A sweet treat is no doubt a welcome end to any meal. And if you love s’mores, you can get a taste of that classic campfire treat sans smoke in your eyes and those all-too-often burned edges of the marshmallow as the favorite dessert becomes an ice cream cake. Chocolate-covered graham crackers fill and top ice cream layers with warm marshmallow cream making a great finish to serve.
It’s easy to prepare with store-bought ice cream, and this cake can be made days or even weeks before serving, notes cookbook author Elinor Kivans, who contributed this recipe to Real Food. Entertaining is certainly easier when there’s anything you can make ahead. Of course this would be a tasty treat for anytime, too. (The recipe calls for softened ice cream; to do so, just place ice cream in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.) If there are any cake leftovers, you can return them to the freezer, ready for another day.
S’more Ice Cream Cake
Makes 9 servings
Crust
11⁄2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp. sugar
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
1⁄2 c. milk chocolate chips
Chocolate Coating
9 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
11⁄2 tbsp. vegetable oil
8 whole graham crackers, broken in half
1 quart chocolate ice cream, softened
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 7-oz. jar marshmallow cream
For the crust: Position a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line a 9-inch square pan with two pieces parchment paper, letting ends hang over pan edges. Butter bottom of paper.
In a large bowl, stir together graham-cracker crumbs and sugar. Mix in butter to evenly moisten crumbs. Mix in chocolate chips. Press crust into pan. Bake 8 minutes and set aside to cool thoroughly.
For the coating: Place chocolate and oil in a heatproof container or top of a double boiler and place over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until smoothly melted. Remove from water and set aside to cool slightly.
To coat graham crackers, place 16 halves on a wire rack. Using a metal spatula, coat each with a heaping tablespoon coating. Let sit until firm, or refrigerate 20 minutes to firm quickly. There will probably be leftover coating for another use (it’s also good on ice cream as a sauce).
To assemble cake, break half of chocolate-coated crackers into irregular pieces. Cut remaining crackers diagonally into triangles. Set aside. Using an ice-cream spade, spread chocolate ice cream over crust. Sprinkle broken crackers over ice cream. Spread over vanilla ice cream, smoothing top. Press cracker triangles, placing a corner side down, over top. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 5 hours, up to 2 weeks.
When ready to serve, heat marshmallow cream and 2 tablespoons warm water in a medium saucepan over low heat until smoothly melted. Pour into a medium pitcher. Using parchment-paper ends, lift cake out of pan. Slide onto a serving plate and cut into squares. Pass sauce to pour over cake.
Nutrition Info (Per Serving): Calories 562 (258 From Fat); Fat 29g (Sat. 16g); Chol 46mg; Sodium 211mg; Carb 70g; Fiber 3g; Protein 7g
