S’mores Cake
It’s summer time and in the summer time we eat s’mores. This is non-negotiable.
IF by some odd chance you think you don’t like s’mores, you’re dead wrong. More than dead wrong. You’re lost. You’re confused. You don’t actually believe that you deserve nice things.
Let me enlighten you. Let me bring you back into the light. Trust, I’m only here to help. You do deserve nice things in life and one of the greatest is a s’more, or (come to think of it), anything that is s’mores flavored.
If you’ve been following along with the blog for a bit then you know by now that I’m…fond of s’mores flavored desserts. So far I’ve hit you guys with popcorn, sandwich cookies and brownies–ALL of which, you should try because they’re friggin delicious.
Today I’m back with a new addition to the collection that I’m pretty proud of: a s’mores flavored layer cake.
The first thing that I want to point out about this recipe is rather obvious: this isn’t a conventional round layer cake. Most layer cake recipes call for you to have at least 2, and at times up to 4 or 6 different pans to bake the batter in, and even though I bake often I have 3 cake pans and never really feel like using them much. You have to measure out and weigh the batter in each pan to make sure there’s an even amount in each and sometimes I just can’t be be bothered. All of this cake’s batter bakes in one single loaf pan–the kind that MOST people already have in their cabinets. Rather than divvy up the batter between multiple pans, it’s baked into one cake that’s then split into three rectangular layers later on.
I’ve seen recipes for other s’mores cakes before and interestingly enough, the cake is often chocolate flavored. I…don’t understand this. The base of the s’more are graham crackers that house the marshmallow and chocolate inside. You’ve just got to have that graham cracker flavor to balance the other two. In this recipe, the cake batter is given a warm, nutty, caramel-y flavor with brown sugar and the essential graham base flavor by the addition of finely crushed graham cracker crumbs.
If that doesn’t sound yummy enough all on it’s own, after you split the layers of the cake and start to assemble it is where things get REALLY tasty. We’re not just putting melted marshmallows into the buttercream; to give it that special ‘campfire’ flavor, the marshmallows are first toasted underneath the broiler until they are JUST the right color and brownish hue (much like you’d get holding them over a flame on a stick), then mixed into a smooth buttercream. This buttercream gets spread in between and on top of all the cake layers along with…what else? Smooth, rich semi sweet chocolate. Once you’ve assembled the cake, it get completely covered with the toasted marshmallow buttercream then broken graham cracker shards and mini marshmallows are pressed into the gooey deliciousness and the whole thing gets drizzled with even more melted chocolate.
Guys, I am so proud of this thing. You don’t even know. It is soooo good. There’s not one single thing I would change and I’m excited to share what is trully a perfect summer dessert. Please try it. I’m sharing this cake at Fiesta Friday #182, co-hosted this week by Liz @ spades, spatulas & spoons and Jenny @ Jenny Is Baking.
***********************************************
S'mores Cake
Recipe Adapted from Food & Wine and The Cookies & Cups Cookbook
Ingredients
For Cake
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs, from half a sleeve
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For Marshmallow Buttercream
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened)
- 8 ounces mini marshmallows
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
For Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
For decorating: extra graham crackers, broken into pieces and partially crushed, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl combine the cake flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer or using a hand held one, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
In a small bowl combine the milk, heavy cream, whole milk, eggs and vanilla extract with a fork, whisking until egg yolks are broken and thoroughly combined.
Alternatively add the dry ingredients and egg mixture to the creamed butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Make sure you use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you add the ingredients to ensure even mixing.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 50-55 minutes in the oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Pound cakes are done at about an internal temp of 195-200 degrees Fahrenheit if you have an instant thermometer.) Allow to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack. Place the cake in the fridge for about one hour, or the freezer for 20 minutes to let it firm up.
For Marshmallow Buttercream: Preheat the broiler. In the bowl of a standing mixer cream the butter together with the powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Spread the marshmallows out in a single layer, keeping them close together. Place underneath the broiler and let them get lightly browned; DON’T WALK AWAY. This takes no more than 30-40 seconds. Using a rubber spatula you spray with cooking spray immediately scrape the toasted marshmallow into the creamed butter/sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until combined. If it seems too stiff, you may add the heavy cream to your desired consistency.
