Chocolate S’mores Cake

Name: Chocolate S'mores Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 115 min
Ingredients: 240 grams (2 cups) cake flour; 80 grams (1 cup) black cocoa powder; 1/2 tsp fine sea salt; 14 grams (1 Tbsp) baking powder; 350 grams (1 3/4 cup) granulated sugar; 160 mL (2/3 cup) canola oil (or any neutral oil); 2 large eggs (room temperature); 150 grams (2/3 cup) sour cream; 240 mL (1 cup) hot coffee (I use Americano); 60 mL (2oz/1/4 cup) espresso (cooled) (double shot *optional as a soak); 42 grams (2 Tbsp honey); 60 mL (1/4 cup/2oz) hot water; 113 grams (1/2 cup/1 stick) salted butter (softened); 1 package graham crackers (8-9 full sheets) (ground up); 42 grams (2 Tbsp) honey; 4 large eggs (room temperature); 200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar; 21 grams (1 Tbsp) honey; 60 mL (1/4 cup/2oz) water; Tiny pinch of fine sea salt; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or beans from 1 pod)

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Turned my FAVORITE black cocoa cake into a chocolate s’mores cake with a layer of graham cracker butter between the cakes and topped with a GIANT pile of toasted meringue on top!

chocolate s'mores cake with graham cracker butter and toasted meringue

To say I am obsessed with this black cocoa cake is an understatement. It goes with literally everything because the texture is *perf*. I have so many plans for this cake and the first was this chocolate s’mores cake.

Why you’ll love this Chocolate S’mores Cake

The cake is so soft and fluffy and perfectly chocolatey…and might I add gorgeous? Some people are turned off by the black cake but I think it’s a stunner.
I love the textures of this cake – the soft cake with the thick graham cracker butter and the creamy meringue with the toasty edges is to die for.
It’s really quite simple but a true show-stopper.

It’s funny because I don’t love actual s’mores but I love the flavor so I have a ton of s’mores recipes. My viral s’mores cake is still going strong and is a fan and family favorite. I have s’mores cookies, s’mores cinnamon rolls, the BEST s’mores donuts, s’mores blondies, s’mores frappe, s’mores cupcakes, s’mores no-bake cheesecake, and my family’s FAVORITE s’mores bars.

slice of chocolate s'mores cake on a plate

Ingredients for Chocolate S’mores Cake

Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes BUT sometimes you just cannot beat the texture of cake flour. I highly recommend King Arthur’s Cake Flour. It is far superior to some alternatives in the grocery stores.
- I have used the “homemade cake flour” trick by replacing 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour with cornstarch.
- I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
Baking Powder: to leaven the cake. I haven’t tested this with baking soda but it should work fine with ½ tsp.
Sugar: I used granulated sugar in the cake and I don’t recommend cutting any out as it contributes a lot to texture and it’s not overly sweet… it’s actually not very sweet at all (even though it seems like a lot).
- I also used powdered sugar in the frosting and don’t recommend cutting any out.
Oil: I like oil in chocolate cake recipes – any neutral oil, like avocado, canola, etc. is fine.
Eggs: I use large eggs, make sure they’re room temperature. If not, then just place it in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes before using it.
- For the meringue I use just egg whites. Make sure they are fresh and not from a carton. See below for ways to use up the egg yolks.
Sour Cream: I’ve used greek yogurt and sour cream in this recipe and they both work well. You can also use plain yogurt.
Coffee: I use hot coffee in this recipe. I usually use Americanos but fresh brewed coffee is fine too. If you don’t want to use coffee, hot water will work as well, the flavor will just be a little less intense… The acid from the coffee also helps make it a little more tender and it’s not a noticeable coffee flavor so I do recommend the coffee.
Vanilla: I like using vanilla extract for cakes and vanilla beans for creams and frosting. Vanilla bean paste works for both as well.
Butter: I used softened butter to make graham cracker butter. Make sure it’s not melted but soft enough to mix with the graham crackers.
Graham Crackers: or any digestive biscuits processed in a food processor until they’re ground up.

