Ingredients
Equipment Needed
- Three 6 inch cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Rubber spatula
- Hand whisk
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Kitchen Torch
- Mixing bowls (medium & large)
Chocolate Ganache
- 5.5 oz semisweet chocolate (about 128 g)
- 1½ tbsp unsalted butter (about 21 g)
- ¾ cup heavy cream (about 180 ml)
Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (190 g)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (45 g)
- 1 tsp baking soda (5 g)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder (1 g)
- 1/2 tsp salt (3 g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (100 g)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (120 ml)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (180 ml)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (60 g)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (10 ml)
- 1/2 cup hot coffee (120ml or 120 g)
Marshmallow Filling
- 3 tbsp butter (43 g)
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar (40 g)
- 5 oz marshmallow fluff (140 g)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (2.5 g)
Additional
- 62 g crushed graham crackers (about 3/4 cup), reserve for topping each layer
- Jumbo marshmallows, reserve topping and torching
What to do
1. We will begin with the chocolate ganache, as it takes time to melt, set up and then become pliable to our cake. To begin, chop the semisweet chocolate into small pieces (unless you’re using chocolate chips) and place it in a heatproof bowl. In another heatproof bowl, pour in the heavy cream and heat in the microwave (in 30 second intervals) until it just begins to simmer. Avoid boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for about 1 minute. Add the unsalted butter, then gently stir the mixture with a whisk or spatula until smooth and glossy. Set this ganache to the side and let it rest for at least 3 hrs (*note before frosting the cake, the ganache should be thick and not runny, as it will be the frosting to the cake. See more notes below about storage.
2. For the chocolate cake, Preheat your oven to 325F degrees (163C). Grease three 6 inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set the bowl aside.
3. In another bowl, beat together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and slightly fluffy.
4. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, alternating with the buttermilk and sour cream. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined—do not overmix.
5. Slowly stir in the hot coffee. The batter will be thin, which is normal. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 29 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with wet crumbs. Note: ovens vary, the cake could take up to 30 of more minutes. Please be patience as we are cooking the cake at low temperature to ensure a tender and moist crumb!
6. On a wire rack, let the cakes cool completely in the pans. This will take about 1 hour. *At this stage, I like to gently run a knife along the side of the cakes, to help loosen them, to make removal easier! I like cover the cakes with plastic wrap, then foil and then freeze them for 10-24 hours before assembly. If you want to assemble the cakes same day, you can GENTLY turn the cakes out onto a wire rack or flat surface. If freezing, you will need to let the cakes rest at room temperature for about 1 hour before assembly.
7. For the marshmallow filling, place butter and marshmallow fluff into a medium size mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and marshmallow fluff on medium until well incorporated (about 1 minute) . Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until desired consistency is reached. Set to the side.
8. Cake Assembly time! On a 6 inch (or larger) plate, place one layer of cake. Spread a nice even layer of the chocolate ganache. Place about 1/3 of a cup of the ganache into a piping or ziplock bag. Using scissors, trim off the tip of the ziplock bag. We want to pipe a thick log like trail of frosting around the out perimeter of the cake (*this serves as a damn, so our marshmallow fluff stays in place. you can notice in my IG video, I did not pipe the log and my marshmallow filling leaked a bit! Don’t do what I see. See image below for correct assembly!) Once you have piped the log, sprinkle half of the crumbled graham crackers. Then spoon in half of the marshmallow filling. Cover the filling with another layer of cake. Repeat this process again.
9. Once you have added the third and final layer. Scoop and smooth the rest of the ganache on the top of the cake and work your way around the sides. You can use a rubber spatula to smooth and spread the ganache. Just before serving, top the cake with the marshmallows and give each mallow a nice torch. Slice and serve!
FAQ’s
Helpful tips
Here are some important Pro tips by Maude
- The ganache ahead of time (1-2 days) and it can remain at room temperature (covered with plastic wrap). Please note: the chocolate ganache will need to firm up after heating/mixing. If you find that the ganache is still too runny after 3 hours, melt another oz of chocolate, pour and mix it into the ganache. Wait another 30-60 minutes to see if that helps thicken and firm up the ganache. You can place the ganache in the fridge to help firm it up, however, it needs to be mixed regularly otherwise it will separate.
- Brew strong coffee for this cake. I promise you cannot taste the coffee in the cake- it only intensifies the chocolate flavor!
- Use high quality chocolate! I use ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate chips!
If you try this recipe, I would love your feedback! Please leave a star rating, a comment below or on the reel in Instagram! Also please share what you made and tag @eatmaudes !! Thank you so much for stopping by and making yumminess with me!