A super moist chocolate cake soaked with a latte-mixture and filled with coffee & vanilla ice cream, latte-soaked graham crackers, fudge sauce, and toasted marshmallows.
This post may contain affiliate links, please read the privacy policy for details.
mocha s’mores ice cream cake
Hello hello! I’m super excited to share this recipe with you all today because it has a lot of things going on and they’re all delicious. We start out with a coffee chocolate cake that’s super moist and delicious, and is also soaked with a latte-mixture for more moisture and flavor. For the filling we have a mixture of coffee and vanilla bean ice cream, a rich homemade fudge sauce, latte-soaked graham crackers, and toasted mini marshmallows. And of course, to top it all off, we have a coffee swiss meringue. The only thing special you’ll need is a 7″ springform pan – you can find the one I used here. But other than that, this cake is super easy to make. So let’s get into it! 🙂
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
How to make your chocolate more chocolatey:
The secret to getting more chocolate flavor into your chocolate cake? Bloom your cocoa powder! Blooming your cocoa powder just means that you’re mixing the cocoa with a hot liquid. Here we’re using hot espresso to both bloom the cocoa and add moisture into the cake. Adding in the hot espresso releases the cocoa powder particles from a very thin membrane on them, exposing cocoa solids and bringing out more flavor. It’s truly such a simple way to add more chocolate flavor into your bakes, and makes it easier for the cocoa to incorporate into the batter.
Be careful when mixing the cake batter:
When you over-mix your batter, you create more gluten in the batter which will make your cake go from light and moist to dense and chewy. When you’re mixing in the dry ingredients, be sure that you only mix *just until* that last streak of flour disappears into the batter.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cake while it bakes:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. I’d recommend that you start checking on the cake around 25 minutes.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for mocha s’mores ice cream cake
chocolate cake:
- All purpose flour: the structure of the cake.
- Baking powder: for leavening and giving that “cakey” texture.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness
- Dutch process cocoa powder: gives the cake a deep, rich chocolate flavor. I wouldn’t recommend using natural unsweetened cocoa here, but you could use black cocoa powder for an even richer flavor.
- Espresso: for moisture and for blooming the cocoa to bring out more chocolate flavor. You can use regular coffee or instant espresso mixed with water here as well.
- Vegetable oil: tenderizes the cake. Any neutral oil, such as canola, will also work here.
- Granulated sugar: sweetens the cake and helps lock in the moisture.
- Egg: contributes moisture to the cake and helps bind the batter together
- Sour cream: tenderizes and adds moisture to the cake. I recommend using full-fat sour cream for the best texture.
fudge sauce:
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: for the fudge layer. You can substitute in a semi sweet chocolate baking bar as well.
- Unsalted butter: for some richness. You can also use salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the fudge.
- Sweetened condensed milk: makes the fudge rich and creamy.
- Salt: for flavor.
latte soak:
- Espresso & whole milk: you can use coffee or mix instant espresso powder into the milk. You can also sub in your favorite non-dairy milk here.
filling:
- Vanilla & coffee ice cream: I like the balance between the two ice creams here, but you could go all out with one, switch up the vanilla with a s’mores or marshmallow ice cream, or put whatever your heart desires here!
- Mini marshmallows: it wouldn’t be s’mores without them.
- Graham crackers: also another s’mores staple – you can use regular, honey, or cinnamon graham crackers here.
Coffee swiss meringue:
- Egg whites: the base of the meringue.
- Granulated sugar: to sweeten the meringue and to help it whip up.
- Salt: for flavor.
- Corn starch: to thicken up and stabilize the swiss meringue.
- Espresso powder: or instant espresso/instant coffee – for flavor.
how to make a mocha s’mores ice cream cake
Below are some images of what the cake looks like at various points of the process. You can find the full recipe at the end of the blog post!
- Make the cake: whisk together the wet ingredients, then fold in the dry ingredients.
- Bake the cake.
- Make the fudge sauce.
- Then toast up some mini marshmallows.
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, slice it into two layers and brush it with the latte soak.
- Layer the cake, freeze it, top it with a coffee meringue & enjoy!
mocha s’mores ice cream cake
recipe q&a
can i omit the espresso to make a regular s’mores ice cream cake?
