Tasty Graham Cracker S'mores Cake

You don't need a campfire to enjoy my Graham Cracker S'mores Cake. It has layers of fluffy and moist graham cracker cake, a toasted marshmallow filling, and it's covered in a dark chocolate buttercream. 

This Graham Crackers S'mores Cake is going to help you feel like it's summer. I mean, summer is literally around the corner, so get ready with my newest recipe. This cake is SO good! 

If you like this recipe, try more like this!

S'more Cake, Ultimate Biscoff Cake, Graham Cracker Cake with Cake Batter Buttercream

Why Make This S'mores Cake?

• Layered cake- This cake has 3, 8 inch layers cake and is big enough to feed 14-18 people, depending on how big your cake slices are, but I wouldn't blame you at all if you decided to make these slices big! 
• Graham cracker layers- Like a s'more, the base of this cake is graham cracker. (Personally my favorite part of any s'more, but I understand that most people might prefer the chocolate or the marshmallow). I used ground up graham cracker crumbs and mixed them right into my cake batter.
• Toasted marshmallow- I use a torch to toast my marshmallows, but only because my oven's broil feature is non existent, and just dries out my marshmallows instead of browning them. I do have instructions for toasting them both ways in my instructions. 
• Chocolate buttercream- I decided to go light on the chocolate flavor because, well, s'mores are mostly graham crackers… in my opinion ;).
• No skills required- If you think that you needs to be a professional, stop it. This cake requires no skill and once you make it, and then taste it, you will never go back to a boxed cake again. 

Ingredients you will need

Here are some ingredients that you will need for this recipe that you may not have in your pantry.

• Graham cracker crumbs- I use Keebler Graham Cracker crumbs that come prepackaged. If you don't want to use those, I have listed how many graham cracker rectangles you will need for this recipe.
• Unsalted butter- You will use a lot of butter. I think a total of 9 sticks of butter. I suggest buying 3 pounds of unsalted butter. (Don't worry, you won't use all 3 pounds).
• Ground nutmeg- This just helps the flavor profile of this cake.
• Brown sugar- I always use light brown sugar.
• Eggs- Pull these out 2-4 hours before baking. I use large eggs.
• Buttermilk- I also pull this out 2-4 hours before baking. I try to find high fat buttermilk, but any kind of buttermilk will work.
• Large marshmallows- Small marshmallow will do, but I highly suggest using the big ones.
• Marshmallow fluff- I use one whole jar of it!
• Dark chocolate wafers- My favorite brand is Ghirardelli, but any high quality brand will work. 

Step by step instructions - S'more Cake

STEP 1: Make the crust. Make the crust by mixing the butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. Bake them at 325 for 10 minutes. 

STEP 2: Cream the butter and sugar. Cream the butter and the sugar on high for 5 minutes. It should lighten up in color.

STEP 3: Add the eggs. Add them in one at a time, scraping the sides and the bottom of the bowl after each addition.

STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk.

STEP 5: Pour into prepared crust. I used about 19 ounces in each pan. If you don't have a kitchen scale, just eyeball it.

STEP 6: Bake. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

STEP 7: Toast marshmallow filling. Toast the marshmallows and allow them to cool completely.

STEP 8: Make the marshmallow filling. Make the filling by combining and beating the filling ingredients together.

STEP 9: Make the chocolate buttercream- To prevent chunks I make a ganache out of the chocolate and the cream and then I combine it with the butter. I beat them together on high, and then add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla.

STEP 10: Assemble the cake- For all my tips and tricks on cake assembly, head over to my instagram. I have so many posts about how I assemble my cakes. If you want text instead of video, I give detailed instructions below. 

Assembly

• Level your cakes with a cake leveler, if needed.
• Place the first cake layer on a cake board with the graham cracker layer on the bottom. Gently and evenly spread around ¼ cup of the chocolate buttercream around the cake layer. Pipe a rim of chocolate around the edge of the cake. 
• Spread half of the marshmallow filling into the piped chocolate ganache. 
• Repeat with the second layer of cake.
• Place your final cake layer, with the graham cracker layer on the bottom, on top of the second layer of filling.
• Apply a thin layer of the chocolate buttercream around the entire cake and freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once the crumb coat is set, finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining chocolate buttercream.

Decorating the cake

I used a drip when I decorated this cake, which is totally optionally, but I highly recommend it. 

I also made my own marshmallows… Crazy? Maybe. Worth it? YES! They were so much fun to make and to toast myself! You can find the recipe I used here. You will be happy to know that they don't require any butter! 

Storing your Cake

If I am dividing my Graham Cracker S'mores cake making into multiple days, I bake my cake layers, cool them, and wrap them with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge or the freezer. This help reduce crumbs and makes it so the layers don't slide around when decorating. They can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days. 

