S’mores Ice Cream Cake

This made-from-scratch s’mores ice cream cake features layers of graham cracker crust, ganache, homemade no-churn ice cream, whipped cream and marshmallow fluff. You’ll love how fun this cake is to assemble – and eat! It makes a perfect birthday or celebration cake, and is something that even your kids can help with.

Looking for more birthday cake ideas? Don’t miss this rainbow sprinkle cake, yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting, and classic buttermilk birthday cake.

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Why You’ll Love This Cake

Easy to Make. It might not look like it, but this cake really is quite simple to put together. Each step just takes a couple of minutes, and then you only have to wait for the ice cream to freeze.

Perfect for Birthdays. Who wouldn’t love a fun s’mores ice cream cake for their birthday? This cake would be the hit of any birthday party.

No Bake / No Churn. When it’s hot, the last thing I want to do is turn on my oven. This cake requires no baking at all, and the ice cream is quick and easy to make with no need for an ice cream maker.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• The base crust is a simple mixture of crushed graham cracker crumbs, salt and melted butter.
• This makes a solid base to build the rest of the layers onto.

Ganache

• The ganache is nothing more than a warmed mixture of chocolate and heavy whipping cream, stirred together until melted and smooth.
• A layer of ganache keeps the bottom graham cracker crust from getting soft and soggy from the ice cream, and it also gives the border of graham crackers something secure to stick into.

Border

• All you need for the cake border is graham crackers.
• For my tall cake pictured in today’s post, I used whole graham crackers. For a shorter cake, break them into halves or fourths.

Vanilla Ice Cream

• For an easy, no-churn vanilla ice cream, you only need sweetened condensed milk, cold heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

Chocolate Ice Cream

• You’ll be making the no-churn chocolate ice cream with the same ingredients as the vanilla, except for the addition of some unsweetened cocoa powder.
• You can use either natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder, whichever you like.

Topping

• Marshmallow Fluff or Creme. An easy and delicious topping for your cake is marshmallow fluff or creme. It tends to not freeze super hard, either.
• Cold Heavy Whipping Cream + Powdered Sugar. Whipped until soft and fluffy, this lightly sweetened whipped cream makes a great topping for a s’mores ice cream cake if you don’t like marshmallow fluff. It does freeze harder and icier, though, which is something to keep in mind for the leftover cake going back into the freezer.
• Crumbled Graham Crackers
• Marshmallows
• Chopped Chocolate

Instructions

Getting Ready.

• First, determine what size you want your cake. I used an adjustable mousse ring tightened to almost 6 inches, which made a very tall cake that was a little more difficult to cut and serve. If you’re using a mousse ring (which has no base), you’ll need to set it on a cake board or plate to assemble your ice cream cake (pictured below: a mousse ring sitting on top of a clear, acrylic disk).
• An 8 or 9 inch cake is more manageable, with wider shorter layers that are easier to cut and serve for more servings. If you don’t use an adjustable mousse ring, you’ll need to use a springform pan with removable sides.

Graham Cracker Crust.

• In a bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers and salt, then add the melted butter. Stir until moistened and crumbly.
• Press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the mold/pan.

Ganache.

• Chop the chocolate and set aside. Heat the cream until hot, then pour over the chocolate. Stir until smooth and shiny.
• Pour the ganache over the crust into an even layer.
• Refrigerate until set, but still sticky to the touch, about 10-15 minutes.

Border.

• Arrange the whole graham crackers around the sides of the pan. The ganache will help to hold them in place.
• For a shorter 8 or 9 inch cake, you should break the crackers into halves or fourths and arrange them around the side.

Vanilla Ice Cream.

• In a bowl, use a hand-held electric mixer to whip the sweetened condensed milk, cold heavy whipping cream, vanilla and salt until soft, fluffy peaks form that hold their shape.
• Spread the vanilla ice cream into an even layer over the ganache, and place in the freezer while you make the chocolate ice cream.

Chocolate Ice Cream

• In a bowl, use a hand-held electric mixer to whip the sweetened condensed milk, cold heavy whipping cream, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt until soft, fluffy peaks form that hold their shape.
• Spread the chocolate ice cream into an even layer over the vanilla ice cream.

Freeze.

• Cover the cake with plastic wrap and freeze until solid, at least 8 hours, or overnight.

Topping.

• Just before serving, whip the cream and powdered sugar until soft, fluffy peaks form that hold their shape. Pile the whipped cream on top of the chocolate ice cream. (If using marshmallow fluff or creme instead of whipped cream, just pile as much as you like on top of the ice cream.)
• Sprinkle the top with crumbled graham crackers, marshmallows and chopped chocolate.

Serving.

• Unmold the cake from the mousse ring or springform pan by loosening and removing the sides of the pan.
• You’ll need to let the cake soften at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before you can slice it.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use instead of graham crackers?

You could try biscoff cookies or digestive biscuits instead.

Can I use store-bought ice cream instead of homemade?

You can, but I like using homemade because it’s honestly easier. With store-bought ice cream, you have to soften it first, before you spread it into layers. It will soften unevenly, melt through the graham cracker border, and will take a while to re-freeze before you can add the next layer.

With homemade, no-churn ice cream, it only takes a minute to whip it into a soft, fluffy consistency (similar to whipped cream), which is perfect for spreading into layers in your cake. And you don’t have to wait for the vanilla ice cream layer to freeze before you add the chocolate ice cream layer.

Which is better for the topping, whipped cream or marshmallow fluff?

It really just depends on what you like. I made this s’mores ice cream cake for my son’s 5th birthday, and he doesn’t like sticky things. So instead of marshmallow fluff, I used whipped cream. The whipped cream makes a great topping, but when you freeze the leftover ice cream cake, the whipped cream freezes a little hard and icy. Marshmallow fluff is a great option for that sticky s’mores texture and flavor, and doesn’t freeze as solid.

Whichever you use, I advise waiting on adding the topping until you’re ready to serve your cake.

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