s’mores icebox cake

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Did we all enjoy our break from whipped cream and sugar?

I hope so, because it’s over.

So, so, so over.

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Because who can say no to s’mores?  Not this girl.

Especially in the summer, when you don’t even need any fire to make them.

Ok, maybe just a little fire.  After all, how can you have a s’more without a toasted marshmallow?

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You can’t.  You absolutely cannot.

So, for this cake, we keep our roasted marshmallows and layer them with graham crackers, whipped cream, and chocolate pudding.  Not just any chocolate pudding, though, HERSHEY’S chocolate pudding!  I didn’t even know Hershey’s MADE pudding… but as soon as I saw it my brain instantly went to s’mores, and my no-bake frenzy turned those s’mores into an icebox cake.

Because you can’t have s’mores without Hershey’s!

hershey pudding

Well, you can, but they aren’t the same.

After we layer our ingredients, we use the magic of the refrigerator to turn those crunchy grahams into soft layers of cake.  It’s magic!  For real! And those marshmallows, the whipped cream does some crazy refrigerator voodoo and makes them become one with the whipped cream.  It’s like biting into sweet, toasty little clouds in between layers of chocolate and graham.

Like I said, magic.

S’mores Ice Box Cake

Makes 1 9-by-5 inch cake

Printable Recipe

  • 2 ¼ graham sheets per layer (1 sleeve total), 1 cracker reserved for crumbling
  • 1 ¾ cups milk
  • 1 (3.5-ounce) package chocolate pudding (I used this one)
  • 4 ounces cream cheese (optional)
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar, separated
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows, toasted if you’re feeling motivated; 2 Tablespoons reserved
  • 1 Hershey bar, chopped

1. Whisk pudding mix and milk in a medium bowl until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Place in fridge to thicken up, at least another 5 minutes.

2. Make whipped cream:

Note: I added cream cheese to my whipped cream, because I read somewhere that it would help to “stabilize” the whipped cream.  I’m not sure if it works, but you can leave out the cream cheese if you like.

In a small bowl, whip cream cheese with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.  In alarge bowl, whip heavy cream until thickened.  Add ¼ cup powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to whip until it reaches firm peaks.  Gently fold cream cheese into whipped cream and stir to combine.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Toast your marshmallows (if desired, trust me, you desire).  I used this adorable handheld torch that the BF got me for Christmas, or my birthday, or some celebratory event.  I don’t use this thing nearly enough.  It works SO WELL.  I love it.

4. When ready to assemble, layer your cake starting with graham crackers, then whipped cream, mini mallows, and chocolate. Some icebox cake recipes tell you to start with a thin layer of whipped cream (like lasagna has you start with a layer of sauce).  This is optional, but will help your bottom layer to soften faster.  I prefer to skip this step and not have my bottom layer glue itself to my serving platter, but to each his (or her) own.

A 9 by 5 cake will require each layer to have 2 1/4 sheets of graham crackers.

smore cake layer 1

Repeat your layering until you reach the top (3 layers in all, of course you could make it taller with extra grahams. There was plenty of whipped cream and pudding left over).

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Spread whipped cream over sides as well, if you would like a fully-frosted cake, or leave the sides unfrosted for a more whimsical look. Sprinkle with chopped Hershey’s, mallows, and graham crumbs.  Chill for at least 4 hours to allow grahams to magically turn into cake.

 

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