Happy Memorial Day, everyone!
Now that we’ve reached the official kickoff of camping season, it’s time to whip out the s’mores! If there’s one treat I could never go without during the summer, it would definitely have to be s’mores. Not only is it one of the easiest treats to throw together, but there’s definitely an element of nostalgia every time I bite into one of those ooey gooey, crispy crunchy stacks of heaven.
So this week, I thought it would be the perfect time to share a recipe dedicated to one of the greatest summer treats of all time…
Not only is this S’more Cake a handsome little devil, but it tastes just as incredible as it looks. With supremely moist layers of delicious graham cracker-flavored cake, toasted marshmallow mousse, and creamy milk chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, this cake has all of the iconic elements of a traditional s’more!
And of course, we can’t forget the always captivating chocolate ganache drip cascading down the sides of the cake. Although this cake is covered in a pretty thick layer of chocolate buttercream, that just wasn’t enough chocolate for me. Plus, the ganache drip adds so much more elegance to this cake, don’t you think?
But before we get too far into the cake decorating part, let’s first discuss the cake itself. I went back and forth so many times, trying to decide whether I wanted to make a chocolate cake or a graham cracker cake. (I think I suffer from MakeUpYourMind-a-Phobia or something.) As you can see, I went with a graham cracker cake, and I’m super duper pleased with how it turned out! The cake baked up incredibly moist, and so full of graham flavor. You can definitely tell this cake is not just some white cake with a few graham crackers mixed in. It’s loaded with graham sweetness!
The cake is really simple to make. In fact, it’s actually a one bowl recipe and doesn’t require a stand mixer or beater! First, you’ll combine all of your dry ingredients–flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugars (granulated and brown), crushed graham crackers, and cinnamon. Cinnamon is actually key in bringing out all of that wonderful graham cracker flavor. In fact, every time I make a graham cracker crust I ALWAYS add a little cinnamon since it really deepens the flavor of the graham crackers.
Once all of your dry ingredients are combined, just stir in the wet ingredients–oil, milk, egg, vanilla, and Greek yogurt. If you can’t find Greek yogurt, sour cream or plain yogurt also work. I just prefer Greek yogurt since it’s always resulted in a perfectly pillowy cake every time I use it.
I divided the cake batter among three 6-inch round cake pans because I like a taller cake. If you want to use two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans, you’ll need to adjust the baking time. The best way to check if the cake is done is to stick a toothpick into the center and see if it comes out dry. I would start with a baking time of 25 minutes if you go with the larger cake pan option. Also, you might want to place a piece of aluminum foil over your cake during the last 5 or so minutes of baking if you notice it getting too dark.
Now, let’s move on to the filling…
Although I love EVERYTHING about the s’more, if I’m being super honest, I would have to say that the toasted/sometimes burnt to a crisp marshmallow is my favorite part. I just can’t enough of that toasted sugar flavor, so I knew I had to incorporate it into the filling somehow. I ended up toasting five ounces of mini marshmallows by evenly scattering them on a baking sheet and placing them under the broiler for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until they were toasted to my liking. Be sure to keep an eye on them the entire time because they can go from brown to black in seconds! Once toasted, allow your marshmallows to cool slightly while you get started on the rest of the filling.
First, beat up some heavy cream until nice and fluffy–this will be folded in at the very end. Then beat some cream cheese, powdered sugar, and a little vanilla together until combined. Add in your slightly-cooled toasted marshmallows, beating until the marshmallows have broken up and the mixture is nice and smooth. Finally, fold in your whipped cream! I recommend refrigerating your filling while you work on the buttercream to allow it to set up and thicken a bit more.
Instead of going with a standard American Buttercream frosting, I decided to go with a creamier, silkier option–Swiss meringue buttercream! It’s not one that I make often because it can seem a little more intimidating, but it really isn’t that difficult. All you have to do is combine some egg whites, sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl, and place it over a pot of simmering water. Allow this mixture to warm slowly until it reaches 150-160ºF on a thermometer. This takes about 3-4 minutes.
Next, remove the bowl from the heat, and whip up the egg whites until cooled and fluffy. You want the mixture to be about room temperature, so that the butter doesn’t melt on contact. Speaking of, make sure that your butter is completely softened to room temperature. Cold butter will not blend well with the whipped egg whites, and you’ll just end up with a sticky, runny mess in the end.
You’ll also want to make sure to cut your butter into pieces since you’ll be adding them slowly to the egg whites. I just sliced my butter into tablespoon-sized squares. As you’re adding the butter to the egg white mixture, you might notice that it looks a little curdled and odd–don’t worry! This is totally normal, and I promise you that it’ll eventually smooth out and become super satiny as you continue beating. However, if for some reason it never comes together after several minutes of beating, I would recommend placing the whole bowl of frosting into the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Then take it out and continue beating until smooth.
After a splash of vanilla is added to your satiny smooth Swiss meringue buttercream, it’s time to add the star ingredient–chocolate! Make sure that your chocolate is completely melted and around room temperature. In fact, you might want to melt the chocolate before you get started on the buttercream to allow it some time to cool.
Just add the melted chocolate right into your buttercream, and beat until smooth. You might have to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times to ensure that none of the melted chocolate solidifies along the inside of the bowl.
Now that you’ve got your cooled cake layers, toasted marshmallow mousse, and creamy chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, it’s time to assemble the cake!
