Toasted Marshmallow and Chocolate Cake

To say that it’s been a wild couple of months would be an understatement. I heard someone refer to our current situation as The Great Pause. While this title is accurate in most respects, I feel that the pandemic has had the opposite effect on my appetite. Pause, I have not, when it comes to food. I’ve actually gone above and beyond my normal treat intake, a personal record that has left me almost hoping that beaches remain closed this summer (notice I said almost). So from this point forward, I’ll go ahead and refer to this period of my life as The Great Pig Out. To not have my ever growing waistline be completely in vain, I decided to put my appetite and photography skills to good use and offered local businesses free images of their food/drink related products. One of the items I shot recently was Dandies Vanilla Flavored Marshmallows. I decided to make a monster three tier chocolate cake with them because I think chocolate and marshmallows make a cute couple and I’m told quarantine calories don’t count (though my unbuttoned jeans beg to differ). The marshmallows were provided by Dumais Fruits et Legumes; a great local market with an impressive selection of fresh produce, healthy alternatives and international items. If you’re ever in the Campbellton area, definitely check them out!

Scroll below for this Toasted Marshmallow and Chocolate cake recipe and if you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe! 😉

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the cake:

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• ¾ cups cocoa
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• ¾ cup warm water
• ¼ cup milk (reserve for milk soak)

For the whipped chocolate frosting:

• 3 cups whipped cream
• ⅓ cup cocoa
• 1 ½ cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the ganache:

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 ½ cups whipping cream

For the toasted marshmallows:

• 1 bag of marshmallows (10oz)

Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Preheat oven at 350° Pam-spray the bottom of an 9x13” sheet pan and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla, buttermilk, warm water and oil, mix until combined.
4. Gently add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until smooth.
5. Pour batter into the sheet pan and spread evenly.Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
6. In a medium sauce pan, heat whipping cream on medium heat until it begins to simmer. Place chocolate chips into a medium size bowl and pour simmering whipping cream over chocolate chips. Let stand for 3 minutes. Next, stir the mixture until the chocolate has completely dissolved. Let cool completely.
7. In a large mixing bowl, beat whipping cream, vanilla extract and granulated sugar until peaks form. Add cocoa and confectioner’s sugar and beat until combined.
8. On an unlined sheet pan, spread marshmallows out evenly then char them with a blowtorch. Once the marshmallows have cooled, chop half of them into quarters. Set aside.
9. Once cake has completely cooled, carefully flip it onto a large piece of parchment paper. With a 6” cake ring, cut out 2 circles from the cake (these will be your two top layers, while the bottom layer will be made with the scraps).
10. Place the cake ring on the bottom of a parchment lined baking sheet. Line the inside of the cake ring with 6” acetate strip (you can use parchment paper for this as well, however acetate is sturdier).
11. Assemble the cake scraps at the bottom of the cake ring until you have a flat, even layer.
12. Splash layer with a few tablespoons of milk as evenly as you can (aka. milk soak).
13. Spread ⅓ of whipped chocolate frosting onto the bottom cake layer.
14. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Repeat milk soak then spread ½ of the ganache onto the layer (set the rest of the ganache aside for the final steps of assembly).
15. Sprinkle chopped toasted marshmallows evenly onto ganache. Next, carefully spread ⅓ of whipped chocolate frosting over marshmallows.
16. Place last cake layer onto frosting. Repeat milk soak. Spread the last of the whipped chocolate frosting onto the layer and transfer the cake to the freezer for 12 hours.
17. At least 2 hours before serving, remove the cake from the freezer. Gently remove the cake from the cake ring, peel off acetate, and place cake on cake stand.
18. Spread the last of the ganache onto the top layer of the cake and add the last of the toasted marshmallows.
19. Once cake has thawed, slice and serve!

*I also have a vegan version of this recipe available for those interested. If vegan options sound like something you'd like to see more of on the blog, please let me know in the comment box below!

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