This S’mores cake recipe brings together all of the flavors of the sweet graham cracker sandwich filled with fire-roasted marshmallows and chocolate — but you can make it any time of year!
Chef Jessica Approved ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
If you are a fan of s’mores you’re going to fall in love with this decadent cake.
- Gorgeous – This show-stopping cake is a crowd-pleaser every time and you don’t even need to be good at decorating. We all know I am a lazy baker and terrible at decorating.
- Tasty – This three-layer cake channels the flavors of fireside s’mores for a sweet treat you can enjoy year-round.
- No Fire Needed- Similar to our S’mores in the oven , S’mores Dip, S’mores Brownies or S’mores Cookies, you don’t need a campfire to get fabulous s’mores flavors.
Here’s What You Need
All this takes is a quick trip to the baking aisle and refrigerator section. You might even have some of the ingredients needed to make this s’mores cake! A full list of ingredients with measurements for beef pot pie is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Yellow cake mix – Grab the mix from the store but do not follow the box directions to make it.
- Graham cracker crumbs – Crush your own crumbs with a rolling pin and graham crackers sealed in a resealable bag or grab pre-crushed crackers from the grocery store.
- Water – Tap water will do but you can use a bottled version, too.
- Vegetable oil – Any neutral oil will work but we like vegetable oil the best for this recipe.
- Eggs – Large eggs are the standard size to use for baking.
- Hot fudge – Just grab your favorite variety off the shelf — and get extra in case you want to replace the ganache with it to save a little time.
- Salted butter – Although I generally bake with unsalted butter, this is for the buttercream and this cake it pretty sweet, so to save a (small) step, we’ve used an already salted butter. It helps to balances the sugar.
- Mini marshmallows – This size will be far easier to whip with the butter than larger varieties.
- Semisweet chocolate chips – This is our favorite variety to use for this cake but you can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate, it will just be sweeter.
- Heavy whipping cream – For a ganache you don’t want to skimp by using a lighter dairy version. The fat helps to give it its silky texture.
- Garnish – You can use graham cracker crumbs, hershey bars, graham crackers, mini marshmallows or regular marshmallows to make this cake even more spectacular.
Get to Baking!
It may look like a lot of steps but this s’mores cake is totally worth all of the work and time.
Cake Layers
- Make cake batter. Add the cake mixes, graham cracker crumbs, water, oil and eggs to a large bowl and stir together until completely combined.
- Add to pans and bake. Pour the cake batter evenly into each of the pans. Bake until the cakes pass the toothpick test.
- Cool. Allow the cakes to cool briefly before inverting onto a wire rack.
Buttercream Frosting
- Broil marshmallows. Place the mini marshmallows on the prepared baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven under the preheated broiler.
- Beat toasted marshmallows with butter. Add the toasted marshmallows to a large bowl along with the butter and beat with an electric mixer until combined.
- Add powdered sugar. Then, in intervals add the powdered sugar and continue to whip until the mixture is airy and fluffy.
Assemble The Cake
- Spread buttercream on layer one. Place the first layer of cake onto a serving plate or cake board. Spread marshmallow buttercream over top of the cake using an offset spatula.
- Top with hot fudge and repeat with second layer. Pour hot fudge sauce over top. Do the same for the second cake layer. Then, add the final layer to the top.
- Cover entire cake with butter cream. Frost the top and entire outside of the cake with the marshmallow buttercream.
- Warm heavy cream. Warm the heavy cream in 10 second increments in a heatproof bowl in the microwave until it is hot.
- Combine chocolate and hot cream. Pour the chocolate chips into the hot cream and let the chocolate mixture rest briefly before stirring together until smooth.
- Drizzle ganache over cake. Allow the ganache to cool briefly before slowly drizzling it over the edge of the top layer.
- Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs around the cake, press them into the bottom half, or sprinkle over top if desired.
- Decorate with graham crackers, marshmallows, or chocolate bars on top of the ganache or buttercream if you choose.
Perfect Pairings
This cake is so full of different flavors that you hardly need anything to go with it but if you’re looking for extra ideas try topping it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
It’s also great served with whipped coffee, a sweet cream cold brew, or an espresso martini.
