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S’mores Cake has all the familiar flavors and textures of the campfire classic, but in cake form. Layers of toasted marshmallow buttercream and silky ganache make it irresistible!
Unless we’re taking a 40 minute road trip to Eric’s favorite pizza joint, or whipping up his beloved marinara sauce, he doesn’t get too pumped about food. I’m usually the one scouring the internet for new recipe ideas and restaurants for us to try. For the most part, the control-freak in me doesn’t mind taking the meal planning reins, but every once in a while, I like a little input.
When my friend Shelly’s gorgeous debut cookbook arrived on our doorstep, I flipped through, page by page, and mentally book marked several must-make immediately recipes. Then, I handed The Cookies and Cups Cookbook off to Eric.
With a pad of post-its in hand, I told him flag all of his favorites. I expected him to hand it back to me with 2 or 3 pages marked. But nope, the guy put some serious effort into the task and returned it to my desk with no less than 15 flags!
He even requested that I start with Shelly’s S’mores Cake and Garlic Bread Pasta! And let me tell you, both are amazing.
As you probably noticed from the photos, this cake is over-the-top, but in the best way possible. The toasted marshmallow buttercream might just be the best buttercream I’ve ever made, and the silky ganache just ties it all together. Shelly’s recommendation of topping the cake with pieces or graham crackers and toasted marshmallows make it a show stopping dessert for any celebration!
I’ve been looking forward to the The Cookies and Cups Cookbook for months and trust me, it’s everything I imagined it would be – AND more. This cookbook is loaded with delicious, approachable recipes that are perfect for any skill level. It’s truly an extension of Shelly’s blog and loaded with funny commentary, beautiful photos, and delicious recipes. This book is undoubtedly 100% Shelly and that’s what I love most about it.
The majority of the cookbook is filled with dessert recipes like this S’mores Cake and Billionaire Cookie Dough Cake, but also has several chapters dedicated to savory dishes like aforementioned Garlic Bread Pasta and Eric’s new favorite dinner – Frito Pie Sloppy Joes.
Shelly reminds you to always eat dessert first by placing the dessert recipes at the front of the book, and the savory ones at the back. It’s a clever reminder, and you know this dessert obsessed girl loves that the majority of the book is dedicated to my favorite mealtime.
There is truly something for everyone in this cookbook and I know I’ll be baking and cooking from it for years to come!
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S'mores Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup graham flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk
For the Toasted Marshmallow Buttercream:
- 1 cup 2sticks butter, at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 10 ounces mini marshmallows
For the Milk Chocolate Ganache:
- 2 cups milk chocolate chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat three, 8- inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pans with rounds of parchment paper coat with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, graham flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter, both sugars, oil and honey for 2 minutes on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla, and continue mixing for 1 more minute.
- Reduce the speed to low and add one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk, beating after each addition. Repeat this step. End with a final addition of the flour mixture. Once all the ingredients are incorporated mix for an additional 30 seconds, until the batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter equally between the 3 prepared pans.
- Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes, until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting, peeling off the parchment paper.
For the toasted marshmallow buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter on one minute until smooth. Turn the speed to low and slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Add in the milk and continue mixing until smooth. Set aside.
- Turn the oven to broil. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the marshmallows out in an even layer. Place the pan under the broiler for 30- 45 seconds until they are browned and puffed. Watch closely because they will burn very quickly. Immediately scrape the marshmallows into the butter mixture and beat until smooth. There will be bits of toasted marshmallows throughout the frosting; this is ok.
- The frosting will be warm due to the broiled marshmallows, so allow it to cool completely (15-20 minutes) before spreading on the cake.
For the milk chocolate ganache:
- Place the chocolate in a heat-proof medium bowl.In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it starts to steam, stirring constantly. (Alternatively, you can heat the cream in the microwave until very hot) Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted. Allow this to cool for 10-15 minutes, until the chocolate is thickened slightly.
- To assemble the cake, frost the top of each cake layer with equal portions of the buttercream. Place the bottom layer onto a cake plate. Pour one-third of the ganache mixture on top of the frosting and spread it to the edge, using an off- set spatula or spoon. Place the next cake layer on top of the chocolate and repeat the process. Finally place the last cake layer on. If desired, garnish with graham cracker pieces and mini marshmallows. Drizzle the remaining ganache on top.