When it comes to layering the cake and filling, to prevent the filling from peeking out of the sides of the cake, I always pipe a border of buttercream along the top edges of the cake first. Then I use an offset spatula to spread the filling inside of that ring of buttercream. This cake ends with a layer of filling on top, so you’ll need to place the whole cake in the freezer to allow everything to firm up before frosting the top and sides.
The great thing about using Swiss meringue buttercream is that it spreads so smoothly along the cake even when the cake is super cold. It might firm up a little as you’re frosting the frozen cake, but it’s actually much easier to work with than American Buttercream. I usually end up frosting the whole cake with a thin layer of buttercream (crumb coat), chilling it in the freezer for another 30 minutes, then spreading on a final layer of buttercream. The cake goes back into the freezer, while you make the ganache.
The ganache is simple! Just place some semi-sweet chocolate chips into a medium bowl. Then heat up some heavy cream either in a saucepan on the stove, or by pouring it into a glass measuring cup and microwaving it until it begins to boil. Pour this hot cream over your chocolate, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Stir it until it’s nice and silky smooth.
As far as my “dripping” method goes, I always start with the sides before covering the top of the cake. A little ganache goes a long way, so definitely use a small spoon to drip a little along the edge of the cake. If the drip runs down the cake too quickly and ends up pooling along the bottom of the cake, you’re either pouring too much chocolate, or the cake isn’t cold enough. A cold cake slows the ganache down as it drips down the side of the cake, so you might want to return the cake to the freezer for another 10-15 minutes, and try again.
Once you’re finished with the sides, pour a few tablespoons of ganache onto the center of the cake, and spread with a knife or offset spatula.
As far as decorating the cake goes, feel free to do whatever you like! I ended up topping my cake with a couple of homemade s’mores, a few Hershey sections, chocolate chips, toasted marshmallows, and extra buttercream. This is the FUN part, so go wild! Add as many candies/toppings as your heart desires!
S’more Cake
Yields: 10-12 Servings
Ingredients
Cake:
1 and 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 9 full crackers)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Toasted Marshmallow Filling:
5 ounces marshmallows (I used miniature)
2/3 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped or chips
4 large egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cup unsalted butter, sliced into about 20 pieces and at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
Ganache:
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
For Decorating:
S’mores
Chocolate Chips
Toasted Marshmallows
Instructions
Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees. Line three 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, crushed graham crackers, and both sugars together until well combined. Add the oil, yogurt, and milk and continue stirring with a whisk. Stir in the egg, followed by the vanilla.
Pour batter into prepared baking pans and bake in the oven for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Filling: Preheat the broiler. Evenly scatter the marshmallows on a baking sheet. Place the sheet on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 1 to 2 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, so that they don’t scorch since it can happen pretty quickly. When the marshmallows are golden brown, remove the pan from the oven; set aside to cool slightly.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a separate bowl, then return bowl to mixer. Switch to the paddle attachment.
To the bowl, add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high until smooth. Add in the toasted marshmallows, and beat on high until marshmallows have broken up and mixture is smooth.
Add half of the whipped cream to the bowl and continue beating until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Transfer filling to a pastry bag or a gallon-sized ziploc bag with the tip of the corner cut off; refrigerate until cake assembly.
Make the Buttercream: Place milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat in the microwave until smooth and melted. Set aside to cool slightly while you work on the rest of the frosting.
Combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, and place the bowl over a simmering pot of water. Whisking constantly, heat mixture until sugar is dissolved and the temperature registers 150-160°F on a candy thermometer, about 3 minutes.
Secure whisk attachment onto stand mixer, and beat the egg white mixture on high speed until cooled and fluffy. Add the butter, one piece at a time, until smooth and creamy. If the mixture looks curdled, that’s totally normal–just keep beating until it becomes smooth and satiny.*
Stir in the vanilla. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure that there’s no melted chocolate stuck to the bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
Transfer about a cup of the frosting to a piping bag, fitted with a round tip.
To Assemble: Place a cake layer on a cake plate or pedestal. Pipe a border of buttercream along the perimeter of the cake to prevent filling from peeking out of the sides. Using a spiral motion from the outside in, pipe a third of the filling on top and inside the buttercream border. Repeat steps with the remaining cake layers and filling, ending with a layer of filling on top. Chill cake in the freezer for 1 hour.
Once chilled and solid, frost the cake with the buttercream–this will act as the crumb coat. Chill cake in the freezer for another 30 minutes to set the buttercream. Remove the cake from the freezer and frost it with a final layer of buttercream. Return the cake to the freezer while you make the ganache.
Make the ganache by placing the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the heavy cream into a glass measuring cup, and heat in the microwave until it starts to boil. Pour hot cream over the chocolate, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and stir until smooth.
Using a small spoon, carefully ladle the ganache along the edges of the cake, allowing the ganache to drip down the sides.** Once the sides are done, pour a few tablespoons of the ganache into the center of the cake, and use an offset spatula to fill in the top of the cake.
Decorate the cake with homemade s’mores, toasted marshmallows, chocolate, and leftover chocolate buttercream. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Cake will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
*If you find that your buttercream still hasn’t come together properly, refrigerate the bowl for 10-15 minutes then continue to beat until smooth.
**If the ganache runs down the sides of the cake too quickly, return the cake to the freezer for about 15 minutes. Chilling the cake will slow down the drip.
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