This post may contain affiliate links.
This S’mores Poke Cake is everything you love about the campfire classic treat, but transformed into the most decadent poke cake! With a graham cracker crust, chocolate cake, marshmallow filling (and topping!), chocolate ganache, and all the s’mores toppings, this cake is over-the-top delicious and will have your guests coming back for more and more!
Why This Cake Will Be Your New Favorite!
The flavors are so nostalgic! It’s like turning the melty campfire treat into a “no campfire needed” dessert, just like my no bake s’mores bars and decadent s’mores pie!
It’s a kid FAVE. We all know kids and marshmallows are an instant hit and this one is no exception….my four kids will attest to that!
The cake is super moist, thanks to not just one but TWO fillings and an incredible topping. It’s worth every single step, I promise. It’s one of those recipes everyone will be asking for!!
Ingredients Needed
- Graham Crackers – You can use whole graham crackers (and pulverize them yourself) or use store-bought graham cracker crumbs.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter in my graham cracker crusts to balance out the sweetness of the dessert!
- Sugar – White or brown sugar will be great for the crust.
- Cake Mix – Any chocolate cake mix is great, whether it’s Devil’s food cake, chocolate, or dark chocolate OR you can make a homemade cake!
- Marshmallow Creme – Aka marshmallow fluff. You’ll use this in the filling and in the topping. You can use one 13 ounce tub or two 7 ounce tubs.
- Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Bar – You can use milk chocolate (most traditional in a s’mores) or semi-sweet chocolate for a little more balance of sweetness!
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Whipped Topping – Aka Cool Whip! If you’d prefer to make your own, that’s fine, but just make sure it’s a stabilized whipped cream so it doesn’t fall.
- Garnishes – I want to say these are optional, but let’s be honest, the garnishes bring SO much FUN to this cake!! Grab some graham crackers, chocolate, and mini marshmallows and top til your heart desires!
How to Make a S’mores Poke Cake
Make the Graham Cracker Crust
No s’mores would be complete without graham crackers!! I find it easiest to mix it up in the food processor so you can crush the graham crackers and add in the melted butter and sugar all in one bowl.
Once it’s all mixed up, dump the mixture into a 9×13-inch pan and press to create a crust.
Make the Chocolate Cake
Mix up the box mix according to the package instructions for a 9×13-inch pan. I always recommend checking the cake much earlier than the box says as I tend to find the bake time too high.
If you’re wanting to be an overachiever (or don’t have a cake mix on hand), you could make my homemade 9×13-inch chocolate cake recipe instead!
When the cake comes out of the oven, use the back of a wooden spoon or a thick straw to poke holes into the cake. It’s important to have fairly thick “pokes” so there’s plenty of room for the fillings to seep into!
Make the Fillings – Marshmallow & Chocolate!
For the marshmallow filling, you’ll warm the marshmallow creme a bit and mix in the water. The water is just enough to soften the creme so it can really seep into the holes! Go ahead and pour the filling over the cake while it’s still warm.
For the chocolate ganache, start by warming the heavy cream. Once it’s hot, add the chocolate chips and let it set for 5 minutes without stirring it. Once the 5 minutes is up, stir it until it’s nice and smooth. Let it cool until it’s thickened a bit then pour over the cake. Let the cake chill for at least 4 hours in the fridge.
Make the Marshmallow Topping
Yes, we’re here for round two of the marshmallow (then again, it IS the most important part of a s’mores!!) 🙂 Start by spooning the marshmallow creme into a mixing bowl.
Optional: Use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallow creme. Give it a stir and repeat a couple more times (it’ll add so much flavor!).
Add a little bit of the whipped topping and stir until smooth. Fold in the remainder of the whipped topping and spread over the cooled cake.
Garnish the Cake
This is the fun part! Add as much or as little additional graham crackers, chopped chocolate bars, and mini marshmallows on top of the cake! Bring the kitchen torch back out, if you want that toasted look!
