Smores Cake Recipes

S'MORES CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease or spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan. In large bowl, beat cake mix, cracker crumbs, water, sour cream, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
• Reserve 1/4 cup hot fudge topping. Drop remaining hot fudge topping by generous tablespoonfuls randomly in 12 to 14 mounds onto batter in pan.
• Bake 40 to 46 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In medium bowl, stir together marshmallow creme and frosting. Frost cake with marshmallow frosting. Drop small dollops of reserved hot fudge topping randomly over frosting. Swirl topping through frosting with knife for marbled design. Store loosely covered.

S'MORES CAKE

Steps:

• For the cakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat five 7-inch cake pans with baking spray.
• Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the baking soda, baking powder and salt; mix well.
• In a large glass measuring cup with a spout, combine the hot coffee, buttermilk and dark cocoa powder and whisk until no lumps remain. Add 1 cup of flour at a time to the creamed butter mixture, alternating with additions of the coffee mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix just until combined.
• Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center of the cakes comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the layers in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• For the marshmallow filling: Combine the cream cheese and marshmallow cream in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on high speed until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and chill until firm but spreadable, about 2 hours.
• For the ganache frosting: Combine the chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power until the mixture is steaming but not boiling, about 1 minute. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute, then whisk together until smooth and shiny. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until thick and spreadable, about 1 hour.
• For the meringue frosting: Combine the cold water, half of the sugar and the meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat for 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar and beat until thick and fluffy. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large French star decorating tip.
• For assembly: Place a cake layer on a cake server and top with an even layer of marshmallow frosting. Continue to stack and frost until all of the cake layers are used; leave the top layer bare. Chill the cake until the filling is set, about 30 minutes. Cover the chilled cake with a thin layer of chocolate ganache; reserve leftover ganache for later use. Pat graham crackers over the bottom half of the cake with your hands. Break the chocolate bars into pieces and use leftover ganache to attach pieces of the chocolate bars around the bottom edge of the cake, spacing and staggering them about 1/2 inch to 1 inch apart.
• Place the marshmallows in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until hot and well puffed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir briefly and then let sit until cool enough to handle, about 1 minute. Scoop up some of the marshmallow with your fingers (use gloves for easy cleanup) and stretch the marshmallow around the edges and over the top of the cake. Repeat as many times as desired. If the marshmallow begins to set, reheat it for 30 seconds.
• Pipe large stars of meringue frosting around the top edge of the cake; also pipe one big swirl on the top center of the cake. Use a chef's torch to toast the meringue. Insert one corner of each of the graham crackers into the middle swirl of toasted frosting so they stand upright, staggering them slightly.
• Serve the cake immediately or refrigerate it until ready to serve.

S'MORES CAKE

Steps:

• Make the ganache: Heat the heavy cream, chocolate and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water), stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts and the ganache is smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Remove the bowl from the pan and set aside until the ganache is cool and thick but still pourable, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and salt in a bowl until combined. Spread out on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until toasted, 8 to 10 minutes; let cool. Assemble the cake as close to serving time as possible: Using a long serrated knife, carefully slice each cake layer in half horizontally. Place 1 cake half on a platter. Using a lightly oiled offset spatula or spoon, spread one-third of the marshmallow cream on top, stopping about 1 inch from the edge (if the marshmallow cream is difficult to spread, microwave 10 to 15 seconds to soften). Sprinkle one-third of the graham cracker mixture over the marshmallow cream. Repeat to make 4 layers, ending with cake; reserve a few tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture for topping. Pour the ganache over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Sprinkle with the reserved graham cracker mixture. Serve immediately.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch-round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Whisk the cocoa powder and 1 1/2 cups boiling water in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the cocoa mixture in a steady stream until just combined, then finish mixing with a rubber spatula. (The batter will be thin.)
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and tap the pans against the counter to help the batter settle. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.