Pumpkin S’mores Cake with Graham Butter and Marshmallow Meringue

This pumpkin s’mores cake is a great fall variation of s’mores cake. It has a fluffy and soft pumpkin cake, homemade graham cracker butter, chocolate ganache, and marshmallow meringue. Torch the top if you’d like for a toasty look and flavor.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I always go crazy with the pumpkin recipes come September/October (my pantry will never be without canned pumpkin lol), which usually means creating a new pumpkin cake recipe every year. In the past I’ve made pumpkin chai cake and cinnamon swirl pumpkin cupcakes. This S’mores Pumpkin Cake is one of my latest creations that I think you will love.

• The pumpkin cake is soft and fluffy. It’s a primarily butter-based cake that is full of fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
• Homemade graham cracker butter is a unique way to add the graham flavor into the cake. You end up with a delicious, smooth graham cracker paste to layer between the cakes.
• A pile of marshmallow meringue adds to the iconic s’mores flavor with a light and fluffy texture.
• This is a perfect cake for fall or summer-to-fall weather.

Ingredient Notes Before You Bake

There are a few components to this recipe, so apologies in advance for the many lists below. I wanted to share the ingredients though and some key notes about they that you should keep in mind!

Equipment

• 8″ round cake pans: you can get away with either 2″ or 3″ high pans
• Food processor: this is necessary to make the graham cracker butter
• Heatproof bowl and small saucepan: use this to create a double boiler for the marshmallow meringue
• Mixer with whisk attachment: you can also use a hand mixer. This is required to whip up the meringue.
• Kitchen Torch: a kitchen torch will toast up the meringue. If you do not have one then skip that step.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Cake

• All-Purpose Flour: Measure flour with a scale for accuracy, if possible. I prefer all-purpose flour over cake flour for this cake to hold up to the pumpkin.
• Pumpkin Puree: Canned pumpkin puree works best, especially Libby’s Pumpkin. If you use homemade pumpkin puree keep in mind it may have a higher liquid content.
• Butter and Oil: A lot of pumpkin cakes use oil-only, but I prefer a butter forward recipe for layer cake. Oil-only pumpkin cakes are delicious but spongier, whereas the butter+oil cake is fluffier and has a tighter crumb.
• Light Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: For sweetness. Do not reduce the amount of sugar.
• Large Egg, at Room Temperature: Soak the egg in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes before baking.
• Buttermilk: adds moisture and keeps the cake tender.
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Leavening agents
• Spices: Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: For flavor.

Ingredients for Graham Cracker Butter and Chocolate Ganache

• Graham Crackers: You’ll need one standard package of honey graham crackers, which is around 9 sheets. Try cinnamon or chocolate graham crackers for a fun change.
• Melted Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter.
• Honey and Ground Cinnamon: Add sweetness and flavor.
• Water: Thins out the butter so that it is spreadable.
• Chopped Dark Chocolate: Pick your favorite dark chocolate or use dark chocolate chips.
• Heavy Cream: Use this to make the ganache.

Ingredients for Marshmallow Meringue

• Egg Whites: When separating the eggs make sure not a single speck of yolk gets into the whites, otherwise they will not whip up properly.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness. The great thing about this meringue is that it is just lightly sweet and not cloying like a marshmallow frosting might be.
• Cornstarch and Vinegar: The vinegar helps stabilize the egg whites while the cornstarch soaks up any moisture left in the egg whites to leave it shiny and beautiful.
• Vanilla Extract: For flavor.

How to Make Graham Cracker Butter

One of my favorite parts of this recipe is the graham cracker butter that sits between the cake layers. Since I acknowledge this isn’t something that a lot of us make everyday, I thought I’d add a few extra details here. It’s similar to making cookie butter, just with graham crackers as the base.

Start by pulsing graham crackers in a food processor until they turn into a fine powder. Then, pulse in some butter, followed by the honey and water. Add enough water so that the texture is smooth and spreadable, but not runny. It’s also up to your personal preference — if you want a thicker texture then great.

Tips for Pumpkin S’mores Cake

• Use room temperature ingredients for cake batter: cold ingredients do not mix together well and may lead to an uneven batter, which impacts the texture of your cake. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature, namely eggs and buttermilk. Microwave the buttermilk to warm it up.
• Test if cake is done: use a toothpick to test if the cake is fully baked through. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. As long as there is no wet batter, you are okay.
• Separate egg whites properly for meringue: make sure that no yolk gets into the egg whites, otherwise they will not whip up. One way to get a really clean separation (which is a little messy) is to crack the egg into your palm and let the whites run through your fingers. You’ll be able to feel when they’ve fully separated from the yolk.

FAQs for Pumpkin S’mores Cake

Can I prepare the cake in advance?

You can bake the cake and make the graham cracker butter one day in advance. Both will last overnight tightly wrapped or covered on the counter or in the fridge. I do not recommend making the meringue or ganache in advance–make those when your ready to assemble the cake.

Can I Skip the Meringue?

Sure! You can also frost the entire cake with marshmallow cream cheese frosting. It’s one of my favorite frostings to pair with pumpkin.

Does it matter what brand of pumpkin i use?

I prefer Libby’s pumpkin. I think it has the best consistency and flavor for baking, but that’s just my personal preference. Note that some pumpkin purees have more liquid, especially if you make it homemade. If homemade, I recommend draining some water out of the pumpkin before baking.

Pin & Save or Later

Are you interested in making this recipe but aren’t ready to bake yet? You can actually save this recipe to Pinterest by hovering over (or tapping on mobile) any image in this post. It’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.

Hope you enjoy your pumpkin s’mores cake this Fall and talk to you all later!