Kendra's Treats

S’mores are the quintessential dessert of summer – at least for me anyway, but I don’t always have access to a campfire and indoor s’mores are always sorely lacking. There’s just something about roasting that marshmallow over an open fire that just makes it that much better =). Yesterday was my grandma’s birthday and we had a little cookout for her after church on Sunday. I was in charge of dessert – of course ;). I thought about making s’mores cupcakes, but I really wanted to bake a cake. With a little tweaking of the cupcake recipe, I made this s’mores layer cake. Three layers of rich, moist chocolate cake + toasted marshmallow filling + graham frosting = success!! I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did! =)

S’mores Layer Cake
Chocolate Cake
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup coffee
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 – 8″ cake pans with parchment paper. In bowl of electric mixer, combine all dry ingredients. Add remaining ingredients to bowl with dry ingredients and with paddle attachment, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed.
2. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Batter will be thin.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Try not to overbake. Cool on wire rack 20 minutes then gently invert onto racks until completely cool.
*from Merrilywed

Toasted Marshmallow Filling
28-30 large white marshmallows
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla nut extract

1. Place marshmallows on cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Broil marshmallows until nice and brown on top, between 30-60 seconds. Remove pan from oven and gently turn the marshmallows over, and broil until they are golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on them–they burn very, very quickly.
2. Combine butter and powdered sugar in electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, on low until blended (about 1 minute).
3. Add vanilla and mix on high for about 3 minutes. Add toasted marshmallows, and mix on lowest setting for about 1 minute. At this point the icing may seem kind of melty – just keep beating until it cools slightly and it will thicken up. (You can put the bowl in the fridge for a couple minutes to speed this process along if you want.)
*adapted from Sweetapolita

Graham Frosting
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp milk powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp melted butter
6 tbsp milk

6 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 tbsp brown sugar, packed
3 cups powdered sugar

1. Combine the graham crumbs, milk powder, sugar, salt, melted butter and milk in bowl. Stir to combine. Pour in blender or food processor. Puree until smooth and homogenous. It will take about a minute.
2. Combine the room temperature butter and brown sugar in bowl of stand mixer. Cream together on medium-high for up to 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add graham mixture. After about a minute, crank the speed up to medium high and let her rip for another 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat another couple minutes until light and fluffy.
*adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar

To assemble: Place one of the cake layers on desired serving platter. Top with half the marshmallow filling. Place second layer on top of marshmallow filling (leveling up the cake layer with a knife if necessary). Top with final cake layer. Cover sides and top with graham frosting. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs, if desired.