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S'mores Cake

S'mores cake is a decadent chocolate cake layered with smooth chocolate ganache and crisp, buttery graham cracker crusts, finished with billowy toasted marshmallow meringue frosting. Savor a slice of toasty campfire nostalgia!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Cake
Servings 18

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Cake

  • cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup cocoa
  • teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil, or canola
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup coffee, hot or warm

Ganache

  • cups whipping cream
  • 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Graham Layers

  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 sleeves graham crackers, crushed (or roughly 2¼ cups graham cracker crumbs)

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting

  • ¾ cup light corn syrup
  • cups sugar, divided
  • 6 egg whites, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Make Ganache as early as the day before assembling the cake so it has ample time to thicken.
  • Bake Chocolate Cake layers well before assembly (consider baking a day ahead) so they have ample time to cool. Refrigerate cake once cooled and prior to assembling S'more's Cake.
  • Assemble S'more's Cake starting with a layer of Chocolate Cake. Then add a thin layer of Ganache, a frozen Graham Cracker Crust (wax paper removed of course), another thin layer of Ganache, another Chocolate Cake layer, etc. until placing the third cake layer on top.
  • Make Marshmallow Meringue Frosting immediately before applying to the cake as it will begin to set.
  • Cover sides and top of cake with billowy swirls of frosting. Toast, if desired, with a kitchen torch.

Chocolate Cake

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a large bowl if you're using a hand mixer), combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low until fully blended.
  • In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
  • With mixer on, pour liquid into dry ingredients and mix gently until smooth. Slowly pour in hot/warm coffee while mixer continues.
  • Pour an even amount of batter into three prepared cake pans (wax/parchment and shortening or other method as preferred). Bake at 300°F for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool cakes for about 5 minutes after removing from the oven. Run a plastic knife quickly around the edges of each cake pan to help release the cake.
  • Turn the first cake layer onto a parchment paper covered plate. (Trim any dome off of the cake so layers will stack without cracking.) Do this with the second cake layer and stack parchment/cake on top of first layer. Do the same with the third layer and cover cake with cake carrier lid until cool. Then refrigerate until ready to assemble Smore's Cake.

Ganache

  • Microwave 1¼ cups of whipping cream until hot, but not boiling (about 1 minute), in a microwave safe bowl.
  • Pour chocolate chips into heated cream. Stir until smooth and wait until it thickens, which can take up to a few hours.

Graham Cracker Crust

  • Melt butter.
  • Pour graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar into a bowl and stir until fully incorporated.
  • Divide the graham mixture evenly between two 9-inch cake pans that have been prepared with wax paper rounds. Gently press the mixture into the bottom of each pan (do not press as firmly as making a typical graham cracker crust, but apply pressure).
  • Freeze in the pans until completely frozen and ready to use.

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting

  • In a small pot, heat light corn syrup and 1 cup sugar until it reaches 240 degrees (at softball stage) on a kitchen thermometer.
  • Meanwhile, place egg whites in a stand mixer with cream of tartar. Beat egg and tartar mixture in an electric mixer with a whisk attachment.
  • Once frothy, slowly add ½ cup sugar as the mixture continues to beat.
  • When the egg mixture forms soft peaks, continue beating while slowly pouring hot syrup mixture over the egg whites.
  • Stir in vanilla extract and beat until glossy, soft peaks appear.
Keyword S'mores