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S’mores Cake has plush, moist layers of graham cracker flavored cake filled with homemade marshmallow fluff, and frosted in milk chocolate frosting. Pipe swirls of marshmallow fluff on top and toast it for the ultimate summer vibe. This is the ultimate way to enjoy a modern twist on a classic summer treat!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this S’mores Cake:
- Graham Cracker Cake Layers – Graham cracker crumbs are folded into the batter to flavor our fluffy & moist cake layers. A hint of cinnamon enhances the flavor! (My S’mores Pop Tarts use this same trick in the dough to ensure a true s’mores taste!)
- Milk Chocolate Frosting – Melted milk chocolate bars are mixed into this silky frosting, making it taste just like your favorite campfire treat.
- Homemade Marshmallow Meringue – Swiss Meringue (unofficially known as marshmallow meringue) elevates this cake! If you’re intimidated by this, I walk you through every step in the recipe card at the bottom of this page. However, you can also use store bought marshmallow fluff for ease!
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).
- Butter – I prefer salted, but you can use unsalted butter if that’s your preference.
- Vegetable Oil – Using a combination of oil and butter gives this cake the best of both worlds – oil keeps the cake tender and moist, while butter adds flavor.
- Eggs – Use large eggs, at room temperature, for best results. Using whole eggs (plus one egg white) gives the perfect amount of fluffy texture and keeps the cake moist.
- Milk – I used 2% milk. I think skim and whole milk are fine as well. Lactose-free milk works beautifully also.
- Sour Cream – Use full-fat sour cream at room temperature.
- Cake Flour – Cake flour produces a lighter crumb in cakes, and I highly recommend using it! Spoon & level your flour for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly in will lead to too much flour. 1 cup of cake flour weighs 110 grams, whereas 1 cup all-purpose flour weighs 130 grams. (Some people standardize at 120, 125, or 130 – I’ve chosen 130.)
- Vanilla Extract – Since the flavor in this cake comes from simple quality ingredients, be sure to use real vanilla instead of imitation vanilla for the best flavor.
Recipe Substitutions & Variations:
- Cake Flour Substitute – Make your own cake flour by spooning & leveling 1 cup of flour into a measuring cup, using a flat edge to level it off. Add to a mixing bowl, then remove two tablespoons (scoop & level them off). Add two tablespoons of corn starch, then sift this mixture twice. This is important to evenly mix the ingredients and to give the same light texture as cake flour.
- Marshmallow Fluff – You can use store bought marshmallow fluff between the s’mores cake layers if you don’t want to make the marshmallow meringue. However, you will not be able to pipe it on top of the cake as pictured because it doesn’t have the stability of meringue. Dollop it on and swirl it over the frosting with the back of a spoon! You can still torch it lightly, too.
- Toasted Marshmallows – Feel free to add toasted marshmallows on top of the cake with the homemade or store bought fluff (or in place of these)!
- Sour Cream – Full fat yogurt (plain) works in place of sour cream in a pinch.
- Gluten-free – I have not tested any of my cake recipes with a gluten-free version. Let me know if you do try it!
- Dairy-free – I haven’t tested this cake with dairy-free alternatives, but you can certainly make it with dairy-free ingredients that you are already comfortable baking with.
How to Make this Homemade S’mores Cake:
Step 1: Make the Cake Batter. Beat together butter & oil with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Then, add the sugar & beat on high speed for two full minutes. Add the eggs, two at a time, mixing on medium between each for 45 seconds, until well combined. Add the sour cream and vanilla, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go, to make sure everything is incorporated. Alternate adding the dry ingredients, then the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients and graham cracker crumbs. Do not over mix – a few lumps in the batter is fine! An over mixed batter will make a dense cake.
Step 2: Bake the Cake Layers. Divide the cake batter between prepared pans, and bake as directed. Let baked cakes cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 3: Make the Frosting. Melt your milk chocolate in a large mixing bowl, then beat in the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, cocoa powder, and cream cheese. It’s the most luscious frosting you’ll ever taste!
Tip: Start beating on low speed when you add the powdered sugar and cocoa to avoid a mess!
Step 4: Make the Swiss Meringue. Make this once you’re actually ready to assemble the cake as it can’t sit around long. In a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water, whisk together room temperature egg whites, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar. Cook to a steady 175 degrees F.
Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high with the whisk attachment until very stiff peaks form, and hold. The mixture will go beyond looking silky smooth, and will almost look a *tiny* bit chunky, if that makes sense (it will ball up inside the whisk – pictured below).
For an even more in-depth tutorial on Swiss Meringue, be sure to read my blog post all about Swiss Meringue.
Step 5: Assemble the Cake. Place one cake layer on a cake stand, using a dollop of frosting to keep it in place. Spread chocolate frosting over the cake layer, and pipe a border of chocolate frosting to hold in the meringue. Spread 1/4 of the marshmallow inside the frosting border. Toast the marshmallow with your kitchen torch, then sprinkle on some graham cracker crumbs. Place the second cake layer on top, and pop in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes before repeating this process. Once the top layer has been added & chilled, spread a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake (this is your crumb coat!) and chill for another 20-30 minutes before adding the remaining frosting. Pipe the remaining meringue on top and toast it. Add hershey bar pieces and graham cracker crumbs for a final touch!
