This s'mores cake is the perfect summer treat! The deep chocolate sponge is layered with a crunchy graham cracker crust and creamy milk chocolate ganache. The cake is filled and topped with slightly-sweet marshmallow buttercream and ultra-light vanilla meringue. Finished with a flair of the kitchen torch to give your s'mores cake a toasty touch.
2¼cupsall-purpose flourplus extra for prepping pans
3cupswhite sugar
1¼cupcocoa powder
3tspbaking powder
¾tspbaking soda
¾tspsalt
¾cupsbutter(1½ sticks) plus extra for prepping pans
2cupsmilk
1cupbrewed coffee
3eggs
3tspvanilla extract
Graham Cracker Crust
2sleevesgraham crackers
10tbspbutter, melted(1 stick plus 2 tbsp)
⅔cupwhite sugar
2tspsalt
Marshmallow Buttercream
2cupbutter, room temp(4 sticks)
1cupmarshmallow cream fluff
7-8cupspowdered sugar
1tspvanilla
¼tspsalt
Milk Chocolate Ganache
1cupmilk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾cupheavy cream
Meringue Topping
4egg whites, room temp
1cupwhite sugar
¼tspcream of tartar
1tspvanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
Begin by preheating the oven to 325°F. Coat the bottom and sides of your 8-inch baking pans with butter, then sprinkle in flour to coat that. Tap out the excess flour over the sink or garbage can.
With a sieve, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then set this aside.
In a large pan over medium heat, melt your butter. Then, add in the cocoa powder and stir with a spatula until combined. Remove the pan from the burner
Next, away from the heat, add the coffee and milk into the pan. Mix until combined.
Then, add the sugar to the pan and stir it together until dissolved.
To the pan, add the eggs and vanilla, again mixing until combined.
Finally, add the flour mixture to the rest of the batter, and stir together gently until it is combined. You may need to use a whisk to break apart some of the lumps of flour since the batter is quite thick.
Pour the batter evenly into the three prepared pans and place them in the preheated oven. Set a timer for 33 minutes.
Once the timer is done, check the cakes with a toothpick for doneness. You will see moist crumbs on the toothpick, but there should be no wet batter.
Next, let the cakes cool in their pans on a cooling rack for ten minutes. After ten minutes, carefully flip the cakes out of the pans onto the racks. You may need to tap the bottom of the pan with a utensil, but they should come out smoothly. Let the cakes cool to room temperature before frosting.
Graham Cracker Crust
Cut out a six- or eight-inch circle of parchment paper, leaving two long pieces to use as handles (see my video above for an example.) Place inside your cake pan.
Using a rolling pin, hit the package of graham crackers until they are crushed into small pieces. Alternatively, you can put them in a plastic bag or food processor.
Next, melt the butter, and mix it together with the rest of the ingredients.
Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan with a large spoon. You want a layer about one-inch thick. If you are using the eight-inch cake pan, do NOT go all the way to the edges. Instead, leave about an inch of a ring around the outside. You need this crunch layer to be smaller in diameter than the layer of your cakes. If using a six-inch cake pan, press the mixture into the edges. You should have enough graham cracker crumbs to repeat this process again, plus extra for garnish. If you have an additional baking pan, fill that one as you did here, and move on to the next step.
Then, bake the crust in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes, or until the graham crackers are slightly golden brown.
Let the graham cracker layer cool in the pan. Then, using the two longer pieces of parchment paper as "handles," carefully life the disc of graham cracker crust out and set it aside.
Repeat this process, if needed, in the cake pan again. At the end, you will need two layers of graham cracker discs for the two layers inside of your cake.
Finally, with the remaining graham cracker pieces, pour them onto a baking sheet and roast for five to ten minutes, until dried and slightly browned. Let these cool to the side; they will be used as the garnish on the outside of your cake, if you choose. Set aside.
Marshmallow Buttercream
Place the room-temp butter and marshmallow cream fluff into the bowl of your mixer, and combine.
Then, cup by cup, add the powdered sugar, stopping to scrape the edges of the bowl when needed. After the last cup, add the vanilla and salt, and a splash of milk or cream if the buttercream is exceptionally thick. Mix again well to combine. Set aside.
