It’s almost summertime, and that means busting out all manner of desserts incorporating the combination of chocolate, graham crackers, and toasted marshmallows. It’s s’mores season!
What makes this cake even better is that you can have the taste of s’mores without a campfire. Take a look at the inside of this baby. It’s soo moist. How does that happen? Well…
Instead of ending with the frosting, this cake starts with it, by swirling a homemade marshmallow frosting directly into the batter. The frosting is part of the cake’s inception, hence the reason why I decided to call it an inception cake, get it?
I really wanted to ensure a strong graham flavor in this cake, so I covered the bottom of the pan in whole graham crackers, which get soft and wonderful in the oven as the cake bakes. The inclusion of the frosting in the batter creates an intensely moist texture with a slight springiness from the marshmallows once the cake cools. It’s a crowd-pleaser, for sure.
Then at the end, mini marshmallows and more graham cracker pieces are added to the top and broiled, because you cannot, in good faith, label a recipe as “s’mores” unless you include that crispy toasty element to the marshmallows. The graham crackers get a little toasted, too, which is a nice bonus.
Since you’ve already added the frosting, there’s no need to add additional to the top of the cake – the extra graham crackers and toasted marshmallows take care of that – so this cake is fast and easy to make and would make an indulgent addition to your summer cookouts this year. Enjoy!
| S'mores Inception Cake | | Print |
- 1 chocolate cake mix, plus the ingredients indicated on the box
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 7oz jar of marshmallow creme
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 level cups of powdered sugar
- 1 TBS milk
- 12-13 whole graham cracker sheets
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips
- 2 cups (approximate) mini marshmallows
- Lightly grease a deep (3-inch is best) light metal 9x13 pan and set aside.
- Line the center rack of oven with aluminum foil to catch any overflow and pre-heat to 350F.
- In a mixing bowl, prepare cake mix batter as indicated on the box. Set aside.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, combine the butter, marshmallow creme, vanilla extract, and salt until fluffy. With mixer on low, add the powdered sugar in several additions and mix until starting to incorporate, and then add the milk and increase mixer speed and mix well until fully combined, smooth, and fluffy.
- Spread a thin layer of the chocolate cake batter in the bottom of the prepared baking pan and arrange 9-10 of the whole graham cracker sheets on top of the batter in a single layer.
- Pour a bit more of the cake batter over the graham crackers until totally covered and sprinkle on the chocolate chips.
- Top with the rest of the cake batter and smooth with a rubber non-stick spatula.
- Dollop the marshmallow frosting on top of the cake batter and gently swirl it into the batter, being sure not to disturb the layer of graham crackers on the bottom.
- Bake according to cake mix instructions (usually 25-35 minutes). PLEASE NOTE: As the frosting settles into the batter, this may cause some overflow of the batter out of the pan, especially in shorter 9x13 pans. This is typical of frosting-in-the-cake recipes and is the reason for the foil covering the oven rack. If you want, keep a few folded paper towels or a spoon nearby and if you notice some overflow you can open the oven and quickly wipe it away as it happens.
- Cake is done when mostly set and when it springs back gently when you press on the center with your fingertips. Watch your cake and adjust bake time accordingly. Toothpick test will not work, as the interior is so moist. The fully baked cake will have cracks and holes on it - this is normal!
- Remove the cake from the oven and turn the oven to Broil. Break the remaining graham cracker sheets into pieces and sprinkle them, along with the mini marshmallows, on the top of the cake. Broil until marshmallows are toasted, then remove and allow the cake to cool a bit before cutting into it. Serve warm (yum!) or at room temperature.
Save this recipe for later! Hover your mouse over the image below and click the button that pops up.
Can I use graham cracker crumbs on top instead of graham cracker pieces?
Sure!
This looks so decadent and delicious! Love it!!
This looks awesome! Yum!
Thanks so much, Bethany!
Very cool recipe and love how kid friendly it is too I will definitely be trying this out with my daughter
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it. It definitely is kid friendly and my little guy devoured it!
Drooling.