chocolate s'mores cake with slices and forks on a plate

Step-by-Step Instructions

Black Cake

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until they’re evenly distributed.
In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, sugar, eggs and sour cream until they’re well combined and smooth.
Sift the dry ingredients over the wet and whisk just a little – about halfway.
Pour in the hot coffee and whisk until the batter is completely smooth.
Scrape the edge of the bowl and give it a good mix. Pour into prepared cake tin(s).
Bake for 35ish minutes, until the tallest part of the cake, in the center, springs back when you press on it. If you’re hesitant, give it another minute or so.
Let the cake rest for 10 minutes in the pan, then flip over onto a tea towel.
Let the cake cool upside down for 30 minutes or so and then flip back over.
Once it’s cooled, slice the cake into two halves so you have a two layer cake.

wet ingredients whisked together — dry ingredients whisked together

Graham Cracker Butter & Honey Syrup

Combine the honey with the hot water and mix until it’s well combined. Set aside to cool.
Pulse the graham crackers until they’re completely ground and move to a bowl.
Add the butter and honey and mix until it’s completely combined. It should be a thick but spreadable consistency.
Use the honey syrup to soak the cake, I just drizzle it on to each cake (the side you sliced) with a spoon.
Spread the cracker butter on top of the bottom cake and then place the other layer of cake on top.

graham crackers crumbled for crust — graham crackers crushed

graham crackers mixed with butter and honey — graham crackers crushed

Toasted Meringue

Clean your mixing bowl, whisk attachment and all other tools well and wipe them down with a little vinegar to make sure there’s no grease residue. Place the egg whites in the bowl and set aside.
Cook the sugar with the honey and water in a small pot until it reaches 240F (116C).
Stream the hot sugar over the whipping egg whites and whip just until peaks are forming – this is quick, don’t over whip!
Spread over the cake and use a culinary torch to toast the meringue.

sugar water heating — heat sugar over medium-low heat

egg whites whipped with sugar syrup — heat sugar over medium-low heat

Expert tips on getting perfect chocolate s’mores cake

Don’t swap ingredients unless I mentioned them in the ingredient section above.
Don’t reduce the sugar. I know a lot of people do that for some recipes but not this one.
Weigh your ingredients with a digital scale
Weigh the batter for each cake tin to get even layers (if you’re using two pans).
Make the meringue right before using it.

What sizes can I make this chocolate s’mores cake

Make sure to read my Black Cocoa Cake post for more details on how to adjust the cake to the different sizes but if you’re using just the recipe in the recipe card and not adjust that at all then you could get:

Three (taller) or four (shorter) 6 inch cakes
Two (average height) or three (short) 8 inch cakes
Two (short) 9 inch cakes
One (taller) 10 inch cake
One 9×13” cake
24 cupcakes

If you’re making cupcakes, I put 50 grams in each cupcake tin and bake for about 18-20 minutes.

When baking, generally a thinner layer will get 20-25 minutes of baking and a thicker cake layer will get 30-40 minutes.

Once it no longer looks wet, press on the center of the cake gently and it will spring back when it’s done baking. If it doesn’t spring back, give it another few minutes.

chocolate s'morse cake with a pile of toasted meringue on top

How to make your meringue stable

I have A. LOT. OF. EXPERIENCE. with meringue. In the past, when I was a beginner, I made meringue all the time with no issues. I’m telling you I made it on this cake and my gingerbread cake (these were in like 2018) without stabilizing it and it was fine. I froze those cakes and defrosted them without them ever weeping.

Then I moved from my first house and I never made a meringue the same way again. I don’t know what happened but I’ve since been a part of the weeping meringue club. So what does Bernice do when things aren’t turning out perfectly? Study them. I study it all.

Here are my cliff notes on stabilizing meringue:

Use a stand mixer with a metal bowl and the whisk attachment. Clean them all well and then wipe them down with vinegar.
Use room temperature egg whites, they’ll whip up much better.
Use the Italian Method because cooking the sugar to a higher temperature definitely makes it more stable.
Add a little bit of honey (like just a teaspoon or so) to my sugar and water because it’s an inverted sugar which prevents the sugar syrup from crystallizing. The flavor is VERY subtle but if you’re sensitive to honey you may notice it (I don’t love honey in general but I love it in meringue). If you don’t want any flavor, you can use corn syrup or glucose syrup.
I normally add a tablespoon of lemon juice, a tsp of vinegar or 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar to meringue if I need it to last for a longer time because the acidity also helps stabilize it.
Whip just until you get stiff peaks, no more no less.
Add 1/8 tsp of gelatin per two egg whites. This is not traditional and it does alter the consistency slightly by “setting” it but 1/8 tsp is soooo little that it’s hardly noticeable and all it does it gelatinize the water that’s trying to “weep” out. I did not do this in this recipe and I don’t do it all the time, just if I really need to make sure it won’t weep for days.
The last thing is toasting it. The meringue will hold it’s shape much, much better if it’s toasted but the inside of it may still soften over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use all-purpose flour?

