S’mores Layer Cake

A graham cracker cake, layered with milk chocolate ganache and marshmallow buttercream and topped with a graham cracker crumble.

I love s’mores!

The unique combination of sweet milk chocolate, creamy, gooey marshmallows, and the crisp and buttery graham crackers truly melts my heart.

This is really evident by the s’mores recipes I have posted including: S’mores Ice Cream, S’mores Sheet Cake, S’mores Cookie Bars, Brownie S’mores, S’mores Parfaits, S’mores Overload Cake, Frosted S’mores Brownies, S’mores Blondies, Sweet & Gooey S’mores Bars, and S’mores Ice Cream Delight.

And now, that we are just about to turn the corner into fall, its’ the perfect time to make this incredible S’mores Layer Cake!

Make it for your family to indulge in after dinner, surprise your friends by brining them a delicious homemade dessert, or impress your co-workers with an afternoon treat.

Anyway you slice it, you’ll come out on top!

Even though this recipe is long and may look a bit daunting, if you are prepared, it does come together easily.

First, you make a graham cracker cake. It’s really my vanilla cake recipe that includes crumbled graham cracker crumbs.

This is followed by making an easy milk chocolate ganache and a sweet graham cracker crumble (kind of like a deconstructed graham cracker crust).

Then comes whipping up a decadent marshmallow buttercream frosting. Put it all together and voila, you have an incredible looking and even better tasting S’mores Layer Cake!

S'mores Layer Cake

Servings: 20
Difficulty: easy
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By: Sheila | Sweet Baked Life Smores Layer Cake SMALL

Ingredients:

Graham Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup crushed graham crackers (sand texture)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups milk

Milk Chocolate Ganache:

12 oz good quality milk chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Marshmallow Buttercream:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 container (7 oz) Jet Puffed Marshmallow Cream
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioner’s sugar

Graham Cracker Crumble:

1 sleeve graham crackers (9 whole crackers), crushed
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Instructions:

Make the cake:

Heat your oven to 350F degrees. Prepare three 6-inch cake pans by placing parchment paper in the bottom and then spraying with non-stick spray and set aside.
Into a medium bowl, add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk until combined and set aside until ready to use.
In a large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter and beat on high-speed for about 3 minutes, until light in color and fluffy. Turn your mixer to medium, slowly add the sugar and mix until well blended for about 3 minutes longer.
Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Then add the dry and wet ingredients, alternating as blending. Do not over mix.
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle shows soft crumbs. Remove and let cool 10 minutes on a rack, then take out of pans and let the cakes cool completely before assembling cake.

While the cake is baking, make the milk chocolate ganache: Place the milk chocolate chips into a bowl. Then pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan and heat until the cream is hot and steaming, but not boiling. Pour the hot cream over the milk chocolate chips. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes then using a rubber spatula, stir until smooth. With milk chocolate, the chips may not completely melt. If this is the case, microwave mixture for 20 seconds then stir. If needed, microwave for an additional 10 seconds and stir until completely smooth. Cool on the countertop, then cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until ready to use. When ready to use, remove from refrigerator and let sit for about 15 minutes to come to room temperature before using as the ganache will be thick.

Then make the graham cracker crumble: Into a medium bowl, add the crushed graham crackers and stir until combined. Then add the melted butter and mix well. Pour mixture onto a parchment lined baking pan and bake at 350F degrees for about 10 minutes. Cool completely before using. I placed these in the freezer until I was ready to use.

When you are ready to assemble the cake, make the marshmallow buttercream: To a large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter and beat on high speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the marshmallow cream, heavy cream, and vanilla extract and beat for an additional 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the confectioners’ sugar and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes until smooth. If needed, add more cream or confectioners’ sugar until you get the consistence you like.

To assemble the cake: Using a serrated knife, cut each cake in half to create two layers from each cake. Put a small spoonful of the buttercream onto the top of a serving plate. Add a cake layer, then add a thin layer of ganache and spread evenly with an offset spatula, then add a layer of marshmallow buttercream. Repeat until you have used all the cake. For the top, add the marshmallow buttercream and then top with some of the chocolate ganache. Sprinkle with the graham cracker crumble and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Note: When I went to assemble this cake, I opted to only use 4 cake layers, and then made an additional smaller cake with the other 2 layers.