S'mores Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 250 grams (8.8 oz) digestive biscuits or graham crackers (add 1 tbsp sugar if using graham crackers)
- 90 grams (3.17 oz) unsalted butter melted
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 300 grams (1½ cup, 10.5 oz) granulated sugar
- 240 grams (1 cup) buttermilk
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) oil
- 120 grams (1 cup) cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 240 ml (1 cup) hot strong brewed coffee (or water)
- 300 grams (2⅓ cup +1 Tablespoon, 10.5 oz) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Filling:
- 80 grams (2.8 oz) heavy cream
- 120 grams (4.2 oz) quality dark chocolate finely chopped
- 30 grams (2 tablespoons, 1 oz) unsalted butter
Marshmallow Buttercream:
- 200 grams (7.05 oz) Marshmallow Creme/Fluff store bought or homemade (I made my own using Agave syrup-recipe below)
- 200 grams (7.05 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 100 grams (3.5 oz) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Chocolate ganache:
- 100 grams (3.5 oz) dark chocolate
- 100 grams (3.5 oz, 1/3 cup+1 tbsp) heavy cream
Marshmallow creme/fluff:
- 90 grams (1/3 cup, 3 oz) water
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 250 grams (3/4 cup) agave syrup/honey/ corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
more (optional):
- the rest of marshmallow creme or store bought marshmallow fluff to spread over cake
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Grease and flour 3-20 cm (8 inch) springform pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
- Using a food processor, process digestive biscuits/graham crackers until finely ground, add mleted butter (and sugar if using grahams) and mix until incorporated. Divide between 2 (not 3) prepared baking pans, and press the crumbs into an even layer on the the bottom of the pans. Put in the refrigerator while you make cake batter.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl beat eggs and sugar until pale, add vanilla, oil, buttermilk and coffee.
- With a mixer on a low speed, mix in dry ingredients until incorporated. Batter will be a bit thin.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pans, two of them with cookies crusts.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. You may want to take out the pan without the cookie crust few minutes earlier from the oven (it will bake faster, since there is no cookie crust on the bottom).
- Cool 10 minutes and remove cakes from pans (but leave the bottoms of springform pans) and transfer them to wire racks.
- Cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate filling:
- Place chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Place heavy cream in another heatproof bowl and microwave until very hot, almost boiling for about 1-2 minutes. Pour over chocolate and let stand 1-2 minutes. With a metal spoon or small rubber spatula, very slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. Mix in butter until smooth and creamy. Let it sit at room temperature to thicken to a spreadable consistency for about 30 minutes.
Marshmallow Buttercream:
- Place the butter in the bowl and using an electric mixer (hand held or stand mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the marshmallow fluff and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Chocolate Ganche:
- Place chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Place heavy cream in another heatproof bowl and microwave until very hot, almost boiling for about 1-2 minutes. Pour over chocolate and let stand 1-2 minutes. With a metal spoon or small rubber spatula, very slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted.
Homemade Marshmallow Creme/Fluff:
- Place egg whites and lemon juice/cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Ensure mixer bowl and whisk are completely grease free.
- Place water, sugar, and agave syrup/honey/corn syrup in a medium saucepan.
- Over low heat stir to combine and let the sugar dissolve. Do not let this mix simmer until the sugar has dissolved totally.
- Insert a candy thermometer into the pot and heat over medium-high. Do not stir from this point on as crystals will form.
- Simmer this mix until it reaches 120 °C (240 °F) on a candy thermometer. Approx 4 minutes.
- Turn on your mixer to medium speed and whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Approx 3-4 minutes.
- Turn mixer to medium and very slowly and carefully pour the sugar syrup into the whites in a thin, steady stream.
- Once all of the syrup is in, set mixer to medium/high and continue whipping. The whites will deflate at first, but they will thicken and fluff up.
- Continue to whip for 6-8 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and glossy.
- Add in vanilla and whip until the fluff has cooled.
Assembly:
- Using a cake leveler or a serrated knife level the tops of your cakes if needed.
- Place one layer of the cake with cookie crust on cake stand or plate, upside down so that cookie layer is above. Using offset spatula spread third of buttercream over cookie layer and make a buttercream border. Fill it with chocolate filling, be sure not to overfill it. Repeat with the second layer of cookie crust cake, make sure that cookie layer is above.Then again spread buttercream and chooclate filling and place final cake layer without cookie crust on top, upside down.
- Spread the remining buttercream on the top of the third layer and the sides with an offset spatula.
- Put the cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes before you pour chocolate ganache. Spread or pipe the rest (or as much as you want) of marshmallow creme (homemade or store-bought) and toast it using kitchen torch. As soon as the fluff is the color you want it, simply remove the torch.
Notes
I always suggest using a kitchen scale. If you don't have one, buy it! They are cheap and you will always ensure same results in baking!
Tried this recipe?Tag @mihaela_biteitquick on Instagram! I would love to see what you've baked!