Storage Instructions
Store this poke cake in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. It’s best in the first three days, but should be good until day 5 (it might be getting really soft at this point!).
I don’t recommend freezing this poke cake. The freeze-thaw process will make it soggy and it won’t be near as good!
Recipe Variations
As much as I LOVE this recipe as-is, it’s fun to think about the variations, too!
- Peanut Butter S’mores Poke Cake – If you’ve ever used Reeses peanut butter cups on a s’mores (instead of a Hershey’s bar), you now that it’s SO good! To incorporate the peanut butter, add 1/2 cup of peanut butter to the marshmallow filling mixture (warm if needed so it seeps into the cake) and then add a drizzle of peanut butter or some chopped peanut butter cups on top!
- Cookies & Cream S’mores Poke Cake – Make an Oreo crust in place of the graham cracker crust and use crushed Oreos on top! Perfect for the Oreo lover!!
- Salted Caramel S’mores Poke Cake – Suuuuch a good combo! Skip the chocolate ganache and drizzle some salted caramel over the cake into the holes. Then drizzle some more on top and just a tiny bit of flaky sea salt….YUM!
Other Poke Cakes To Try!
- Chocolate Poke Cake – The most popular poke cake on the blog!
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake – This one is always raved about!
- Strawberry Poke Cake – With real strawberries!
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Poke Cake – For when you can’t choose between cake & cookies…
- Pistachio Poke Cake – Unexpected and SO good!
- Red Velvet Poke Cake – The cream cheese filling is EVERYTHING!
- Almond Joy Poke Cake – Like the candy but in cake form!
S’mores Poke Cake
Equipment
- 1 9×13-inch pan
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 12 sheets
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons sugar
For the Cake
- 1 box Devil's food cake mix plus the eggs, oil, and water called for on the box
- 1 7-ounce tub marshmallow creme
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 6 ounces chocolate chips about 1 cup
For the Topping
- 1 7-ounce tub marshmallow creme
- 1 8-ounce tub whipped topping
- crushed graham crackers, mini marshmallows, and chopped chocolate bars for topping
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Pulverize the graham crackers until you have fine crumbs.2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- Add the melted butter and sugar and stir to combine.6 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons sugar
- Press the crust into the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan.
Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Prepare the cake mix according to the box instructions for a 9×13-inch pan.1 box Devil's food cake mix
- While the cake is baking, prepare the fillings.
- For the marshmallow filling, you'll scoop one container of the marshmallow creme into a microwave-safe bowl and add the water. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring well after each, until smooth; set aside.1 7-ounce tub marshmallow creme, 2 tablespoons water
- Add the heavy cream into another small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the heavy cream until very hot (but not yet boiling).1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- Add the chocolate chips to the hot heavy cream and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap; let set for 5 minutes untouched. Stir until smooth.6 ounces chocolate chips
- When the cake comes out of the oven, use the end of a wooden spoon or a thick straw to poke holes into the cake about every other centimeter into the cake.
- Pour the fluff mixture over the poke cake slowly, allowing it time to soak down the "pokes" a bit. Use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly over the cake.
- Let the chocolate sauce cool for a bit to thicken up slightly then pour it over the cake, spreading to an even layer.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4+ hours.
Top and Garnish the Cake
- Spoon the marshmallow creme into a mixing bowl.
- Optional: Use a kitchen torch to get some toasted crispy pieces on the fluff! I like to torch it; stir and torch a couple more times for more "campfire" flavor! Let cool when done with this step.
- Add about 1 cup of the whipped topping then stir in the remaining whipped topping.1 7-ounce tub marshmallow creme
- Spread over the cooled cake.
- Top with additional crushed graham crackers, chopped up chocolate bars, and mini marshmallows. Torch for a "roasted" look, if desired.crushed graham crackers, mini marshmallows, and chopped chocolate bars
