S’mores Cake

S’mores Cake is made with a yellow cake base, graham cracker crumbs, layered with hot fudge, and decorated with toasted marshmallow buttercream frosting, piles of fluffy marshmallows and so much more. It’s the ultimate summer celebration cake for serious s’mores lovers!

There’s one thing I do every summer – make my mom a birthday cake. She passed away almost 9 years ago now, but I still always celebrate her birthday each year.

You see, she was a cake decorator – so she was all about the cake. Plus, I’m always up for a reason to make some new over-the-top cake recipe and enjoy it in her honor.

I thought that since it is summer a s’mores cake would be perfect. What flavor is more indicative of summer than s’mores? So we added graham crackers to the cake base. Then we made sure to add hot fudge to really give a nice pop of chocolate flavor too.

But my favorite part – was the toasted marshmallow buttercream frosting. Oh my heavens – I didn’t know how much I would love this frosting, but my friends, it is DIVINE! I almost didn’t even need the cake – I was all about this frosting.

Here are some commonly asked questions

Can this frosting be made ahead of time?

You bet! Often when I am working on a cake, it happens in batches. I will bake the layers on one day and make the frosting while they are baking.

Then the layers go in the freezer and the frosting gets refrigerated for up to 1-3 days before I even get around to decorating the cake.

Can I replace the oil with butter?

I have not tried making that swap with this particular recipe. There might be instructions on the box for making that swap and if so- I would think that it would work out the same – even with the changes we have made here. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how it worked.

What is the best way to store leftover s’mores cake?

If most of the cake is still remaining after serving, I recommend wrapping it with plastic wrap, taking care to fully cover the cut area that is now exposed. Then add a layer of foil over the whole thing. Refrigerate.

If you only have a couple of slices left, place them in an airtight container, preferably in individual slices, and refrigerate.

This cake will stay fresh for up to 5 days if kept wrapped and refrigerated. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes prior to serving again.

Ingredients for S’mores Cake

• yellow cake mix 
• graham cracker crumbs
• water
• vegetable oil
• eggs

Ingredients for Toasted Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

• mini marshmallows
• unsalted butter – softened
• confectioner’s sugar 

Needed to Decorate S’mores Cake

• hot fudge
• Garnish graham cracker crumbs, hershey bars, graham crackers, mini marshmallows, regular marshmallows.

Ganache

• semisweet chocolate chips
• heavy whipping cream

How to Make S’mores Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease three 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine the 2 cake mixes, graham cracker crumbs, water, oil and eggs.
4. Whisk until smooth and all combined.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring them from the pans to a cooling rack.
8. Cool the cakes completely before decorating. I like to place them in the freezer to make them easier to handle while decorating.

What is bakers release?

Bakers release is a combination of oil, flour, and shortening that makes releasing cakes and other baked goods almost effortless.

To make Bakers Release – it is as simple as 1,1 & 1. 

• equal parts of all-purpose flour, shortening, and cooking oil – I like to do 1 cup of each.

Mix the ingredients together – whisking well. Store in an airtight container in the pantry or refrigerator. When ready to use, dip a pastry brush into the mixture and spread it over the cake pan.

How to Make Toasted Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

1. Turn your oven on to broil.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
3. Spread out the 4 cups of mini marshmallows on the baking sheet.
4. Place the marshmallows under the broiler.
5. Do not take your eyes off the marshmallows while they are under the broiler. It will only take them a minute to get toasted.
6. Remove the marshmallows from the oven and immediately transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
7. Then add the softened butter to the bowl with the toasted marshmallows and using an electric mixer whip the butter and marshmallow together.
8. Next carefully add the confectioner’s sugar a little at a time.
9. Once all the sugar is added, whip the frosting for 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy.

**Once greased, I like to also dust the cake pan with flour for white cakes or cocoa powder for chocolate cakes. It helps with releasing the cake from the pan once it has baked and cooled. You can do this by adding about a tablespoon of either of those and then shake it around over the sink until all of the greased area is coated. Shake out the remaining flour or cocoa before adding the cake batter.

Assembling and Decorating this S’mores Cake

1. Place a cake layer onto the serving plate or cake plate.
2. Frost the top of that cake with a layer of the marshmallow buttercream.
3. Top that with half of the hot fudge sauce. The buttercream and the fudge sauce will mix a little and that’s okay.
4. Repeat with the next layer.
5. Place the final layer on top and frost the whole cake with the marshmallow buttercream. If you like you can reserve some frosting and pipe a bit on the top for decoration.
6. I like to take some graham cracker crumbs and sprinkle them around the bottom half of the cake. I then decorate the top with graham crackers, hershey bars and more marshmallows though this is optional.

Ganache

1. In a small microwave-safe bowl warm the heavy whipping cream in 30-second increments until hot.
2. Add the chocolate chips to the warm cream and let sit for 5 minutes before whisking together. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
3. Let the ganache cool slightly and then drizzle it around the top edge. You can also use a piping bag.

How much frosting does this make?

This is enough to fill, crumb coat, and frost & decorate a 3-layer, 8″ round cake. Increase the recipe by 1/2 if you like your frosting thicker than what you see here or wish to pipe on more decoration.

How to store leftover ganache

The optimal way to use the ganache is right after you make it – this will give you the best results. But if you do need to store it – the best way to store any leftover ganache is to put the cap on the decorating bottle and place it in the refrigerator until ready to use again.

To reheat, microwave on 50% power in 30-second intervals, shaking or stirring gently until it is heated through. Remember you want it just slightly warm, but still in a liquid state to make your drips.

Visit my post on making the perfect chocolate ganache for all the tips and tricks as well as different recipes for using different types of chocolate!

Can this be made into cupcakes or sheet cake?

You bet! Just use one cake mix, 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs, 1 cup of water, ⅔ cup of oil, and 3 eggs. Then just put the hot fudge on top of your baked cupcakes or 9×13 cake and then frost with the marshmallow frosting.

Can this s’mores cake be frozen?

Yes, I do it often. Once baked – this cake can be frozen at all stages of the creation process. I like to remove the freshly baked and cooled cakes from the pan, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze them for later use. (this is also handy when you want to work with cold cakes to keep the frosting from getting too soft.)

I also like to freeze the cake once I have assembled the layers and added the crumb coat. This helps the final frosting decorating go much smoother. This way you don’t have your frosting melting off the side of the cake because the cake or the frosting is too warm. Often times I will get a cake to this stage days before the event I’m making for. Then just finish up the decorating the night before.

You can also gently wrap the completely decorated cake and freeze it until you need it. Remember that the frosting won’t be completely firm and can still be dented if something gets pushed up against it while in the freezer.

Just make sure to thaw it in the fridge the night before as it does taste best when not frozen. I also like to leave it at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving so the frosting is more creamy than stiff.

Products I love when making this S’mores Cake…

This cake recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand

OR maybe you have never made a homemade cake before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this cake recipe. (you can also SHOP MY FAVORITES in my store)

• mixer
• hand mixer
• mixing bowl
• piping bag
• piping tips
• offset spatula
• rubber scraper
• silicone spatulas
• cake pans
• cake turntable
• decorative scrapers
• cardboard rounds

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If you love this incredible S’mores Cake recipe, you’re going to love these other cakes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

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