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!
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!
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.
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.
dry ingredients whisked togetherwet ingredients whisked togetherdry ingredients halfway mixed into wet ingredients and coffee poured inbatter fully combined black cocoa cake batter in prepared pancake finished baking
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 crushedgraham crackers mixed with butter and honeyslice cake in half and drizzle with half of honey syrupspread graham cracker butter on top of cakedrizzle other half of honey syrup on other slice of cake and put on top
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 eggs with the sugar over a double boileruntil it reaches 170F (77C).
Whip the egg whiteswith the sugar until peaks are forming.
Add the vanilla and salt and mix until they’re combined.
Spread over the cake and use a culinary torch to toast the meringue.
See my post on how Swiss Meringue if you’re unfamiliar with meringue.
raw egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixeregg whites and sugar cooking over a double boilercooked egg whites with sugar dissolvedMarshmallowy Swiss meringue
How to store this chocolate 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 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.
You’re welcome for another s’mores recipe lol I hope you love this cake cuz I was obsessed!
If you have any questions, please comment down below – those will get answered much quicker than email or through social media.
If you’ve tried this, I would very much appreciate a star rating or review as well.
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!
60mLespresso (cooled) , double shot *optional as a soak
Honey Syrup
42gramshoney
60mLhot water
Graham Cracker Butter
113grams]salted butter, softened
125gramspackage graham crackers , ground up
42gramshoney
Toasted Meringue
4large eggs, room temperature
200gramsgranulated sugar
1/2tspcream of tartar
1tspvanilla bean paste, or beans from 1 pod
Tiny pinch of fine sea salt
Method
Black Cake
Preheat the oven to 350F (I use convection cuz my oven runs really hot at the bottom – conventional is also fine) and grease and line an 8×3 inch or two 8×2 inch baking pans with baking spray and parchment paper (I did one cake pan and sliced them in half).
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until they’re evenly distributed.
240 grams cake flour spooned and leveled, 80 grams black cocoa powder spooned and leveled, 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, 1 tbsp baking powder
In a separate large bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, eggs and sour cream until they’re well combined and smooth.
350 grams granulated sugar, 160 mL canola oil or any neutral oil, 2 large eggs room temperature, 150 grams sour cream
Sift the dry ingredients over the wet and whisk them together, just a little – about halfway or so.
Pour in the hot coffee and whisk until the batter is completely smooth and all the dry ingredients are combined.
240 mL hot coffee I use Americano
Scrape the edge of the bowl and give it a good mix. Pour into prepared cake tin(s).
Bake for 40ish minutes (if baking in one pan – 20-25 if baking in two separate pans), 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 and let the cake cool upside down for 30 minutes or so before flipping back over.
Once it's cooled, slice the cake in half.
60 mL espresso (cooled) double shot *optional as a soak
Honey Syrup
Mix together the honey with the hot water to thin it out a bit. Let it cool for a few minutes. Brush half of the syrup onto each cake (on the sliced side).
42 grams honey, 60 mL hot water
Graham Cracker Butter
Place the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until they’re completely ground. Move to a bowl.
125 grams package graham crackers ground up
Add the butter and honey and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon mix until it’s completely combined. It should be a thick but spreadable consistency.
113 grams ]salted butter softened, 42 grams honey
Spread the graham cracker butter on top of the bottom cake and then place the other layer of cake on top. It's quite thick so just be gentle with it so you don't squish the cake.
Toasted Meringue*
Begin by thoroughly cleaning the aluminum bowl and the whisk attachment of the stand mixer (they can’t have any fat residue when making meringue). Once they’re clean and dry, place the egg whites, granulated sugar and cream of tartar in the bowl.
4 large eggs room temperature, 200 grams granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup (118mL) of water to a simmer. Keep the water simmering on low heat and place the bowl with the egg whites and sugar on top of the saucepan, creating a double boiler.
Whisk the egg whites and sugar over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar granules are dissolved. You can feel it between your fingers if the sugar is fully dissolved but I HIGHLY recommend using a digital thermometer and bringing the mixture to 170°F (77°C) so the meringue is stable and doesn't weep.**
When the sugar granules are fully dissolved in the egg whites and it reaches temperature, remove the bowl from the heat and place it on the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the mixture on medium-high speed, until stiff peaks form.
Add the vanilla and salt and continue beating the mixture until it's no longer warm. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes.
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or beans from 1 pod, Tiny pinch of fine sea salt
Spread over the cake and use a culinary torch to toast the meringue.
Notes
This makes one tall 8 inch cake or two shorter ones. I made the one tall and sliced it in half.*I like to make the meringue fresh before serving because that’s when it tastes the best but you can also make it all at once and store it in the fridge for a few days. If you need the meringue to be SUPER stable you can add gelatin to it.
I just dissolve a ¼ tsp of gelatin in 1 tsp of cold water. Let it set for a few minutes and then microwave it for 5 seconds. Add it in with the vanilla and salt, mixing just until it’s well combined. It’ll set once it’s refrigerated.
I loved cooking this recipe so much! When we see layer cakes we tend to think it’s super complicated to cook, but the step by step with all the details e possible substitutions made it really easy and fun. I did it for my fiancé’s birthday and everyone just loved it 🙂
Oh my word! This cake was everything I could have ever wanted in a s’mores cake. I have already been asked to make it again. Couldn’t recommend this recipe enough. Thank you, Bernice!
I loved cooking this recipe so much! When we see layer cakes we tend to think it’s super complicated to cook, but the step by step with all the details e possible substitutions made it really easy and fun. I did it for my fiancé’s birthday and everyone just loved it 🙂
Oh my word! This cake was everything I could have ever wanted in a s’mores cake. I have already been asked to make it again. Couldn’t recommend this recipe enough. Thank you, Bernice!
Ah so glad you liked it Donna, thank you for sharing <3
I’m so excited to make this! I’m thinking of doing it in two pans. Should I half the cooking time?
Probably not quite half but just about