Definitely! For the cake, replace the espresso with an equal amount of hot milk. For the latte-soak, just use milk – you can also add in ~1 tbsp. of brown sugar if you want it a little sweeter. For the meringue, replace the espresso powder with 1 tsp. of vanilla.
what size pan do i need?
You’ll need a 7″ springform pan for this recipe. I use a 7″ springform for a lot of my cakes since they’re smaller batch, but I understand that it’s not a common size for people to have. You can use an 8″ springform pan – just note that your cake layers will be thinner. You can use a regular 8″ cake pan, just be sure that the pan you use is 3″ tall so that it can fit all of the ice cream inside of it.
can I make this cake ahead of time?
Definitely! You can bake the cake up to two days in advance and keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also make the fudge sauce two to three days in advance and keep it in the fridge. Once the cake is all frozen together it will keep well for 1 week, just note that the meringue will fall flat in the freezer – but it will still be just as delicious!
how to store s’mores ice cream cake
This cake will need to be stored in an airtight container in the freezer.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Mocha S’mores Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 30 g dutch process cocoa powder (¼ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 65 g freshly brewed espresso (2 ⅕ oz.)
- 75 g vegetable oil (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- 90 g sour cream (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.) room temperature
- 80 g all purpose flour (⅔ c.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
Fudge Sauce
- 85 g chocolate chips (½ c.)
- 200 g sweetened condensed milk (7 oz.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 14 g unsalted butter (1 tbsp.) room temperature
Latte Soak
- 60 g whole milk (2 oz.)
- 30 g freshly brewed espresso (1 oz.)
Filling
- 110 g mini marshmallows (2 ½ c.)
- 454 g coffee ice cream (16 oz.)
- 454 g vanilla bean ice cream (16 oz.)
- 5 graham cracker sheets
Coffee Swiss Meringue
- 2 egg whites
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 2 tsp. espresso powder
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Generously butter a 7" springform pan and coat it with sugar.
- Add the cocoa powder and freshly brewed espresso to a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir the mixture together until it's cohesive and there's no lumps.
- Add in the vegetable oil, sugar, egg, and sour cream. Whisk vigorously until combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Pour the chocolate cake batter into your prepared 7" cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. To check for doneness: I recommend using a thermometer for the best results: when stuck into the middle of the cake the thermometer should read 205°F / 96°C. The cake is also done when the center no longer jiggles and the top becomes more firm.
- Allow the cake to rest in the cake pan for at least 15 minutes before transferring it out to a cooling rack.
Fudge Sauce
- While the cake is baking, make the fudge sauce. Add the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and salt to a microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Then, add in the butter and stir the mixture until the butter has completely melted. Set aside in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Latte Soak
- In a small cup or bowl, combine the milk with freshly brewed espresso. Set aside in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Filling
- Pour the mini marshmallows out on to a baking tray. Use a kitchen torch to torch the marshmallows. (Alternatively, place them under the broiler while keeping a close eye on them.)
- Once the cake has completely cooled to room temperature, slice it in half horizontally to get two even pieces. Brush some of the latte soak onto the inside part of both halves.
- Line the inside of the springform pan you baked the cake in with plastic wrap.
- Place the bottom half of the cake into the pan. Add in ½ of the coffee ice cream and ½ of the vanilla ice cream, then gently smooth the ice cream out into an even layer.
- Spread ½ of the fudge sauce over the ice cream, then place a layer of graham crackers over the fudge sauce (you will need to break them apart to fit.)
- Brush the graham crackers with the latte soak, then top them off with ½ of the toasted mini marshmallows.
- Add on the remaining ice cream and smooth it out into an even layer, followed by the remaining fudge sauce, and another layer of the graham crackers with the latte soak.
- Place the top half of the cake on top of the graham crackers – pushing down slightly to secure it. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and leave it in the freezer for at least 6 hours to firm up.
Coffee Swiss Meringue
- When you're ready to serve the ice cream cake, make the meringue. Add the egg whites and sugar to a small saucepan. Set the mixture over medium heat and whisk it constantly until it reaches a temperature of 170°F / 76°C.
- Pour the egg mixture into a medium sized mixing bowl and add in the salt, corn starch, and espresso powder. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.
- Top the cake with the swiss meringue and use a kitchen torch to torch it up. Garnish with the remaining toasted marshmallows and additional graham crackers. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.