S'mores Cake

While s'mores are delicious, I enjoy the s'mores flavor profile best in other creations, whether it's cupcakes, cake or ice cream. This s'mores cake from Blue Bowl is incredible, and I swear it's one of the most impressive looking and tasting cakes I've created.

S'mores Cake

Cake

3 1/2 cups cake flour (385 grams)
3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature (113 grams)

1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (131 grams)

2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)

2/3 cup brown sugar (153 grams)

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 egg white, room temperature

1 Tbsp. vanilla

3/4 cup sour cream (180 grams)

1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Milk Chocolate Frosting

14 oz. milk chocolate

1 1/2 cups salted butter (339 grams)

5 3/4 cups powdered sugar (690 grams)

1-2 Tbsp. heavy cream or milk

1 Tbsp. vanilla

12 oz. cream cheese, cold

Marshmallow Meringue

4 large egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

Graham Cracker Crumbs

Extra Milk Chocolate to Garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 3 9-inch cake pans by greasing them and lining them with parchment paper. Whisk together dry cake ingredients, and set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream butter 30 seconds, and then add vegetable oil. Beat on high for one minute, and then add sugar. Beat on high for 2 minutes, and scrape the sides of the bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between for 45 seconds to ensure they are thoroughly mixed and mixture is fluffy. Add in sour cream and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add in half the dry ingredients, then the milk and then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing until just combined each time. Stir in graham cracker crumbs.

Divide cake batter evenly into pans, and bake the cakes for 23 to 26 minutes until done. (Rotate once through baking to ensure the most even bake.) Let cool in the pans 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks. 

Once cakes are cooled, make the frosting by melting the milk chocolate in the microwave, stirring often. Cool to room temperature, and then beat the softened butter into the chocolate until smooth. Add the powdered sugar gradually, and then add the cream and vanilla. Beat until combined. Then cube the cream cheese, and beat in until smooth. 

To make the meringue, have everything prepped and ready to layer the cake before you start. This should be made right before you assemble the cake. Add an inch of water to a medium saucepan, and place your stand mixer bowl on top to create a double boiler. Whisk together egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt, and then cook while whisking constantly over low heat until it reaches 175°F. Remove from heat, and add vanilla. Beat on high for 4-5 minutes, until stiff peaks form. 

To assemble the cake, spread 1 1/2 cups of frosting over the first layer. Pipe a frosting border around the cake, and fill with 1/4 of the marshmallow meringue. Toast it lightly with a kitchen torch, and then sprinkle on a handful of graham cracker crumbs. Add second cake layer, and repeat the process. Add the final layer and frost the cake with remaining frosting. Use remaining marshmallow meringue to decorate the top of the cake, torching to toast it. Garnish with graham cracker crumbs and extra milk chocolate if desired.

Key Lime Pie Bars

My taste buds have evolved as I've matured. 

For example, a trip to Key West made me fall in love with key lime everything ... key lime pie, key lime bars, key lime ice cream, key lime cupcakes and key lime milkshakes (for breakfast because you don't pass up a milkshake just because it's 9 a.m.).

So this recipe from Britney Breaks Bread went on the to-do list, and it was easy to pull together with most of the ingredients on hand. (And it's a good thing I sent my husband shopping for the biscoff cookies because now I have 2 extra packs.)

These are so simple to make and so good. They will impress guests ... or your family as they devour them in 2 days.

Key Lime Pie Bars

Crust

8.8 oz. pack of biscoff cookies

1/2 cup salted butter, melted

Filling

4 egg yolks

3/4 cup key lime juice

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. key lime or lime zest (I subbed lemon)

Pinch salt

Topping
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup sour cream (I subbed plain yogurt)

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse cookies in blender until crumbs, and mix with butter. Press this mixture into an 8 x 8 pan lined with foil. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool 10 minutes while preparing the filling, and reduce heat to 325°F.

For the filling, beat the egg yolks several minutes until frothy, and beat in the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the filling, and bake until set to the consistency of jello, about 25 minutes. Cool completely and chill fully in the fridge at least 4 hours.

To prepare the topping, beat the heavy cream for 2 minutes on high, and then add in the rest of the ingredients. Beat until stiff peaks form, and then top bars with this. (If desired, remove bars from foil first and place on a platter for super pretty bars. Makes 9 large bars.