Milk Chocolate Ganache
Heat the cream in a microwave or on the stove until it is just scalding. There will be small bubbles starting to rise, but it should not reach a full boil.
Then, pour the heated cream over top of the chocolate chips in a bowl.
Let the cream heat the chocolate; don't touch the mixture for two minutes.
After two minutes have passed, begin to slowly mix the chocolate together with a spoon, starting with little circles at the center and moving out.
For a perfect ganache drip, let the chocolate cool to room temperature. Set aside.
Meringue Topping
First, whisk the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar together in your double boiler.
Set the double boiler over a small pan of simmering water. Constantly whisk the mixture together.
After a few minutes, check the meringue for doneness in two ways. First, insert a thermometer. To pasteurize the eggs, they need to reach a temperature of 160°F. Then, dip your clean finger into the mixture and rub it together to make sure the sugar has dissolved; you shouldn't feel any graininess. Once the meringue passes both tests, pour it into the bowl of your mixer.
Add the vanilla to the meringue in the bowl.
With the whisk attachment, mix the meringue for six minutes. Start the mixer slowly, but transition it to high speed within the first 30 seconds.
After six minutes, test the meringue for doneness. It should be very shiny, and hold stiff peaks when pulled out of the mixer bowl and flipped over. Make sure to make the meringue on the same day that you will be decorating the cake. Set it aside to prepare the other cake components.
Assembling & Decorating The Cake
First, set a layer of cake right side up on your turntable. Then, place on top of that one of the discs of graham cracker crust. It's okay if it breaks, just get it in the center of the cake layer as best as you can.
Fill your piping bag with some buttercream. You don't need a tip on the bag right now. Pipe a large "dam" of buttercream around the outside of the graham cracker crust. Make sure that the "dam" is higher than the graham cracker crust to ensure the ganache does not leak out.
Pour in some ganache over the top of the graham cracker layer. It should settle nicely into the buttercream "dam" you created.
Place a small amount of buttercream over the top of the ganache to seal it in. It doesn't have to look perfect, just make sure no ganache is leaking out.
Repeat this process again, starting with the cake layer, then the graham cracker crust, buttercream dam, ganache, and more buttercream.
Flip the final cake layer over so that the smooth pan side is facing up. This helps create nice, smooth cake edges. Place it on top of your cake.
Using the buttercream piping bag, lay down a layer of buttercream on top and on the sides of your cake. This will form your crumb-coat, so it in no way has to look good at first. Just get the buttercream on there.
Use your cake scraper to smooth the buttercream around the top and outside of your cake. Add more buttercream where needed, and smooth again. It's okay if you get a smooth finish but see the cake through it - in fact, you should at this point.
Place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes or the refrigerator for 30 to let the crumb coat chill.
Once the crumb-coat has hardened a bit, apply a second layer of buttercream. Use the bench scraper again to smooth out all of the imperfections. Apply more buttercream with an offset spatula where there are holes, and, yes, keeping smoothing. When finished, let chill in the same manner as before.
Cut out a thin strip of parchment paper to act as a guide for your graham cracker crumb garnish. Press this gently into the buttercream where you don't want graham cracker crumbs.
Crush the leftover, roasted crumbs into a fine dust, and, using your forefingers, press a small handful onto the bottom of your cake. Once the cake is covered to your liking, remove the parchment paper guide and discard it.
Chill your cake before applying the ganache drip, as you chilled it previously. Test the ganache for proper consistency by using a piping bag or spoon to drip it down the side of the bowl. Cool it to thicken, or heat it to loosen, as needed. Once the drip consistency is to your liking, carefully apply it to the cake, starting on the back until you get the hang of it. Use the excess ganache to cover the top of the cake, smoothing it to your preference.
Prepare your piping bags with the tips of your choosing, and add meringue into them. Using a circular motion or a drop-flower motion, add some swirls and garnishes where you see fit. I like to start on the top with some big, dramatic rosettes, and slowly cascade smaller ones down the sides. Feel free to get creative with it.
Finally, turn on your kitchen torch according to the instructions. Gently at first, hold the flame towards the meringue. It will heat quickly, as you'll see, so with sweeping motions, toast evenly around the meringue. If any catch fire, simply blow on them to burn it out. After all, it's just like making s'mores.