I have used the “homemade cake flour” trick by replacing 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour with cornstarch. The cake will work if you make them this way but they won’t be quite as soft and tender.
I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.

Can this be made dairy free?

You can definitely use a dairy free yogurt or sour cream, whatever you find. For the filling, you could use dairy free butter.

Can this be made gluten-free?

I haven’t tested it but pretty much all my other cakes work fine with a 1:1 substitute like Bob’s or King Arthurs so I don’t see why not.

Can I make this ahead of time?

This cake holds on to moisture really well so you can make it 1-2 days in advance before serving. Meringue can be tricky – if can weep after a while so it’s *best* fresh but I did keep mine in the fridge for a week and we still inhaled it.

Do I have to use black cocoa powder?

I used black cocoa powder because this is my black cocoa cake and I love it but it should work just fine with regular cocoa powder.

How do I know when it’s done baking?

Just like all the rest of my cakes, I test if it’s done baking by pressing gently on the tallest part of the cake. The cake will spring back if it’s done baking. If it stays indented, give it a few minutes in the oven, before testing again.

What to do with leftover egg yolks?

Great question!
My favorite thing to do with leftover egg yolks is to make a batch (or 2-3) of my egg yolk cookies. I developed this recipe specifically to use up leftover egg yolks so you can easily scale it up or down.
I also will sometimes make a batch of French buttercream and freeze it for later.
Or if there’s something new I want to try with pastry cream or Bavarian cream, I’ll use them for one of those.

slice of chocolate s'mores cake on plate

How to store this s’mores cake

If the cake is not frosted, keep it airtight at room temperature for a couple of days. If it’s frosted, store it airtight in the fridge for up to a week.

I don’t like when things taste like “the fridge” lol so if you leave it uncovered it can get a weird fridge taste (maybe that’s just me?) so I recommend covering it but it’s hard to cover without messing up the meringue. A tall cake dome would work best if you have one.

I just slice it and lay them in a large pan and cover the pan with plastic wrap. You can also freeze it like this. *Usually* the meringue is fine but it can weep.

slice of chocolate s'mores cake on a plate with a bite taken out

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. If you make this fabulous chocolate s’mores cake, I’d love it if you left a star rating or a review for me!

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B

Chocolate S’mores Cake

Turned my FAVORITE black cocoa cake into a s’mores cake with a layer of graham cracker butter between the cakes and topped with a GIANT pile of vanilla bean meringue on top. Don’t forget to toast that gorgeous meringue!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1 55

Course Cakes

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 417 kcal

Equipment

1 large bowl
1 Whisk
1 Rubber Spatula
1 stand mixer or hand mixer
1 8×3 inch or 9 inch cake pan see blog post for other size options
1 offset spatula
1 culinary torch
1 large knife

Ingredients

Black Cocoa Cake

240 grams (2 cups) cake flour
80 grams (1 cup) black cocoa powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
14 grams (1 Tbsp) baking powder
350 grams (1 3/4 cup) granulated sugar
160 mL (2/3 cup) canola oil or any neutral oil
2 large eggs room temperature
150 grams (2/3 cup) sour cream
240 mL (1 cup) hot coffee I use Americano
60 mL (2oz/1/4 cup) espresso (cooled) double shot *optional as a soak

Honey Syrup

42 grams (2 Tbsp honey)
60 mL (1/4 cup/2oz) hot water

Graham Cracker Butter

113 grams (1/2 cup/1 stick) salted butter softened
1 package graham crackers (8-9 full sheets) ground up
42 grams (2 Tbsp) honey

Toasted Meringue

4 large eggs room temperature
200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
21 grams (1 Tbsp) honey
60 mL (1/4 cup/2oz) water
Tiny pinch of fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or beans from 1 pod