Gently heat the heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl (about 45 seconds should do it). Pour it directly over the chocolate in another bowl and gently stir until it completely melts. If it’s too stiff you can add more warm heavy cream.
Take the cake out of the fridge/freezer. Cut it into three layers (it’s okay if they’re not perfectly even. Mine weren’t either.) Level the tops of each cake. Line the edges of a cake platter with strips of parchment paper to keep the platter clean while you assemble the cake. Smear a little of the chocolate or buttercream in the center to keep the cake from moving around. Place one cake layer on the platter. Spread or pipe a border of the marshmallow buttercream around the edges, bringing them up almost like a fence. Fill in the center with more buttercream, then dollop the chocolate ganache on top, trying to keep it inside the buttercream ‘fence’. Add the second layer and repeat then place the third cake layer on top. Spread the top of the cake with the remaining buttercream. Using a spatula to smooth out the sides of the cake, dipping it in some warm water intermittently.
Press the broken graham crackers and crumbs onto the sides of the cake (They don’t have to cover it completely). Sprinkle more of the crumbs on the top, then use a fork to drizzle the rest of the chocolate ganache on the top.) Place the cake in the fridge to let the buttercream and chocolate to firm up a bit, 15-20 minutes before serving.
Love this – perfect for picnics or bondfires.
Thank you Lisa; it’s a dessert that I think would be VERY welcome at either one of those 😉
What a trashy cake…and I do mean trashy in a good way…it has everything I dream of and more!!!
Uh, thanks I guess? Lol It is full of some sinful ingredients and for that I do live for 😉
Sometimes you just have to say OMG – even at my age! Just the thought of this cake makes me want to do a happy dance!!!
Mollie
Mollie, I will dance along, very happily.
Thanks Jenny lol 😀
Listen Mollie, I *definitely* wanted to dance when I tasted this! Thank you 🙂
🙂
I am feeling that you wouldn’t want me to go back to my Whole30 program? Hahaha. This looks superb, Jess!
Welllllll, if you were gonna stay off of it, this cake would definitely be worth it lol Thanks Jhuls!
That is one beautiful cake! I have a friend that looooves smores. I’ll have to make it for her one day!
Awesome! I hope you make the cake for your friend, I really think she’ll like it 🙂
Wow! Beautiful. S’mores are one of my favorite parts of summer.
Thank you Liz! They’re a favorite part for me too 🙂
Mouth watering recipe….willing to taste it 🙂
Thank you, I hope you can try it sometimes 🙂
Hello gorgeous! Yah I’m talking to you, cake and baker both, lol. Seriously, Jess, you’re an unstoppable force. How did you even come up with the idea?! Pure genius!
I may or may not be blushing right now. That’s so sweet of you to say. Thanks Angie; my only explanation/excuse is that I love food lol 😉
I’m literally drooling looking at this, amazing!!
Then my work here is done lol Thank you 🙂
That looks insanely good and gorgeous too Jess! Wow!
Thanks Johanne, I do try 😉
My mouth is watering, Jess. This cake looks incredible!
Thank you Brina, it’s quite delicious 🙂
I absolutely love s’mores but all the s’mores cakes I’ve seen look the same. This looks like a truly unique s’mores cake. I’ll be sure to try it! Thanks for sharing.
I really appreciate your saying that, I wanted to make this cake different from the ones I’ve seen to. I hope you like it 😀
I LOVE S’mores! I’ll have to try this our some time. Thanks sooo much!
Awesome, I hope you like it. Thank YOU!
Yum!! That’s a dessert that I’d definitely eat everyday! Thanks for sharing 😊😊🤣
Thanks Tiff; I wish I COULD eat it every day 😉
Agreed! 😄
OMG! this looks incredible!!! I actually just made and posted about s’mores whoopie pies and have some left over marshmallows and graham crackers in my pantry… which obviously means I think I need to bake this RIGHT NOW lol! Thanks for sharing, and for your awesome blog! Happy I found you…
I have a s’mores obsession so I also made something similar to a s’mores whoopie pie that turned out pretty tasty. Thank you so much for your kind words and for following the blog, I appreciate it 🙂
Absolutely! Looking forward to following one another’s projects in the future 🙂
OH MY GOSH!!!
Lol Indeed. Thank you 🙂