S’Mores Cake

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This S’Mores Cake is a chocolatey showstopper layered with graham cracker frosting and creamy marshmallow frosting. The frosting is torched right before serving, giving this cake the toasted marshmallow flavor that makes campfire s’mores so irresistible!

Table of Contents

• Why You’ll Love This S’mores Cake
• What You’ll Need
• How to Make S’mores Cake
• Tips for the Best S’mores Layer Cake
• Serving Suggestions
• How to Store Leftovers
• Can This Be Frozen?
• Get the Recipe

If you love toasted marshmallows and chocolate sandwiched between crumbly graham crackers, this s’mores cake is for you! It’s basically the cake version of the campfire s’mores we all love making during the height of summer. Sound delightful? It is my friends.

I used my Devil’s Food Cake as the base for this recipe, then added cream cheese frosting, crushed graham crackers, and lots of fluffy marshmallow frosting. Once torched, this elegant dessert looks like a giant roasted marshmallow.

Why You’ll Love This S’mores Cake

The flavor is enough to love this s’mores cake, but these reasons are quite convincing as well:

• Crowd-pleaser. Who doesn’t like a good s’more? This cake is guaranteed to be the star of the show. Make it for Thanksgiving, Christmas, of even as a birthday cake for your favorite s’mores fan.
• Prep-friendly. You can make the cake layers and graham cracker frosting in advance, then assemble the cake the day of to cut back on prep time.
• Elegant. Few things are as elegant as torched meringue for a touch of flair. This cake has plenty!
• Fire. I mean, it is fun to toast the marshmallow frosting with a hand-held torch.

What You’ll Need

Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need. Most of the ingredients on the list are baking staples like flour, eggs, and sugar. For exact ingredient amounts, check the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

For the Chocolate Cake

• Flour – Cake flour and all-purpose are okay.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – Please don’t use hot cocoa mix.
• Water
• Butter – I always use unsalted butter in baking to control the saltiness.
• Eggs
• Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar will do. You can also use a mix of both.
• Baking soda – Don’t substitute this for baking powder.
• Salt
• Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract.

For the Graham Cracker Frosting

• Unsalted butter
• Cream cheese – Full-fat is my favorite, but feel free to use low-fat cream cheese.
• Confectioners’ sugar – Don’t use any granulated sugars for the frosting or it will come out grainy.
• Vanilla extract
• Graham cracker crumbs

For the Marshmallow Frosting

• Egg whites
• Granulated sugar – To keep the frosting white, only white granulated sugar works here.
• Cream of tartar – This helps stabilize the egg whites.
• Vanilla extract – Use the real stuff, not imitation.

How to Make S’mores Cake

There are three steps to this recipe: making the cake, the frostings, and then putting it all together. Here’s how to do it:

• Prepare the cake layers. Use my Devil’s Food Cake recipe to make the chocolate cakes in three 8″ pans.

• Make the graham cracker frosting. Use a stand mixer (affiliate link) on medium speed to beat the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until light and fluffy. You can also use a hand mixer.
• Add the confectioners’ sugar. Add the sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until the ingredients have been incorporated into the mixture. Once the frosting is smooth, gently fold in the graham cracker crumbs with a silicone spatula. Set it aside.

• Assemble the cake. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread half of the frosting on top. Add the second cake layer and repeat the process. Top with the third cake layer.

• Make the marshmallow frosting. Add the egg whites and sugar to a heat-proof bowl. Place it over a pot with simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water or the egg whites will cook. Whisk continuously until the sugar dissolves.
• Beat the whites. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it aside to cool for 10 minutes. Add the cream of tartar. Beat the egg white mixture for 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla and beat for another minute. Use the frosting to coat the cooled cake immediately.

• Decorate it. Dollop 4 cups of frosting on top of the cake and use a spoon to make some beautiful swirls with it. Carefully use a kitchen torch (affiliate link) to cook the meringue for a burnt-marshmallow effect.

