Halloween Icebox Cake—Hold the Radioactive Bananas! by Ang Pompano plus a giveaway!

Ang Pompano: You may remember Joey and James from last Halloween, when they made Graveyard Pudding. 

Since then, they've been honing their culinary skills at home. Joey has become a guacamole guru, while James has perfected the art of making hot dogs with his hot dog maker.

When I asked what they wanted to make for this year's Halloween post, they both voted for icebox cake. Great, I thought. But icebox cake isn't exactly a Halloween classic.

Then I decided, why not? We'd wing it. With no real recipe in mind, we got to work one day while the boys were on school vacation. Our only goal was to have fun. We started with a basic icebox cake and added Halloween touches as we went along.

HERE'S WHAT WE USED

- 1 package instant chocolate pudding

- 1 package instant vanilla pudding

- Graham crackers

- Heavy whipping cream 

- Bananas, sliced

- Sprinkles, chocolate chips, and Halloween candy of your choice

- Food coloring

Optional ingredient: two active kids. They may make things a little chaotic, but that's half the fun.

Step 1: Make the pudding. Prepare both flavors according to the package directions.

Step 2: Give the vanilla pudding a Halloween makeover. 

They decided to turn the vanilla pudding pumpkin orange. The boys reached for the red and yellow food coloring, but discovered that the pudding's natural yellowish color meant they needed only a few drops of red to get the shade they wanted.

Step 3: Taste-test everything. Any good chef will tell you that frequent taste tests are essential. The boys were happy to do their part.

Step 4: Whip the cream.

James whipped up some cream for an extra dose of goodness. Refrigerate it until you're ready to assemble the cake. And if anyone took a shortcut and used whipped topping, these guys wouldn't tell.

Step 5: Start building your layers.

Joey calls the next step "making pudding lasagna." Put a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of your dish. Spread a layer of pudding over the crackers. Joey started with the pumpkin-colored vanilla pudding, while James went straight for the chocolate. 

Step 6: Add the bananas. Or don't!

Joey added a layer of bananas. James passed, explaining that bananas are radioactive. That was news to me. We looked it up and it turned out he was technically right! I had to admire James for bringing a little science into the dessert prep. But who knew an icebox cake should come with a radiation warning? 

Step 7: Keep layering.

Continue alternating graham crackers, pudding, and bananas, if you're using them, until you reach the top of your dish.

Step 8: Add the finishing touches.
Cover the final layer with whipped cream. Then let the Halloween decorating begin! The boys added Halloween candy and chocolate chips to decorate their masterpieces. Cover and refrigerate the cakes until the graham crackers soften and the layers set. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Step 9: The most important step. Don't forget to lick the spoons.

Step 10: The Finished Creations! 

Two icebox cakes, two happy chefs. Missing from the picture—one very tired granddude. We set out to have some fun, and I'd say the mission was accomplished. Have a spooky and delicious Halloween!

Readers, how old were you when you first started helping in the kitchen? Do you think kids should be encouraged to experiment with food, or should they learn to follow a recipe exactly as written?

Comment below and one lucky reader will win a Kindle edition of Death Camas: Best New England Crime Stories 2026, featuring the story "Cough Lasagnas and Salty Memories" by our Mystery Lovers' Kitchen pal Edith Maxwell, my own story, "The Angel of Sachem Creek," and plenty of other great crime stories by some of New England's best authors. Don't forget to leave your email address. 

ORDER DEATH CAMAS HERE

Simmering Secrets releases on November 3, 2027

You can pre-order Simmering Secrets here

Visit me at angpompano.com