S'mores Cake

Did I ever mention the fact that I grew up in a big family?

There were (still are, actually....no ones disappeared yet) 11 of us, including my parents. And I have ALL brothers. Not one. stinkin. sister.

That's okay though. See, the thing about being the only girl, is you are guaranteed pretty much to always have your own room. And I did! Score! But I think I only slept in there 30% of the time. Cause I didn't like having my own room.

It was scary at night.

So The other 70% of the time I slept on the floor in one of my many brothers rooms. We would have slumber parties. But boys don't call them slumber parties. 

We have good memories, me and those boys.

One game me and my 3 older brothers used to play with my dad was called 'Moo-Moo Island'. 

I was the Princess stuck on Moo-Moo Island (the couch), and my brothers were mean men that tried to keep me captive, while my dad tried to save me. 

Oh and my dad was called the Moo-Moo monster.

One thing I DID NOT like about growing up in a huge family was when people would find out how many kids were in our family they would ALWAYS respond with: 'There are 9 of you?! Oh my goodness! Are your parents Catholic?' Every.Time.

And THEN,  they would find out we were home schooled. 

But the icing was when they found out I was the only girl out of 9 kids.

'You're the ONLY girl?! How do you survive?'

Followed by questions like: 'Do you like being in a big family?'  'How does it feel being the only girl?' and 'Do you feel deprived being home schooled?'

Honestly though, when you don't know any different, it doesn't seem weird to you....but people made us feel weird. Like we were freaks of nature. Well, a few of my brothers are slightly............ peculiar.

I've moved on.

And all of that has nothing to do with this wonderful cake I'm about to share with you.

Crumble up 2 cups of graham crackers in a food processor or blender. I chose chocolate....as you can see.  Add baking powder and salt.

Remove egg whites from the bowl and set aside. Then beat your butter and sugar in that bowl...

alternate adding the milk and dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture.

Fold in the egg whites veeeery gently
and I know the mixture looks gross. But that's how its supposed to look!



                                                                                                                                                                                    

After cooling for 5 minutes in the pan, remove onto wire rack until completely cool!

Lay that fluff on there like its going out of style.

S'mores Cake

For the cake:

2 cups of graham crackers, original or chocolate

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3 eggs, separated

8 tbsp. butter at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup milk

For the filling: 

Marshmallow Fluff

For the milk chocolate glaze:

8 oz. milk chocolate

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp. butter, room temperature

2 tbsp. light corn syrup

For decoration:

3 tbsp. butter softened

1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp. cream or milk

Hershey bars, chocolate chips, or graham crackers for garnish

-Pre-heat oven to 375.

-Line the bottom of two 9inch round pans with parchment paper. Generously spray pans with cooking spray and flour.

-In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.

-In a mixer bowl with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites of the 3 eggs on medium high, until soft peaks form.

-Transfer egg whites to another bowl, and in the mixing bowl with a paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and beat until well combined. Stir in vanilla.

-Add in dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

-Mix just until incorporated.

-Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites to lighten batter, then fold in remaining whites, very gently, until completely incorporated.,

-Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

-Let cool in pans 5-10 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack, remove parchment paper and let cool completely.

-Once cooled, transfer one cake round to a platter, and spread generously with fluff. Top with the second round, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make milk chocolate glaze:

-Combine chocolate, cream, butter and corn syrup in a sauce pan over low- medium heat. Constantly stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.

-Pour over chilled cake, allowing it to run down the sides. Return to fridge til it sets.

To make marshmallow for decoration:

-Combine butter and marshmallow fluff in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium til smooth.

-Beat in confectioners sugar until very well combined.

-Add in the cream or milk to smooth it out, adding a bit more if necessary.

Transfer frosting to  a pastry bad and decorate as desired, garnishing with chocolate and crackers.

Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve!

Enjoy!