5S Philosophy 👩🏻
- Salt – There is not additional salt added to this cake, but feel free to top it with some flakey sea salt for added texture and flavor.
- Seasonings – For added flavor, use extracts. Try vanilla extract, almond extract, or even coffee extract.
- Sauces – Save time by using hot fudge instead of preparing the ganache. Instead of drizzling the ganache over top try piping it using a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the tip snipped off. You can also replace some or all of the ganache with other drizzled toppings like caramel sauce or peanut butter.
- Swaps – Make cupcakes or a 9 x 13 cake by make a few minor adjustments. Use 1 cake mix, 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs, 1 cup of water, ⅔ cup of oil and 3 eggs — after baking, pour the hot fudge on top of cupcakes or before spreading the marshmallow frosting.
- Senses – Imagine slicing into a towering s’mores layer cake — the knife glides through soft, moist yellow cake, gooey marshmallow frosting, and crunchy graham cracker layers. The rich scent of cocoa and toasted marshmallow fills the air, making your mouth water.
Storage and Freezing
Storing this cake is easy, especially if you just cover the entire cake.
How to Store
Store this cake by simply covering it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You can also store slices in an airtight container or ziploc bag.
Can I Freeze S’mores Cake?
Unfortunately, we do not recommend freezing this recipe. The graham crackers will thaw quite soggy.
More Creative Cakes
I’m no expert baker here, so these are all easy-to-make desserts, yet stunning all the same!
- Strawberry Pound Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Wacky Cake (Depression Cake)
S’mores Cake
This S’mores Cake is a showstopper! Yellow box cake is mixed with graham cracker crumbs and layered with hot fudge and an incredible buttercream made with toasted marshmallows, it is delicious!
Servings:
Ingredients
S'Mores Cake:
- 2 boxes 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 cups water
- 1 ⅓ cups vegetable oil
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups unsalted butter , softened
- 3 cups marshmallow fluff
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- 12 ounces jarred hot fudge
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Garnish:
- graham cracker crumbs
- mini chocolate bars
- mini marshmallows
- graham cracker squares
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease three 8 inch cake pans with 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the 2 boxes 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix, 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 2 cups water, 1 ⅓ cups vegetable oil and 6 eggs. Blend until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
- Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring from the pans to a wire cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.
- Prepare the frosting when the cakes are cooled. In the bowl of s stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat the 2 cups unsalted butter and ass the 3 cups marshmallow fluff. Next carefully add the 2 pounds powdered sugar a little at a time. Whip the frosting for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Place a cake layer onto your serving plate or cake plate.
- Frost the top of that layer with a layer of the marshmallow buttercream.
- Top that with half of the 12 ounces jarred hot fudge. The buttercream and the fudge sauce will mix a little and that's okay.
- Repeat with the next layer.
- 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.
- In a small microwave safe bowl warm the 1 cup heavy whipping cream in 30 second increments until hot.
- Add the 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips to the cream and let sit for 5 minutes before whisking together. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
- Let the ganache cool slightly and drizzle it around the top edge. You can also use a piping bag or ziploc bag with the tip snipped for this.
- Garnish with desired items including graham cracker crumbs, mini chocolate bars, mini marshmallows graham cracker squares .
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Nutrition
Calories: 963 kcal, Carbohydrates: 154 g, Protein: 7 g, Fat: 37 g, Saturated Fat: 12 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g, Trans Fat: 0.3 g, Cholesterol: 90 mg, Sodium: 665 mg, Potassium: 176 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 112 g, Vitamin A: 363 IU, Vitamin C: 0.1 mg, Calcium: 198 mg, Iron: 3 mg
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Love this recipe, will try this soon. thanks for sharing
OOH this looks so good! I think my 13 year old daughter and I will really enjoy making this one together!
Before I saw this recipe, I would have said there is nothing more delicious than s’mores, but this recipe literally takes the cake! Delicious!
I was looking for a “special occasion” cake for a friend, and this definitely filled the bill. Mine didn’t look quite as fancy as yours, but your recipe came out perfectly! thanks!
This is such a fun summer cake! I can’t wait to try it with my daughter. It looks realistically easy enough for us to be able to pull of, but impressive at the same time!