S'mores Cake

Course Cakes, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword best-smores-cake, smores-cake-recipe, smores-layer-cake

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Chill time 6

Total Time 6 55

Servings servings

Calories 701kcal

Ingredients

Cake:
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa power
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or whole milk
Marshmallow Buttercream:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 7 oz container Marshmallow Cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
S'mores Filling: (Between the Layers)
2 7 oz containers marshmallow cream
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs divided use
Topping Suggestions: Mini marshmallows or large marshmallows, fun size Hershey bars, additional marshmallow cream, graham crackers

Instructions

To Make the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare four 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl use a whisk to sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the butter, oil, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and light. Add the eggs, mixing until combined.
On medium speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl alternating with the buttermilk milk. Beat just until fully combined.
Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
Transfer pans to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans on a wire rack while making the frosting.
Make the Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting: In a large mixing bowl use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed to beat together the softened butter, marshmallow creme, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and fluffy about 2 minutes. Lower the speed of the mixer and gradually add the powdered sugar until completely combined.
To Make the Chocolate Ganache: Add the chocolate chips to a heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan, add the heavy cream. Bring it to a gentle boil over medium high heat then immediately remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips. Allow to sit for a couple minutes to let the chocolate melt. Mix until smooth and combined.
To Assemble the Cake: Stack the cake layers on a cake stand or plate. Spread a generous layer of plain marshmallow creme between each layer, sprinkle marshmallow cream with 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs.
Use a large offset spatula to spread a thin even layer of the marshmallow buttercream on top and sides of the cake to create a crumb coat. Place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
Once crumb coat is set, remove from freezer and frost the entire cake with the remaining buttercream.
Pour Chocolate Ganache: Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and use the tip of an icing spatula to gently spread into an even layer allowing some ganache to drip down the sides. (Pro Tip: You can use a piping bag to get a cleaner drip.) Gently press reserved 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs around the bottom of the cake.
To Decorate S'mores Cake: You can top the cake with toasted swirls of marshmallow cream (See Cook's note as pictured.) or use mini marshmallows or large marshmallows piled on top. Decorate with chocolate candy bars (i.e. Hershey), or drop dollops of marshmallow creme adding graham crackers for decoration.

Notes

To Make Homemade Marshmallow Fluff for the Top: (This is optional but holds its shape better than store bought fluff for piping.)

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

Combine the sugar, egg whites, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl.
Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, or use a double broiler. Whisk for 4-6 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are warm. Remove from the heat.
Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture on high speed for about 4-6 minutes or until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Add the homemade marshmallow ﬂuff to a piping bag with a large open star tip (using homemade marshmallow ﬂuff holds its shape better for this part).Pipe dollops of ﬂuff around the edge of the cake then use a pastry torch to toast the ﬂuff until golden.

More Tips:

- Chocolate - You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips in place of milk chocolate chips for the ganache.

- Eyeball the Layers - When adding the graham cracker crumbs to the layers, you can use anywhere from 1/4-1/3 cup of crumbs. Have extra on hand and add more or less, to suit your fancy.

- Garnishes - To garnish this cake you can have fun! To garnish as pictured, use a large open star tip (Wilton 1M) to pipe generous swirls of homemade marshmallow cream and then toast it using a pastry torch. Homemade is more stable for piping.

- Marshmallow Topping - If you don't want to go to the trouble of homemade fluff, you can pile marshmallows on top and then toast them with a kitchen torch or pop the cake under the broiler just until they're toasted. Don't walk away! Drizzle the marshmallows with additional melted chocolate and arrange mini Hershey bars and graham crackers on top. Have fun and make it your own!

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