- Store airtight until ready to serve. Keep cake airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
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I want to make this for my son’s birthday so I need enough for a crowd. I was thinking of making cupcakes to go along side this cake, do you know how the cook time will differ?
Hi, Katie! I’ve never converted this cake into cupcakes, so I honestly can’t say. But I would suggest baking the cupcakes for about 15 to 20 minutes. Check and see how it’s going and maybe take them out sooner or bake a little longer. Let me know how you like them!
I have to speak!!!! I just made the cake-in an hour or so!! – after I had read the comments! I reduced the sugar to two cups in the butter cream and substituted part of the chocolate for bitter one… The cakes turned out moist and delicious,!!! I also added crushed Graham crackers in between the layers and this brought extra crunchiness!!!! The cake is amazing and reminds me of smores soooo much!!! I personally loved making this cake and had so much fun especially when toasting the marshmallows! And my advice: read the comments and the notes guys! Always! Also trust your feeling and if something tells you not to put all the sugar in, then don’t!!! Use your imagination and bring it to tour liking!!! The recipe is fantastic!!! Thank you so much!!!! it’s the perfect Valentine’s cake!!
Thank you so much for your feedback, Evgenia! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!
Loved the idea of this cake but it was WAAAAY too sweet! The cake and ganache were okay, the buttercream was awful. American buttercream is so sweet to begin with, adding marshmallows didn’t help. I wanted to love this cake but unless you like over the top sweetness I wouldn’t recommend it.
Hi, Kerri! I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the buttercream. If you decide you’d like to try again, maybe reduce the amount of powdered sugar in the buttercream. Thanks for your feedback!
Hi there! I am planning to make this recipe but I just have 2 nine inch cake pans. Do you have any guidance for me or will I have to make a TJMaxx run to get new cake pans? Thanks!
Hi, Sarah! You can use the 9 inch cake pans, but you’ll have some cake batter left over. You’ll want to bake for approximately 15 minutes or so; check if the cake is done, and if not, bake a little longer. Let me know how you like it!
Lol… I spent 4 hours making this, and it’s way too sweet and the whole thing falls apart and looks like shit it doesn’t look like thag
Sarah-
Hello. I am so sorry to hear you had an issue with the cake. I followed Shelly’s recipe and directions and didn’t run into any problems. It’s definitely on the sweet side, but as for it falling apart and looking like shit, I’m not sure what went wrong.
-Jamie
The book only available in paperback, am i right?
Hi, Nicole! Yes, it’s in paperback. You can also get it for your Kindle as well. I hope you enjoy it!
Hi Jamie, I prefer chocolate cake. Which chocolate cake recipe do you use for this smores cake? The image that is shown above. Thanks!
Hi, Jaslin! This cake isn’t chocolate, but it has a dark color from the graham flour. There’s no reason, though, why you can’t make this recipe with a chocolate cake. Give my Chocolate Cake recipe a try and see how it works. This cake will only make two layers, so if you’d like a third, half the recipe to make an extra layer. Let me know how it goes!
Tried this cake for my Dad’s birthday. COMPLETELY DISAPPOINTED AFTER ALL THESE POSITIVE REVIEWS! The cake was dry and the only flavor distinguishable was the graham flour. The ganache and frosting was good but was in desperate need of a better cake to balance out the sweetness. So sad this one did not impress at all! First time I have ever baked a cake where no one could finish their piece.
Can marshmallow fluff be used in place of the marshmallows in the frosting? Thanks!
Hi, Layla! My only concern with using marshmallow fluff is that I think it would be more gooey than the marshmallows and not quite set up the way the cake needs to be. Let me know if I can help you with anything else!
I have Celiac disease. I plan to use gluten free all purpose flour instead of regular all-purpose flour, what can I use instead of graham flour? I’ve seen your replies to other comments saying to use whole wheat flour, but I can’t have that. Should I just use more gluten free flour?
Thanks!
I think that would work well, Sarah!
-Jamie