My mother-in-law has made Four-Layer Dessert for as long as I've known her. Although it usually shows up for patriotic holidays such as Memorial Day and Independence Day with berries on top to depict our flag, it's just as delicious at any time of year!
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The original recipe is more of a collection of processed foods like pudding mix and ready-made whipped cream, none of which I consume any longer! So I set out to recreate it using whole, natural ingredients. Because there are four layers, the from-scratch process takes a little longer than it did when we used ready-made ingredients, but it's so worth the effort.
The Layers of Four-Layer Dessert
- crust
- cream cheese mixture
- pudding
- whipped cream
For the pudding:
I usually start by making the pudding because it needs to thicken and chill before you can assemble the dessert. AND it's the most labor intensive layer of the four. You can make vanilla pudding, of course, but we are partial to chocolate around here. Just mix the dry ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, then whisk in the milk.
Cook it over medium heat till bubbly, then gradually stir about a cup of it into the egg yolks to temper them before adding them to the saucepan. If you don't temper, you'll have scrambled eggs in your pudding and that is absolutely not desired!
Continue cooking the pudding over medium heat till it thickens adequately. Pour it into a bowl and place parchment paper directly on the surface of the pudding, pressing down to be sure none of the surface is exposed to the air.
for the crust
The crust might be my favorite part and it's just because I love pecans so much! It's simply pecans, flour, and butter. Just mix them together and press them into the pan and bake it for about 15 minutes. You can use a gluten-free flour blend or cassava flour if needed.
for the cream cheese
While the crust is cooling, whip heavy cream and mix it with softened cream cheese and sugar. This layer is like cream cheese frosting's lighter cousin!
for the assembly
After the crust is cool, carefully spread the cream cheese mixture on. If you're not careful, the crust will stick to the cream cheese and make a big mess so be gentle.
Then pour the chilled pudding on top.
And the final layer is straight up whipped cream.
It's such a cooling summer dessert that I'm glad to make with wholesome ingredients!
Other recipes you might like:
Recipe
Four-Layer Dessert
Ingredients
Layer One
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- ¾ cup butter melted
Layer Two
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Layer Three
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2⅔ cups milk
- 4 egg yolks beaten
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Layer Four
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
Layer One
- Heat oven to 350°
- Mix all the ingredients and press into a 9x13 baking pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
Layer Two
- Whip the heavy whipping cream with 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and the whipped cream.
Layer Three
- In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and the flour.
- Whisk in the milk and cook, stirring, over medium heat till bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Gradually stir 1 cup of the milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly. Add the tempered egg mixture to the rest of the milk mixture in the saucepan.
- Bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes and remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract.
- Pour the pudding into a bowl, place parchment paper directly on the surface of the pudding, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Layer Four
- Whip the heavy whipping cream with the powdered sugar till it is stiff.
Assembly
- After the crust is cool and the pudding is chilled, you can spread the cream cheese layer (Layer Two) on the crust (Layer One). Be sure to do that carefully so as to not pick up crumbs from the crust. Spread the pudding (Layer Three) evenly on, and top it with the whipped cream.
Chris Johnson
Tammy, I have made this a few times now. It's one of my regular go-to desserts for a crowd. The pecan crust is so delicious and that pudding, you can't go wrong!
Whipping cream and cream cheese, yum. So, so good! Thanks for sharing!
Tammy Circeo
Thank you, Chris. I really appreciate you saying so! Bon Appetit!