S’mores Batter Cake
There are some desserts that instantly transport you back to childhood, and this S’mores Cake Batter Cake is one of them. Every bite is packed with soft honey graham cracker cake, silky milk chocolate ganache, gooey toasted marshmallow filling, buttery graham cracker batter filling, and a crunchy graham crumble topping. It has all the flavors of a freshly toasted campfire s’more, but transformed into one incredibly fun layer cake.
Unlike a traditional s’mores cake, this one is built with my signature cake batter filling, giving each slice an extra creamy, nostalgic texture that’s become a favorite in so many of my Batter Cake recipes. The toasted marshmallow filling stays soft and gooey, while the milk chocolate ganache keeps every bite rich while adding just the right amount of chocolate to a s’mores dessert in my opinion.
Don’t let a layer cake like this intimidate you. Building the cake inside a lined cake pan with acetate makes assembly surprisingly simple, and the short trips to the freezer help keep every layer perfectly stacked.
If you’re looking for the ultimate dessert for birthdays, summer gatherings, camping weekends, or anytime you’re craving a nostalgic treat, this cake delivers every single time.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Every layer tastes like a classic campfire s’more.
- Soft honey graham cracker cake stays incredibly moist.
- Gooey toasted marshmallow filling creates the perfect marshmallow pull.
- Rich milk chocolate ganache balances the sweetness beautifully.
- Graham cracker batter filling gives this cake its signature Seasonal Oven twist.
- Built in a cake pan for easy, sturdy assembly.
- Perfect for birthdays, summer parties, and special occasions.
Tips for the Best S’mores Cake Batter Cake
Use room-temperature ingredients for the cake batter. They’ll blend together much more smoothly and create a lighter, fluffier cake.
Don’t skip the short freezer breaks during assembly. Chilling after the ganache and marshmallow layers keeps everything neat and makes stacking much easier.
When torching the marshmallows, don’t be afraid to let them get deeply golden. That toasted flavor is what really makes the cake taste like an authentic s’more.
Finally, let the finished cake sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes before slicing. The marshmallow filling softens beautifully, making every bite extra gooey.
A Note About the Graham Cracker Batter Filling
This cake contains my signature graham cracker batter filling, which uses heat-treated flour to create that classic “cake batter” texture safely. I personally heat-treat my flour before mixing the filling, but commercially heat-treated flour also works wonderfully.
You’ll find detailed instructions and an important food safety note in the recipe card below before making the filling.
More Batter Cakes You’ll Love
If you love this S’mores Cake Batter Cake, be sure to check out the rest of my Batter Cake collection!
- Strawberry Batter Cake – packed with fresh strawberry flavor and creamy batter filling.
- Orange Creamsicle Batter Cake – bright citrus cake with nostalgic creamsicle filling.
- Oreo Batter Cake – black cocoa oreo cake, filled with the dreamiest oreo batter filling, and oreo cream frosting.
- Banana Pudding Batter Cake – banana cake, filled with a banana pudding batter layer, Nilla Wafers, and that nostalgic banana pudding cream filling.
They’re quickly becoming one of my favorite cake series because they combine incredibly soft cake with the nostalgic flavor of edible cake batter—and there are so many fun seasonal variations to create!
Raw Flour Safety
The graham cracker batter filling contains flour that is not baked after mixing. I personally heat-treat my flour before using it, but commercially heat-treated flour is another great option. Be sure to read both the recipe note and the raw flour disclaimer in the recipe card before preparing the filling so you can choose the method you’re most comfortable with.
If you’re looking for a show-stopping dessert that’s guaranteed to impress, this S’mores Cake Batter Cake is it. From the soft honey graham cake to the gooey toasted marshmallow filling and rich milk chocolate ganache, every layer is packed with nostalgic campfire flavor. I hope this recipe becomes a favorite for birthdays, summer celebrations, and every s’mores craving in between. If you make it, I’d love to see it! Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram @the.seasonal.oven so I can see your beautiful creations. Happy baking!
S’mores Batter Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 335°F (168°C). Grease and line two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 160 g (1⅓ cups) flour, 140 g (1⅓ cups) graham cracker crumbs, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of cinnamon.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 140 g (10 tablespoons) softened butter, 150 g (¾ cup) brown sugar, and 40 g (3 tablespoons) granulated sugar for 3–4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Beat in 2 room-temperature eggs and 2 room-temperature egg yolks, one at a time.
- Mix in 100 g (⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon) room-temperature sour cream, 70 g (3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) honey, and 2 teaspoons vanilla until smooth.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Pour in 120 g (½ cup) room-temperature whole milk and mix until incorporated.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix just until no dry streaks remain.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight.