Tips for the Best S’mores Layer Cake

Making this cake more flavorful while simplifying your life is possible with these easy tips:

• Make sure the cake is cooled. Wait until your cake layers are 100% cooled before stacking or frosting them. Even a little residual heat will melt the frosting and cause a huge mess.
• Add a chocolate drizzle. Once the cake is frosted, add a chocolate drizzle on top to make it look extra pretty.
• Sprinkle with cookie crumbs. For a different visual effect plus added texture, sprinkle cookie crumbs all over your cake. You can also pack it along the sides of the cake. I love chocolate chip cookies and mini wafers for this.
• Add chocolate sprinkles. These add crunch and more chocolatey goodness.

Serving Suggestions

This s’mores cake goes great with a scoop of ice cream and your favorite drinks.

For the ice cream, I like to keep it simple because there’s already so much going on with the cake. My No-Churn Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream and No Churn Strawberry Ice Cream are great for this.

The drink department can be more creative, though. My Cardamom Iced Coffee, Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte, and Homemade Starbucks Gingerbread Latte are the perfect caffeine kick. For something a little more toned down, try my Star Wars Blue “Bantha Milk” (Blue Matcha Latte).

How to Store Leftovers

Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. When ready to eat, set it on the counter for 5-10 minutes before serving. It should be cool but not chilled.

Can This Be Frozen?

Once assembled, this s’mores cake can’t be frozen. However, 2 of its three components can be individually made ahead of time.

Wrap the cooled cake layers with plastic wrap or foil. Pop them into a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw completely when you’re ready to assemble the cake.

For the graham cracker frosting, make the frosting as usual but leave out the graham crackers. Transfer the crumbless frosting to an airtight container and freeze it for up to 2 months.

Move the frosting into the fridge a day before you’re ready to decorate. Once completely thawed, stir it. You may have to re-whip the frosting for a minute to get a nice and fluffy consistency again. Add the crushed graham crackers and continue with the recipe as usual.

More Chocolate Cake Recipes

• Cosmic Brownies
• Chocolate Almond Energy Bites
• Chocolate Toffee Cookies with Toasted Pecans
• Devil’s Food Cake
• Oreo Mug Cake

S’Mores Cake

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This s’mores cake packs all the flavors of your favorite childhood treat with devil’s food cake, graham crackers, and marshmallow frosting.

• Author: Rustic Family Recipes
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: 12 servings
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake: 

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch Process
• 1 1/4 cup hot water
• 3 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 2 2/3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (9 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cups cold water

For the Graham Cracker Frosting: 

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs (homemade or store-bought)

For the Marshmallow Frosting: 

• 6 egg whites
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Chocolate Cakes

Prep your tools. Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter the bottoms and sides for two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper and grease the paper with PAM.

Make the chocolate mixture. Place the cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Add the hot water and whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixer bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, blend to mix.

Beat. Add the butter and dissolved cocoa. Beat briefly to blend. Then raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add liquid ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla and cold water until blended. Add this liquid to the batter in 3 additions, scraping down the sides well and mixing only to incorporate between additions.

Bake. Divide the batter among the prepared cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean, with just a few crumbs sticking to the pick.

Cool. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper lines and let cool completely.

Make the Graham Cracker Frosting

Cream butter and cream cheese. Using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until combined and the frosting is smooth.

Add graham cracker crumbs. Mix with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.

Assemble the Cake

Place the first cake on the serving plate. Spread half of Graham Cracker Frosting on it, using an offset spatula. Cover with the second cake and repeat the process. Top with the third cake.

Make the Marshmallow Frosting.

Place egg whites and granulated sugar in a heat-proof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan with simmering water. Water should not touch the bowl. Constantly stirring with a whisk, heat the mixture until sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm touch.

Add remaining cream of tartar and beat. Remove the bowl from the pan, wipe the bottom of the bowl so it’s not wet, add cream of tartar, and beat the egg/sugar mixture for about 10 minutes with a stand mixer (or about 15 minutes, using a hand mixer) until stiff glossy peaks form.

Add vanilla and mix until combined. Mix gently with a spatula.

Decorate the Cake

Use the frosting immediately to coat the cake. Coat the top and the sides of the cake with marshmallow frosting. Using a spoon, make some beautiful curls on the cake.

Toast with a torch. Use a handheld kitchen torch 

Equipment

kitchen torch

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stand mixer

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(affiliate link)

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Keywords: s’mores layer cake, s’mores dessert, chocolate cake recipes