’s also known as “Robert Redford Cake”) in the 1970s, and have been serving it ever since. It’s easy to see why. It even has a lemon flavored cousin (Lemon Lush) and one for pistachio fans (Pistachio Delight).
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Kate’s tips for the best Chocolate Delight
- The first layer (the crust) is baked, but the other layers are not baked. Leave some time for the crust to cool before adding the other layers.
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so you won’t get lumps in the second layer. If you forget, use these instructions (the cube method or the microwave method) to soften the cream cheese.
- Place the entire dessert in the freezer for 45 minutes before slicing. This will help you get clean looking slices when serving.
Ingredients
- The buttery shortbread crust is made with flour, butter, and chopped pecans.
- The second layer is a creamy combination of cream cheese, powdered sugar, and whipped topping.
- The third layer is super simple: instant Jell-O chocolate pudding and milk.
- The fourth and final layer is the rest of the whipped topping and chocolate shavings, which I made from a semi-sweet chocolate bar using a vegetable peeler (more on that below).
How to Make Chocolate Delight
- Layer 1: Mix the flour and salt, then cut in the cubed butter until it forms pea-sized lumps. The dough should mostly hold together when you squeeze it.
- Stir in the pecans, and then press the mixture into a 13×9 inch pan. Use your hands to press the mixture down—this will help it hold together when it’s baked. Bake for 20–25 minutes, and let cool.
- Layer 2: Mix the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in 1 cup of whipped topping.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the cooled crust.
- Layer 3: In a large bowl, mix the Jell-O chocolate pudding mix and milk with a hand mixer for two minutes. The mixture will thicken considerably as you mix it.
- Evenly spread the pudding onto the cream cheese layer.
- Layer 4: Dollop the remaining whipped topping on top, and spread to cover the chocolate pudding layer. I like using an offset spatula to get nice, even layers.
- Sprinkle chocolate shavings on top, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
How to shave chocolate For the Top
This is an optional step, but I think the chocolate shavings make the top of the Chocolate Delight dessert look especially beautiful.
To create chocolate shavings, take a vegetable peeler, and run it alongside a chocolate bar. I used semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use any variety that you like.
A cold chocolate bar will produce short shavings, while a warmer chocolate bar will produce longer curls. Take care that the chocolate bar isn’t too warm, though, or you won’t be able to shave it at all!
Tips for serving
You will need to refrigerate this layered chocolate pudding dessert for at least 4 hours before serving. You can either cut slices with a knife, or serve the dessert with a serving spoon, and guests can scoop their own.
In order to get “clean” knife cuts and have the four layers showing in the dessert, place the pan in the freezer for 45 minutes before you plan to slice and serve it. This will help the layers stay together and look nice when cut.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make it gluten free, substitute a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
If you simply cut and scoop the dessert, the layers may run together slightly when you lift the pieces out of the pan. To prevent this, place the entire dessert in the freezer for 45 minutes before slicing and serving. Also, be sure to wipe the knife off in between cuts when slicing it.
You can substitute 3 cups of fresh whipped cream (made from 1.5 cups heavy cream + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar) for the whipped topping. Use 1 cup in the cream cheese layer and the other 2 cups for the final layer. Keep in mind that real whipped cream is not as sturdy as whipped topping, so the top layer may not create clean-cut slices.
Make ahead instructions
Chocolate Delight can be made up to 1 day ahead. Keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.
If the dessert sits in the refrigerator for longer than 1 day, the chocolate pudding layer will begin to bleed into the cream cheese and whipped topping layers. It still tastes delicious, but it won’t be as pretty when it’s served.
More chocolate desserts
If you’re in the market for more chocolate desserts, don’t miss these!
Ding Dong Cake (which tastes like a Hostess ding dong!)
Turtle Cake (one of my absolute favorites)
Buster Bar Dessert (tastes like a Buster Bar from Dairy Queen!)
Chocolate Eclair Dessert (so easy and SO good)
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Delight
Ingredients
First layer:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, cubed
- ½ teaspoon salt (include salt if butter is unsalted; if using salted butter, omit the salt)
Second layer:
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup whipped topping (like Cool Whip—use an 8 ounce container)
Third layer
- 2 (3.9 oz) packages instant chocolate pudding
- 3 cups milk
Fourth layer:
- Remaining whipped topping from a 8 ounce container
- Small chocolate bar for grating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- For the first layer, place the flour in a large mixing bowl, and cut in the butter with two forks or a pastry blender. Alternatively, you can also use your fingers to work in the butter until pea-size lumps form. Stir in the pecans.
- Press the mixture into a 13×9 inch pan. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Cool completely.
- For the second layer, place the cream cheese and the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Mix with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy. Fold in 1 cup of whipped topping with a spatula, and spread the mixture over the cooled crust.
- For the third layer, beat the instant pudding and the milk together with a handheld mixer for 2 minutes. The pudding will thicken. Pour on top of the second layer and spread it out evenly.
- Carefully dollop the remaining whipped topping on top of the pudding mixture, and spread it with an offset spatula or butter knife. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight. When you’re ready to serve, grate the chocolate bar with a peeler, sprinkle the shavings on top, and place the dessert in the freezer for 45 minutes to firm up for cutting. (Freezing the dessert ensures that you’ll get nice looking layers when cutting it.)
- To serve, slice the dessert into squares with a sharp knife.
This dessert was FANTASTIC!! Everyone loved it & went back for seconds!! At a ladies lunch recently, someone brought this type of dessert up, calling it Robert Redford cake. She described it and we all knew we had to try it! I researched a bunch of recipes and thought this one sounded good. I made it & served it at out next luncheon & it was a hit!! I made 2 changes. I made a half recipe and since I had 4 oz of cream cheese left over, I blended it with the remaining whipped topping and spread over the top of the pudding. So instead of just whipped topping on top, it had cream cheese in there too. Then I grated the chocolate bar over the top to finish. Let me tell you, the crust of this recipe is excellent too!! This delicious dessert will be served at our gatherings again! Thank you for sharing this recipe!! Anyone reading this, do yourself a favor & make it!❤
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your take on the recipe!
It lives up to its name because it is very chocolatey and very delightful. There’s a restaurant in my hometown that still makes this and serves it in squares. They make a blueberry delight, a lemon delight, a butterscotch delight and a chocolate delight, and they’re all delicious, but the chocolate delight is by far the best, but I was so glad to see the recipe cause I’d like to surprise my family this Christmas and make it. My grandmother made it the first time I ever had it about 1971 and it was divine. Thank you so much for this old memory. This very worthy deserving to be made dessert. It is really really good and Easy. !
I love that. Thanks for sharing that memory. I hope it tastes exactly like you remember!
Wonderful
So glad that you enjoyed it—thanks for taking the time to comment!