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The Batter Thickens

A food blog balancing sweet treats & healthy eats.

S’mores Cake

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A few weeks ago, when I asked my siblings for a suggestion on what to bake next, my sister started rattling off about 7 ideas for s’mores flavored desserts. I ended up making some cookies, following her idea. And then when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she said “s’mores cake.” I started sensing a pattern. Maybe it’s because my niece eats graham crackers on the daily, so it’s a constant reminder in my sister’s world. Or, it’s just because s’mores are good!

The past two summers, there’s been a “theme” for the summer, at least in the internet/meme world. Two years ago, it was “Barbie Summer.” Last year, it was “Brat Summer.” But this year, no trend has emerged! Honestly, it’s a bit of a relief. I find the nonstop internet trends a bit exhausting.

In the pop culture world, if I had to call it anything, I’d call it Pedro Pascal summer, because he’s been in three major movies this summer. But in terms of baking, why not call it S’mores Summer!

S’mores cookies! S’mores cake! Soon, some s’mores brownies!

This cake follows the Milk Bar formula, naturally, because I don’t like to mess with a good thing. But it’s not one of the official Milk Bar recipes. It’s got graham cracker cake, graham crumb, Hershey ganache, and marshmallow frosting. Not having the frosting on the outside keeps the marshmallow at a good level, and that combines with the salt in the graham crumb and cake makes the whole thing not too sweet. Which is a big thing when it comes to S’mores, in my opinion! Because they can easily become far to sweet, between the marshmallow and the milk chocolate.

Whenever I use a Hershey bar in baking, I think about how a s’more is the only time I’d eat one not in a baked good. But truly, using Hershey instead of a regular chocolate can truly take a bake to the next level. Whether it be because it needs the iconic taste for the s’mores flavor… or just because milk chocolate really hits the spot sometimes. It’s hard to say! Either way, it really brings this cake together!

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S’mores Cake

  • Author: Audrey
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Description

Graham cake and crumb from All About Cake, ganache and frosting made up

Ingredients

For the graham cake:

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 2/3 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • ⅔ cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup vegetable or grapeseed oil
  • 1 1/4 cups cake flour (or, 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons cornstarch)
  • 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (graham crackers that have been crushed into crumbs)
  • 1¼ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

For the Graham Crumb:

  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (graham crackers that have been crushed into crumbs)
  • 1/4 cup milk powder
  • 2 tbs sugar
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 6 tbs butter (melted) or as needed
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

For the Hershey Ganache:

  • 4.4oz Hershey bar
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream

For the Marshmallow Frosting:

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter
  • 1 70z container of marshmallow fluff
  • 1–1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2–1 tsp salt

Instructions

Make the cake:

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Pan-spray a quarter-sheet pan and line it with parchment paper, or just line the pan with a silicone baking mat.
  2. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through this process, and again at the end.
  3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium-high for 1 minute after each addition. After you add the last egg, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on high for 4 more minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
  4. Combine the buttermilk and oil and with the mixer on medium speed, stream them in very slowly. It should take you approximately 3 minutes to add these liquids. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and paddle for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is practically white, twice the size of your original fluffy butter-and-sugar mixture, and completely homogeneous. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  5. Whisk the cake flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
  6. With the mixer on very low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix for 45 to 60 seconds, just until your batter comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix on low for an additional 45 seconds to make sure no lumps of cake flour get left behind
  7. Pour the cake batter into the sheet pan and, using a spatula, spread the batter in an even layer in the pan.
  8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan front to back halfway through baking. The cake will rise and puff, doubling in size, but will remain slightly buttery and dense. At 25 minutes, gently poke the edge of the cake with your finger. The cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer be jiggly. If it doesn’t pass these tests, leave the cake in the oven for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
  9. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack or, in a pinch, in the fridge or freezer (don’t worry, it’s not cheating). The cooled cake can be stored in the fridge, wrapped in Plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.

Make the graham crumb:

  1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper of a silicone baking mat.
  2. Toss the graham cracker crumbs, milk powder, sugar, and salt with your hands in a medium bowl to evenly distribute your dry ingredients.
  3. Whisk the butter and heavy cream together. add to the dry ingredients and toss again to evenly distribute. The butter will act as glue, adhering to the dry ingredients and turning the mixture into a bunch of small clusters. The mixture should hold its shape if squeezed tightly in the palm of your hand. If it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 14 to 25 g (1 to 1½ tablespoons) butter and mix it in.
  4. Spread out on the lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until they have browned a bit and smell toasted. Allow the crumb to cool and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Make the Hershey ganache:

  1. Break up your Hershey bar and place into a heatproof bowl.
  2. In 30 second increments, heat up your heavy cream in the microwave until it’s hot to the touch. Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to soften the chocolate.
  3. With a metal spoon or silicone spatula, gently stir to combine the cream and chocolate until the chocolate has melted and it has become homogenous. You can put it in the microwave for 15 seconds or so if the chocolate isn’t fully melting. Allow to cool and come to room temperature before using – it will thicken up a bit.

Make the marshmallow frosting:

  1. Beat together the butter, marshmallow fluff, and salt until incorporated. Then, slowly add in the powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments and beat until the frosting is fluffy and airy. You can add more or less powdered sugar to get your desired consistency and sweetness level.

Assemble the cake:

  1. Put a piece of parchment or a silpat on the counter. Invert the cake onto it and peel off the parchment or silpat from the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to stamp out 2 circles from the cake. These are your top 2 cake layers. The remaining cake “scrap” will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.
  2. Clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a sheet pan lined with clean parchment or a silpat. Use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring.
  3. Put the cake scraps together inside the ring and use the back of your hand to tamp the scraps together into a flat even layer.
  4. Use the back of a spoon to spread about 1/3 of the frosting in an even layer over the cake.
  5. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the graham crumbs evenly over the frosting. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place.
  6. Drizzle about half of the ganache over the crumb, using the back of a spoon to spread it out if desired.
  7. Nestle the remaining cake round on top of the ganache, and repeat the frosting, crumb, and ganache layers. 
  8. Put your final piece of cake on top, and frost with the remaining frosting. Decorate with any leftover crumb, as desired.
  9. Transfer the sheet pan to the fridge or freezer for a minimum of 7 hours to set the cake and filling. The cake will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
  10. When you’re ready to serve the cake, remove the acetate and allow it to come to room temperature.
  11. Slice the cake into wedges and serve.

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