Serving + Storing S’mores Cake:
Once fully assembled, slice & serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving, if your meringue is as stable as mine (pictured). If you’ve never made meringue before and aren’t sure of the stability, you will want to serve this right away. If your meringue wasn’t properly stabilized, that’s okay – it just won’t hold up in the fridge for 24 hours. Store leftover cake in a covered cake carrier with plastic wrap pressed against the cut portion to keep it from drying out. Store leftovers for 2-3 days.
Expert Baking Tips:
- Read the Recipe Carefully – This S’mores Cake recipe isn’t necessarily hard, but there are a number of steps. Read the recipe through completely before beginning so you are prepared.
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. It’s very common for ovens to run hot or cold. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
FAQs:
Yes! Half a batch of this recipe will yield two, 8-inch round cake layers, or two 8-inch square cake layers.
Yes! A full batch of this recipe will yield about 44-48 cupcakes, so you may want to halve the recipe for 22 to 24 cupcakes.
Special Tools for Cake:
Affiliate links.
- Offset Spatula – Offset spatulas make frosting a cake so easy! They can also be used for spreading cake and brownie batters evenly.
- Cake Turntable – If you make at least a few cakes a year, a cake turntable makes the frosting process a breeze!
Tools for Swiss Meringue:
Affiliate links below.
- Piping Bag – I like to use a reusable piping bag whenever possible.
- Piping Tip – I used a Wilton 6B tip to pipe the meringue.
- Instant Read Thermometer – An instant read thermometer tells you when your egg whites are cooked to the proper temperature!
- Kitchen Torch – You know those cute little hand held kitchen torches? They crap out after a couple uses – don’t waste your money on those cheap things. Buy this Bernzomatic Trigger Start Torch and a few Propane Tanks to go with it – it’s a much higher-quality torch and has lasted me for years!
More S’mores Recipes to Love:
- Gooey Caramel S’more Bars
- No Bake S’mores Pie
- Gooey S’mores Brownies
- S’mores Stuffed Skillet Cookie
- Skillet S’mores Dip
- S’mores Tart
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment & star rating!
Click the little stars in the header of the recipe card below to leave a comment & star rating, letting me know how you liked the recipe. I take all feedback seriously, & leaving a rating helps my small business immensely!
S’mores Cake with Marshmallow Meringue & Milk Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Cake:
- 3 and 1/2 cups cake flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out, 385 grams
- 3/4 tsp baking soda, 4.5 grams
- 1 tbsp baking powder, 14 grams
- 3/4 tsp salt, 5 grams
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature , 113 grams
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 131 grams
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed, light or dark both work!
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 large egg white, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature , 180 grams
- 1 and 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature , 360 mL
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
For the Milk Chocolate Frosting
- 14 ounces milk chocolate, You can use hershey's, milk chocolate chips, or any kind really! Just don't use candy coating.
- 1 and 1/2 cups salted butter, softened at room temperature , 3 sticks, or 339 grams
- 5 and 3/4 cups powdered sugar , Plus more to taste
- 2 cups cocoa powder
- 1-2 tbsp heavy cream, or milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
- 12 ounces full fat cream cheese, cold, Use the block style, straight from the fridge
For the Marshmallow Meringue (Swiss Meringue)
- 4 large egg whites, See note about separating eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste – I love seeing the flecks of vanilla!
For Assembly
- 3 whole graham crackers, crushed into crumbs
- 1 full size hershey's bar
Instructions
- Prep: Make sure all cold ingredients have come to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 350° F. Prepare three 9-inch cake pans. Use a paper towel to rub shortening all over the inside of each pan, coating them evenly and completely. Cut a round of parchment paper to fit inside each (tracing is the easiest way, or purchase parchment rounds). Place this on top of the greased pan bottom, then grease over the parchment paper as well. Add a handful of flour, and tap the pan around to evenly coat the entire inside with flour, tapping out the excess.
- Make the Cake Batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter for about 30 seconds, until creamy. Add the vegetable oil and beat together on medium high speed for 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 full minutes. The mixture will be fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl down throughout, to ensure everything is combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium high speed between each addition, for 45 seconds. The mixture will be very fluffy. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix on medium speed until just combined. Add half of the dry ingredients while the mixer is running on low speed. Add the milk when just a bit of the flour has disappeared into the batter, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Continue mixing on low, and stop when just a few streaks of flour remain. Turn off the mixer and dump in the graham cracker crumbs. Use a spatula to gently fold them in. Do not over mix – some lumps in the batter is perfectly ok.
