We need to discuss some serious business today. Serious business people. S'more Pudding Cake is on the agenda, and so is Orange is the New Black. Am I the last person on the planet to start watching that show on Netflix? Because if I'm not, and you haven't watched it yet, you should probably hop to it and call in sick from work today because it's just that good. I binge watched it yesterday. 6 episodes. It was a solid performance on my part, although I could have powered through even more episodes had my husband not gotten in the way. Apparently he wanted me to make dinner and tear myself away from the TV. The nerve. Just kidding, kinda 🙂 It's a pretty awesome show and it's totally filling the void of this whole summer TV break that all my favorite shows seem to go on. You should watch it.
And you should also make this S'more Pudding Cake.
Do you guys know Faith? She's one of the fabulous people behind The Kitchn and she also has a killer new book out that works perfectly for summer! Bakeless Sweets: Pudding, Panna Cotta, Fluff, Icebox Cake, and More No-Bake Desserts.
It came out 2 months ago and I'm seriously all about no-bake desserts these days because who has the energy to turn on the oven. Not this girl. At least not till it cools down a bit or I sack up and turn on my air conditioning.
After thumbing through the book multiple times, I couldn't decide what to make because, seriously, everything looks good. After a quick chat with Faith and hearing her tell me about the S'more Pudding Cake it was a no-brainer. That was up first.
I threw on my yoga pants because I knew that this dessert and I were going to be besties within a few hours. I just had a sixth sense about it. Also, when you're combining chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers, there is really no need to wear pants with a button or anything else that could potentially be restricting. It's just not in the cards.
I layered on each layer, carefully crafting the cake so it would be perfect when the time came to cut into it and then let it hang in the fridge for a bit to rest. The time came to cut into it and I ended up attacking it with a spoon. Things got crazy. I demolished a huge chunk of the cake before anyone even got home to witness the madness and it was spectacular. A total show stopper. I loved every bite and continued to walk back and forth from my desk and fridge to get spoonful after spoonful. Just think of all those calories I burned walking back and forth! It's a win win situation if you ask me!
So if you're a s'more obsessed person like me, or have love any kind of bakeless dessert, this book would be peeeeerfect for you.
S’more Pudding Cake
Ingredients
For the S’Mores Pudding Cake
- 4 cups 1 batch Rich Chocolate Custard (recipe below)
- 4 sleeves graham crackers
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 13-ounce jar marshmallow crème
For the Rich Chocolate Custard
- 6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Rich Chocolate Custard
- Prepare the chocolate: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
- Make a cornstarch and egg slurry: Put the cornstarch and salt together in a medium bowl and whisk to make sure there are no lumps. Slowly whisk in the cream, making sure there are no lumps. (To be really sure, reach into the bowl and gently rub out any lumps between your fingers.) Whisk in the egg yolks.
- Warm the milk: In a 3-quart (2.8-L) saucepan over medium heat, whisk the sugar into the milk. Warm for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves, bubbles form around the edges, and the entire surface of the milk begins to quiver. Turn off the heat.
- Temper the slurry: Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of the hot milk into the bowl with the slurry, whisking constantly. The mixture should come together smoothly, with no lumps. If you see any, add a little more liquid and whisk them out. Pour it back into the pan, counting to 10 and whisking constantly as you pour.
- Thicken the pudding: Turn the heat back on to medium and bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking frequently and vigorously, working all the angles of the pot and scraping the bottom. Continue whisking for about 5 minutes, until the custard becomes very thick and starts to boil, with large bubbles that slowly pop up to the surface. Boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
- Flavor the pudding: Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Stir the chocolate into the pudding and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk gently until the pudding is smooth and glossy and has fully absorbed the chocolate.
To Assemble
- Smear a thin layer of chocolate custard in the center of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover the bottom with a layer of graham crackers and spread ⅓ (about 1 ¼ cups) of the chocolate custard on top of the crackers. Sprinkle 1 cup of mini marshmallows over the custard, and torch them lightly with a kitchen torch, until soft and browned. (You can also put them under an oven broiler for 45 seconds.) Repeat two more times and top with a final layer of graham crackers. (There will be four full layers of crackers, and three of pudding).
- Chill the pudding: Immediately pour the hot pudding into a shallow container. Place plastic wrap or buttered wax paper directly on the surface of the pudding (if you don't like pudding skin). Cover and refrigerate.
- Warm the marshmallow crème in the microwave or in a saucepan. Spread over the top of the icebox cake and spread while still warm. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the crackers have softened to a cakelike texture (test by inserting a thin knife along the side and bringing up a few crumbs). (This can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time, but it is best consumed with a day or two as it will get soggy if it sits too long.)
- When ready to serve, brown the top of the cake until tan and toasty with a kitchen torch or under the broiler.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Second photo credit: Stacy Newgent
I made this for Thanksgiving dessert and it was fantastic! Tasted like a Moon Pie. 🙂 For the chocolate, I used 4 oz bittersweet and 2 oz semi-sweet - otherwise I did it exactly as stated. To thank the author, I purchased Bakeless Sweets for the Kindle. Thanks for sharing.
LOVE IT!!
Loving this! And I have never seen Orange Is the New Black but the way you've been talking about it I think it's time I watch it. We just canceled cable so I am looking for new things to watch 🙂
Oh my gawd!! I am stuck on this page, looks so good!!
Thanks Steph 🙂
I might be inclined to do just about anything for a big piece of this cake right now. I can't even deal!
Oh em gee ... this looks OUTRAGEOUS! Pinning 🙂
Thanks lady!