S’Mores Cake for a Birthday Girl

Tags

birthday cakes, chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, s'mores, s'mores cake

This past weekend, my eldest daughter turned 14 years old. 14! Oh, how time flies. I can still remember the first time she was handed to me, a tiny little bundle in my arms. And the tears of joy that flowed down my face. And as she turned 14, I still had tears running down my cheeks. A different set of tears with a different meaning. Proud tears. Proud at what a lovely young lady she is turning into. And a feeling of overwhelming happiness at how much joy she has brought into my life. Happy Birthday my sweet Charlotte!

We were at the cottage celebrating her birthday. Instead of a birthday cake, she just wanted to make S’mores over a campfire down by the beach. Because of high winds and high water levels, our beach was pretty much non-existent. A campfire wasn’t going to happen. I needed a quick fix and this S’mores cake couldn’t be any easier. You could bake your favourite chocolate cake from scratch, make your own marshmallow fluff, even your own graham crackers. But if you can get it all from a box, ready in no time, why not?

S’Mores Cake

1 2-layer chocolate cake

Marshmallow Fluff

Graham crackers, crushed into bits with your hands

Dark chocolate ganache (recipe follows)

Dark Chocolate Ganache

4 oz. of dark chocolate

½ cup of 35% cream

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Add all of the ganache ingredients into a heat-proof bowl. Using a bain-marie style to melt the chocolate, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Melt, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted. Allow the bowl to sit on the counter and cool for about an hour.

Cut each cake layer in two so you end up with 4 chocolate cake layers. Beginning with a bottom cake layer, spread some marshmallow fluff over it and sprinkle with graham cracker bits. Add a second layer and repeat the process. Do the same with the third layer. Add the last layer and pour the dark chocolate ganache over the top, sprinkling with graham cracker bits. And voila! A gorgeous and oh-so-yummy S’Mores Birthday Cake!