Freezing

If you want to make the entire cake ahead of time, you can freeze the decorated cake by simply chilling it and then wrapping it with plastic wrap. If you want to store it for longer than a few days, put a layer of aluminum foil over the plastic wrap. It can be stored like this in the freezer for up to 6 months. Once you are ready to serve the cake, pull it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw to help decrease condensation.

If you need some other recipes to try, here are some great ones:

Brown Butter Blueberry Cookies, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies

Recipe

Graham Cracker S'mores Cake

Molly Murphy

You don't need a campfire to make my Graham Cracker S'mores cake. It has layers of fluffy and moist graham cracker cake, a toasted marshmallow filling, and is topped with a dark chocolate buttercream.

4 from 16 votes

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Ingredients

  

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For the Graham cracker crust

• 2 cups finely ground graham crackers about 18 full rectangular crackers pulverized (I used Keebler's graham cracker crumbs)
• ½ cup unsalted butter melted
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar

For the graham cracker cake layer

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup finely ground graham crackers about 8 full rectangular crackers
• 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ⅔ cup brown sugar packed
• 4 large or extra large eggs at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups buttermilk at room temperature

For the toasted marshmallow filling

• 20 large white marshmallows
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 jar marshmallow fluff 7 ounce bottle
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate buttercream

• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 10 oz dark chocolate chips or wafers
• 2 cups unsalted butter chilled
• 5 cups powdered sugar measured and sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

For the drip

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips or wafers
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

 

FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and then line with parchment paper. Spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. With a rubber spatula, stir until all the graham cracker crumbs are combined with the melted butter. You should be able to squeeze the mixture and have it stick together.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the three pans and press down firmly with your hand or the back of a spoon (about ¾ cup in each pan).
• Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool while you make the cake layers.

For the Graham Cracker Cake

• Keep your oven at 325.
• If you need to pulverize your graham crackers, do it now. They should resemble sand.
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until the ingredients are well-blended. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
• With the mixer on the lowest speed, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Slowly add half of the buttermilk, followed by another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, the second half of the buttermilk, and the final ⅓ of dry ingredients. Mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly mix for another 20-30 seconds.
• Divide the batter evenly among your pans (about 20 ounces in each-for 8 inch pans) right on top of the baked graham cracker crust and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs on it. Cool 15 minutes on a wire rack before transferring the cake layers out of the cake pan and onto cooling racks to cool completely.

For the marshmallow filling

• Place the marshmallows on a lined cookie sheet. DO NOT LINE WITH PARCHMENT PAPER. My oven doesn't have a broil options, so I used a torch. If you don't have a torch, directions for oven toasting are on the next step. Line the marshmallows in 5 rows, 4 in each row. With a kitchen torch, torch one side until golden brown, or darker. (I went dark to really give it that toasted flavor) Turn the marshmallows and repeat.
• For the oven directions. Place on the middle rack of the oven, and broil the marshmallows until golden brown on top, about 30-60 seconds. It can happen fast, so please keep an eye on them. Remove the pan from the oven and gently turn the marshmallows over and broil them again until they are golden brown on the other side.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, marshmallow fluff, and powdered sugar on low until combined. Add the vanilla and mix on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes.
• Scrape down the bowl, add the toasted marshmallows, and beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes.

For the chocolate buttercream

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate for 30 seconds, stir, heat for 30 more seconds, and set aside. The chocolate will not be melted all the way, but this will help it melt quicker when you add the cream.
• In another microwave proof bowl, heat the cream until nearly boiling. Make sure it doesn't boil over. Pour the hot cream over the slightly warm chocolate chips. Let it sit for 2 minutes and then stir. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
• Add the chocolate/cream mixture. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 1 more minute.
• Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low until combined, then turn the mixer to a medium high speed, and beat for 3 minutes.
• With a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, beat by hand to mix out any air pockets.

For the drip

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate for 30 seconds, stir, heat for 30 more seconds, and set aside. The chocolate will not be melted all the way, but this will help it melt better when you add the cream.
• In another microwave proof bowl, heat the cream until nearly boiling. Make sure it doesn't boil over. Pour the hot cream over the slightly warm chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes, and then stir. Set aside. If there are still chunks, heat for 15 seconds and stir again.

Assembly

• Place the first cake layer on a cake board, with the graham cracker layer on the bottom. Gently and evenly spread ¼ cup of the chocolate buttercream over the cake layer. Pipe a rim of chocolate around the edge of the cake.
• Spread half of the marshmallow filling into the piped chocolate ganache.
• Repeat with the second layer of cake.
• Place your final cake layer, with the graham cracker layer on the bottom, on top of the second layer of filling.
• Apply a thin layer of the chocolate buttercream around the entire cake and freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once the crumb coat is set, finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining chocolate buttercream. Add the drip. Serve at room temperature.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!