- Bake: Divide cake batter evenly between the prepared pans. (You can eyeball this or use a kitchen scale.) Bake the first two pans together, and then the 3rd pan on its own after the first two are done. This will ensure the most even bake. Bake the cakes for 23-26 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through (this helps them bake evenly). When done, a toothpick inserted into the center will pull out moist crumbs. Let cakes cool in the pans on cooling racks for 10 minutes. Then, invert onto cooling racks (peel off the parchment round) to cool completely.
- Make the Frosting: While the cakes cool, make frosting. Melt the milk chocolate in a large mixing bowl, in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, then stirring vigorously after 2-3 intervals, using the residual heat in the bow to melt the remaining lumps. Allow to cool to room temperature. Beat the softened butter into the melted chocolate until well combined and smooth. Add the powdered sugar in two additions, mixing well between each, adding a splash of milk as needed to help it come together. Add all remaining ingredients except the cream cheese. Beat until combined, then mix in the cream cheese very last. Taste and add a bit more cocoa or powdered sugar as desired.
- Meringue Prep: Make sure you read the note below on cleaning your utensils with vinegar before beginning. Get out everything you need before starting, including your cheesecake. Place your first cake layer on a serving plate, secured with a dollop of frosting. Set the serving plate on a cake turntable. Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip (or with the end snipped off) with 1/2 cup of frosting.Note: I have had better success making meringue in a stand mixer, but if you're confident with your hand mixer, you can use it as well. Try to avoid making this on a very humid day as that can wreak havoc on the meringue's stability.
- Make the Marshmallow Meringue: Make this just before you are fully ready to assemble the cake – it can't just sit around waiting. Add an inch or so of water to a small/medium saucepan. Make sure your bowl doesn't sit in the water. Test it by setting the bowl on the pot, over the water, lifting off and seeing if the bottom is wet. If you have a stand mixer, you can use its metal bowl. In your selected bowl, whisk together room temperature egg whites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Set the bowl over the pot of water. Turn the heat to low, then cook, whisking constantly until an instant thermometer holds steady at 175℉. (Mine was registering between 175℉ and 180℉ depending on where I stuck the thermometer without hitting the bottom of the bowl. Keep going until you don't see any reading below 175 ℉.) This will take about 8 minutes, but go by temp, not by time. Remove from the heat immediately, and add the vanilla.Hand Mixer: Beat with a hand mixer on high speed for 4-5 minutes. We're looking for a thick mixture with stiff peaks.Stand Mixer: Mix with the whisk attachment on high speed (I like to keep it between 8-9, not at 10) for 4-5 minutes. The mixture will grow up the sides of the bowl, and is ready when it seems to have stopped growing, and is balling up inside the whisk attachment (it will almost look a tad clumpy, as opposed to smooth & silky). When you lift the whisk attachment out and flip it so the bottom is pointing up, the meringue should stand stiffly up, with only the slightest bit of the tip top strand of meringue flipping over.
- Assemble the Cake: Spread 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting over the first layer, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula. Pipe a border of frosting around the cake layer and fill with 1/4 of the marshmallow meringue. Toast it lightly with your torch, then sprinkle on a handful of graham cracker crumbs. Place the second cake layer on top and spread the excess frosting peeking out from between to begin your crumb coat around the first two layers. Chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set things so the layers don't slide around. Repeat with the second layer. Add the final layer upside down (for a flat top!) and give the cake a thin amount of frosting on top and on the sides. Use a cake scraper to smooth out and remove excess. This is your crumb coat, so don't fret if it isn't perfect. Pop the cake in the fridge for about 20 minutes to set the frosting. Then, apply the remaining frosting, using the cake scraper to smooth the top and sides of the cake. Let chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes or until frosting is set. Pipe the remaining marshmallow meringue on top of the cake, then torch it with your kitchen torch immediately. Add hershey's bar pieces on top of the cake for decoration, with a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs.Note: If you're worried you won't be able to work quickly enough frosting & assembling the cake, you can use store bought marshmallow fluff in between the layers, then swirl more on top. It can be toasted as well. Or, you can use fluff between the layers, and then a half batch of the homemade on top (store bought fluff isn't stable enough to pipe).
- Serve & Store: Once the meringue has been piped on top, make sure the frosting isn't melty from being out, and slice & serve! The cake can also chill for 30-60 minutes if needed before serving. If your meringue stabilized to proper level (like mine in the photos) it will hold up for 4-6 hours before slicing & serving. Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge, with plastic wrap pressed over the cut portion to keep it moist. Leftovers keep for 2-3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is cocoa powder missing from the ingredients for the chocolate frosting? Tastes great without but my frosting is not as dark as pictured. The instructions also say add more cocoa powder, but there is no cocoa powder listed with the ingredients?
Hi Chelsea! Thanks for catching that – it looks like I did leave the cocoa powder out of the frosting ingredients by mistake. I have just updated the recipe. My apologies! I hope you enjoyed the cake either way. 🙂
Wow this cake was amazing! Fun to make and eat!
Thanks so much, Betty!