Gimme S'more Cake

Britney sang it and I (mis)heard it. The s’more derives its name precisely fromwhere you think it does. Some‑more of that, please! This campfire treat requires a marshmallow to be liberally toasted and then smooshed between two biscuits and a square of chocolate. In our cake adaptation, we are opting for a rich mud cake, crumbled cookies and a whipped ganache, all topped off with a hat made from marshmallow. Toasting the mallow before serving the cake serves three purposes.

One: it will taste incredible when melted and warm. Two: the smell of burnt marshmallow is a beautiful thing. Three: you’ll look really cool wielding a blowtorch.

MAKES A THREE‑LAYER 15 CM (6 IN) CAKE TO SERVE 12

INGREDIENTS

• 150 g (5 ½ oz) good‑quality dark chocolate
• 190 g (6 ½ oz) unsalted butter,chopped
• 300 g (10 ½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 235 ml (8 fl oz) boiling water
• 140 g (5 oz) self‑raising (self‑rising) flour
• 25 g (1 oz) dark cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 150 g (5 ½ oz) graham crackers or digestive biscuits, crushed

Whipped chocolate ganache

• 200 g (7 oz) thickened (whipping) cream
• 400 g (14 oz) milk chocolate

Toasted marshmallow

• ½ cup (125 ml/4 fl oz) water
• 10 g (1/4 oz) powdered gelatine
• 200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 ml/2 fl oz) glucose syrup or light corn syrup
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

METHOD

1. I recommend baking the cakes at least 1–3 days ahead and storing them in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap. You can do this with the ganache, too.
2. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) fan-forced and line the base and sides of three 15 cm (6 in) cake tins with baking paper.
3. Place the chocolate, butter, sugar, coffee and boiling water in a medium saucepan over a low–medium heat and stir until all the ingredients are just melted. Allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and use a whisk to carefully incorporate so there are no flour lumps in the batter. Whisk in the eggs and the salt until no streaks remain.
5. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared cake tins and bake for 40 minutes or until you can press the top of each cake and it doesn’t sink in. Allow to cool in the tins for 20 minutes before turning out, then cover in cling film and allow to cool completely.
6. To make the whipped chocolate ganache, place the cream and chocolate in a microwave‑safe bowl. Using the microwave, melt in 1‑minute increments, stirring each time. Once melted and smooth, cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3 hours. Once cool and firm and you are nearly ready to decorate, place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on high for 1–2 minutes until the mixture doubles in volume and is fluffy. Place into a piping bag and store at room temperature until ready to use.
7. When ready to assemble, place the first layer of chocolate cake onto the serving plate and pipe a thick layer of ganache on top. Scatter a generous amount of cookie crumbs over the ganache. Repeat with the next layers and place in the fridge to firm up.
8. While the cake is firming, make the marshmallow.
9. Place ¼ cup (60 ml/2 fl oz) of the water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and sprinkle the gelatine over the top to soften.
10. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining water with the caster sugar and glucose syrup and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes.
11. Turn the mixer on low speed to break up the gelatine, taking greatcaution as you begin to pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream into the mixer bowl. When all the sugar syrup is in the bowl, turn the mixer up to high and whip for 8–10 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt while continuing to mix. Once the marshmallow mixture is thick, glossy and tripled in volume, transfer immediately to a piping bag fitted with a large open tip (the mixture is very sticky; you can spray some canola oil on a spatula to help you get it into the piping bag a little more easily).
12. Immediately pipe dollops over the top of the cake. Instead of using a piping bag, you could also just spoon big dollops onto the cake. Allow the marshmallow to set for 20 minutes at room temperature.
13. For a true s’more experience, use a kitchen blowtorch to lightly toast the marshmallow. This cake is best eaten at room temperature.

To store: Store the cake at roomtemperature for up to 3 days.