This no-bake Twix cake is the easiest way to turn candy into dessert. Layers of cinnamon graham crackers, creamy chocolate-vanilla pudding filling, and chopped Twix bars are finished with chocolate frosting and caramel, then set in the freezer instead of the oven. It’s a fun project for kids and an impressive-looking dessert for you.
Often, cooler weather means a switch to hot food and desserts. But this easy Twix cake, which doesn’t require you to turn on the oven, is a sweet treat you’ll find yourself turning to again and again throughout the year. The Halloween season is an especially good time to whip it up, since candy overflows the grocery aisles (though Twix are always on the shelves). It’s really a year-round dessert.
What Makes This Cake No Bake?
It’s so easy to make this cake. All you’ll need is an electric mixer to put the ingredients together. Rather than baking, this cake gets its shape and texture from a spell in the freezer. So it’s perfect for a weeknight “baking” project when you don’t feel like turning the oven on.
Why You’ll Love This No-Bake Twix Cake
It’s easy. There’s no oven, just one appliance (an electric mixer), and a simple method: graham crackers, filling, candy, repeat. It’s fun. Kids get to build the layers, sneak a taste of Twix as they unwrap the candy, and finish the top with a caramel drizzle. And it’s impressive. Stacked layers, chocolate frosting, chopped Twix, and a generous covering of caramel add up to a dessert that looks like you fussed, for very little effort.
No-Bake Halloween Dessert Ideas: School, Parties, and Trick-or-Treaters
A No-Bake Dessert to Share at School
Cut into small squares, this cake is a fun way to share with a class. Because it’s made with Cool Whip, pudding, and cream cheese, it needs to stay cold, so pack it in a cooler with an ice pack, and check your school’s policy on homemade and refrigerated treats first.
A Halloween Party Dessert That Steals the Show
Set out straight from the freezer, this cake is a party-table centerpiece. Make it ahead, since it sets in the freezer, and slice it just before serving. Kids can arrange the Twix pieces on top and finish with the caramel.
Sweets for Special Trick-or-Treaters
Because this cake needs to stay cold, it’s not one to wrap for a trick-or-treat bag. Instead, serve chilled squares to friends and family at your table or in your kitchen straight from the freezer or a cooler.
Ingredient Notes: Twix, Graham Crackers, and Cool Whip
Twix. Mars first made Twix in 1967 at its factory in Slough, England, and the name is a mash-up of “twin sticks.” The candy bar reached American shelves in 1979. Kids may enjoy knowing about the “Left Twix vs. Right Twix” ad campaign that began in 2012, even though the two bars are the same. Let your helpers settle the debate themselves while they unwrap the bars.
Cinnamon graham crackers. The graham cracker is credited to Sylvester Graham, a Presbyterian minister who in 1829 created a whole-grain cracker as a healthier alternative to white bread. The sweeter, cinnamon-flavored crackers we know today are a far cry from his original, but the name is a tribute to him.
Cool Whip. This freezer-aisle topping was created in the mid-1960s by General Foods food chemist William A. Mitchell, the same inventor behind Tang and Pop Rocks. Mixed with pudding, it makes a creamy filling for the cake.
How Kids Can Help Make This Twix Cake
Kids can line the baking dish with graham crackers, count out and scoop the pudding cups (the other three cups make a snack for your helpers), unwrap the Twix bars, spread the layers, and drizzle the caramel on top. Adults should run the electric mixer and handle chopping the Twix.
Tips for the Best No-Bake Twix Cake
Soften the frosting and cream cheese. Both need to be at room temperature so they blend until smooth.
Use half the pudding pack. The recipe calls for 3 of the 6 pudding cups, so you’ll have three left over for snacking.
Give it time. Freeze the cake for at least two hours, then slice and serve cold with a warmed knife.
Store it in the freezer. Keep leftovers covered in the freezer for up to 10 days.
Looking for more? Try our Simple Fudgy Peppermint Patty Brownies, see our easy Halloween treats to make with kids, and browse TABLE’s Cooking with Kids and Desserts recipes.
Print
Easy Twix Cold Cake (No Bake)
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 min
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings 1x
Description
A no-bake layered dessert of cinnamon graham crackers, chocolate-vanilla pudding filling, chopped Twix bars, chocolate frosting, and caramel that sets in the freezer. Easy for kids to help make.
Ingredients
- 1/2 box cinnamon graham crackers
- 1 pack of Snack Pack Chocolate Vanilla Flavored Pudding
- 1 tub of Cool Whip
- 2 cups Twix Bars, chopped
- 1 containers (8oz) milk chocolate frosting, room temperature
- 1 package (8oz) creme cheese, room temperature
- ⅓ cup caramel
Instructions
- Place entire tub of cool whip and 3 of the 6 pudding cups in a mixer, blending on mix until well incorporated.
- Cover the bottom of your baking dish with graham crackers, and cover graham crackers with half of pudding mixture.
- Add another layer of graham crackers, then the rest of the pudding mixture. Layer half of chopped Trix on top.
- Take milk chocolate frosting and blend with cream cheese until smooth.
- Add final layer of graham crackers. Top with frosting and cream cheese blend. Top with other half of Twix. Finish it off with a generous covering of caramel.
- Freeze for at least two hours, slice and serve cold!
- Prep Time: Approximately 30 minutes
- Freeze Time: At least 2 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-bake (freezer)
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 610 – 760 per servings
No-Bake Twix Cake FAQs
Do I need to bake this Twix cake?
No. The cake gets its shape and texture from at least two hours in the freezer.
Can kids help make it?
Yes. Kids can line the dish, scoop and spread the layers, unwrap the Twix, and drizzle the caramel. Adults should run the electric mixer and chop the Twix.
Can I make it ahead for a party?
Yes. Because it sets in the freezer, you can make it a day or two ahead and slice it just before serving.
Can I give this cake to trick-or-treaters?
It needs to stay cold, since it’s made with Cool Whip, pudding, and cream cheese. Serve chilled squares to friends and family who stop by rather than wrapping it for a trick-or-treat bag. Check ingredient labels for allergens before sharing.
About the Recipe Author
Jordan Snowden is a Pittsburgh-based writer and editor and a former Online Editor at TABLE Magazine. She writes The Plot Thickens, a monthly crime fiction column for The Seattle Times, and contributes to Pittsburgh City Paper, where she previously served as Music Editor. She is also Marketing Specialist at Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures and shares her reading life on Instagram as @jord_reads_books.
Photography and Styling by Keith Recker
Keith Recker is Editor in Chief and Co-Owner of TABLE Magazine. A color and trend forecaster for nearly 20 years, his clients have included Pantone, WGSN, Stylus, and the Color Association of the United States. He is the author of three books on color, including Deep Color: The Shades That Shape Our Souls and True Colors: World Masters of Natural Dyes and Pigments, and co-founder of the Open Source Colour Association. Read more of his work here or contact him at keith@tablemagazine.com.
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