- Combine 35 g (2½ tablespoons) whole milk, 15 g (2 teaspoons) honey, a pinch of salt, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla in a small saucepan.
- Warm over low heat just until the honey dissolves.
- Cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Stir together 90 g (1 cup) graham cracker crumbs, 15 g (1 tablespoon) brown sugar, a pinch of salt, and 30 g (2 tablespoons) melted butter until evenly moistened.
- Spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 8–10 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- Cool completely before storing in an airtight container until ready to decorate.
- Wrap the cakes tightly and refrigerate overnight.
- Refrigerate the graham soak.
- Store the graham crumble in an airtight container at room temperature.
- I personally like to heat-treat my flour by microwaving it in short intervals, stirring between each, until evenly heated. (See note at the bottom of the recipe.)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 115 g (½ cup) softened butter, 75 g (⅓ cup) brown sugar, and 20 g (1½ tablespoons) granulated sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add 35 g (1½ tablespoons) honey, 46 g (3 tablespoons) sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and ½ teaspoon salt, mixing until smooth.
- Mix in 140 g (1⅓ cups) graham cracker crumbs and 56 g (about ½ cup) heat-treated flour just until combined.
- Set aside while you prepare the remaining fillings.
- Spread 300 g large marshmallows onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Using a kitchen torch, toast the marshmallows until deeply golden on all sides.
- Immediately transfer the hot marshmallows to the bowl of a stand mixer along with 60 g (¼ cup) softened butter.
- Beat until mostly smooth.
- The marshmallow will climb up the paddle several times. Stop the mixer as needed and scrape or push the marshmallow back into the bowl before continuing to mix.
- Add 150 g (½ cup) Marshmallow Fluff and beat until combined.
- Add 40 g (⅓ cup) powdered sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt and beat until smooth.
- Place 180 g milk chocolate, 30 g (2 tablespoons) butter, and a pinch of salt into a heatproof bowl.
- Heat 180 g (¾ cup) heavy cream until steaming but not boiling.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.
- Let sit for 2–3 minutes.
- Whisk until completely smooth.
- Allow the ganache to cool until thickened to a spreadable consistency before assembling the cake.
- Beat 113 g (½ cup) softened butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add 180 g (1½ cups) powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, and a pinch of salt. Mix on low until incorporated.
- Add 10–15 g (2–3 teaspoons) heavy cream until the buttercream reaches a smooth, pipeable consistency.
- Beat on medium-high for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
- Graham cracker cake layers
- Graham soak
- Graham crumble
- Graham cracker batter filling
- Toasted marshmallow filling
- Milk chocolate ganache
- Vanilla buttercream
- If needed, level the tops of the cakes, then torte each cake horizontally to create 4 even cake layers.
- Line the bottom of a clean 6-inch cake pan with a parchment paper circle, allowing enough parchment to hang over the sides so you can easily lift the finished cake out later.
- Line the inside of the pan with an acetate cake collar.
- Place the first cake layer into the prepared pan.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the cake with some of the graham soak.
- Pipe a ring of the vanilla buttercream around the edge of the cake to create a dam.
- Spread an even layer of the milk chocolate ganache inside the buttercream dam.
- Freeze for 5–10 minutes, or until the ganache is firm.
- Spoon the toasted marshmallow filling over the ganache. Don’t worry about spreading it perfectly—it will naturally settle and spread after a few minutes.
- Freeze for another 5–10 minutes.
- Spread an even layer of the graham cracker batter filling over the marshmallow filling.
- Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs.
- Top with the next cake layer and gently press into place.
- Repeat the layering process until all four cake layers have been used.
- Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- When ready to decorate, gently lift the cake from the pan using the parchment overhang. Remove the parchment and carefully peel away the acetate collar before decorating.
- Once the cake has chilled completely, carefully lift it out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang. Remove the parchment from the bottom and gently peel away the acetate collar.
- Spread the remaining milk chocolate ganache evenly over the top of the cake using an offset spatula. Put in freezer 5-10 minutes until set.
- Sprinkle generously with the graham crumble.
- Arrange large marshmallows over the top of the cake.
- Using a kitchen torch, toast the marshmallows until deeply golden and caramelized.
Notes
- I highly recommend using a kitchen scale for the most accurate results.
- Freeze the cake briefly after adding the ganache and again after adding the toasted marshmallow filling. These short freezes make assembly much easier and help keep the layers even.
- This cake is intentionally a little messy—just like a real campfire s’more. As it comes to room temperature, the marshmallow filling softens into the perfect gooey texture.
- For the cleanest slices, refrigerate the cake until fully set, then let it sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before serving.
