Graham Cracker Cake

My husband's favorite birthday cake through the years has been a graham cracker cake from a local bakery. I remember being unimpressed when I first ate the cake, probably because it included no chocolate, but I've attempted to replicate it a couple times for him through the years. 

This year's rendition was as close to the original as I've come, so I wanted to at least document the recipe I used from Cook, Nourish, Bliss. This cake is similar to what I've done for different cupcakes through the years, where it contains no flour aside from graham cracker crumbs. It's a denser cake for that reason, but man are the edges I cut off to level the cakes delicious. 

I think the difference this year was using a swiss meringue frosting, which I copied from this recipe. That is most similar to the frosting on the original cake. I also topped the cake with graham cracker crumbles. 

Graham Cracker Cake
4 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
6 large eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups milk
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Graham Cracker Crumbles
6 graham crackers, crushed
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Whisk egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Cream together sugar and butter about 2 minutes. Add in the egg yolks, and beat until combined. Add vanilla, and beat until combined. With mixer on low, add in 1/3 of graham cracker mixture. Then add half the milk and then another third of the graham cracker crumbs. Add in the rest of the milk and then the last of the graham cracker crumbs.

Gently fold in half the egg whites. Then fold in the remaining egg whites. Divide the batter between the two pans, and smooth with a spatula. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool at least 30 minutes before removing from the pans, and then cool completely on wire racks.

While the oven is still hot, bake the graham cracker crumbles. Combine those ingredients and press together on a baking sheet in a thin layer. Bake 10 minutes, and set aside to cool. 

Follow recipe in the link for frosting. For easiest frosting, chill the cakes prior to frosting. Frost, and garnish with graham cracker crumbles immediately prior to serving.