Hot Fudge S'mores Cake

S’MORES

- Gregory K. -

The campfire burns. It’s 9:08.

I feel so good cuz I just ate

Two graham crackers, and chocolate, too,

With marshmallow turned to warm, white goo.

A treat indeed, a dripping mess. 

A touch of melty joy -- oh yes! 

It’s bedtime soon, but I’m not done. 

I simply cannot stop at one. 

Because, you see, it takes three s’mores 

To make a night of happy s’nores.

No clue who Gregory K. is, but I found that on a discussion board asking for quotes or poems about s'mores.  Personally I am not a fan of campfire s'mores for one reason - the chocolate never melts as good as the marshmallow and I want them both to be ooey-gooey and melty.  I do, however, enjoy the flavor combination of graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow.  I had promised my kids they could have homemade chocolate cake or brownies for our family movie night if they didn't ask for chocolates at Maw Ber's house (my mamaw, who is named Bertie - check out the Loaded Brownies I did for her).  They did ask, but only once and then they hushed because they knew I would make good on my promise.  For whatever reason I had been in the mood for s'mores for a few days, so I thought to myself, "How can I incorporate s'mores into a cake?"  I knew that I didn't want to do a graham cracker crust type dessert, and I couldn't put the marshmallows inside the cake because they would disintegrate.  So, this is what I came up with - a variation on the Twix Cake my whole family adores.  I wanted to make my own Microwave Hot Fudge Sauce, and I found a recipe for Marshmallow Ice Cream Topping, but in the interest of saving time (and not knowing just how it was going to work out) I asked my hubby to pick up a couple of jars of Smuckers for me - not as good as homemade, but excellent in a pinch.

Hot Fudge S'mores Cake

Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 jar Smuckers Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping

1 jar Smuckers Marshmallow Ice Cream Topping

~12 oz miniature marshmallows

1 King Size Hershey's bar (milk chocolate)

4 graham crackers (4 pieces each)

1. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions and bake in a lightly greased foil-lined 9x13" pan.  *To make it easier to get the foil in the pan, flip the pan over and form the foil on the bottom, then just slip it in the baking side and press into the corners.*

2. After cake is done, punch a LOT of holes in it using a round-handled wooden spoon.  Do this while the cake is hot.  Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake as soon as you are done mutilating it and use a spatula to spread the SCM out.

3. Let the cake cool about 30 minutes.  Microwave the hot fudge sauce (remove the lid first!) on high for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for 15 more seconds, stir.  Pour over the cake (will be more like glopping than pouring) and spread out.  Pour  marshmallow topping on top of that and spread it out.

4. Cover the top of the cake with miniature marshmallows, followed by chopped up Hershey's bar, followed by chopped up graham crackers.

5. Initially I was broiling this to get a nice brown crust on the marshmallows, but the graham crackers were burning.  So, if you want to broil it on LOW, do it before you add the graham cracker pieces.  Otherwise, put it in a 350° oven for a few minutes until the marshmallow and chocolate pieces start to melt.  After eating my third piece (not in the same day), I realized how much yummier it would have been to add a single layer of marshmallows and chocolate, broil it, add another layer of marshmallows and chocolate, broil it, and then add graham cracker pieces.  Hmmm, may have to be a repeat cake with homemade sauces and that topping technique.