Ten-Minute Layered S'mores Summer Icebox Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LetsMakeSmores #CollectiveBias #sponsored

This Layered S'mores Icebox Cake is based off of my late aunt's icebox cake recipe. I used the traditional layered pudding and graham crackers but kicked it up to s'mores awesomeness with the addition of chocolate bars and toasted marshmallows. It's the perfect summer get-together dessert, y'all...or even easy enough to be a weeknight dessert. Take this to your next barbecue for sure!

Gosh, I love a good icebox cake. I've been making my late Aunt Margaret's icebox cake since I was a new bride almost 13 years ago. Her husband was a professional baker (I've shared a few of his famous Manhattan Cafe recipes on here before), and I was blessed to inherit their 100-year old recipe box full of their prized hand-written recipes. That box is like a little door to the past. It's absolutely stuffed full of goodies...many of which I now make on a regular basis. My aunt passed away almost 20 years ago, but creating some of her and Uncle Johnny's recipes still makes me feel connected to her...know what I mean? I'm sure they'd be excited to try this spin on their classic icebox cake. Not only did I change up the ingredients and flavors, I've drastically cut down the prep time, too (I mean, it's summer...I'm not up for standing over the hot stove stirring homemade pudding for an hour now, y'all!). I've gotten this down to a cool 10-minute cake that can be made the night before a barbecue or potluck. Check out the recipe below.

Most icebox cakes are layered with graham crackers...so turning this the way of the s'more was a no-brainer. What has always been fascinating to me is that the graham crackers take on an entirely new form in this type of cake. They start out as regular graham crackers. But, this cake loves to "set" overnight in the refrigerator (in the olden days, it would be the icebox...which is how the cakes were named). The pudding mixture softens the graham crackers into a cake-like texture. But the yummy flavor of the graham crackers stay intact.

And...this baby is NO-BAKE! Let's all sing a song of praise. Because who in the heehaw wants to heat up the oven in the dog days of summertime? At least not here in Texas, y'all...it's always a scorcher. Any day can be a S'mores Day with this yummy cake.

This cake's three main ingredients kind of make my heart go pitter-patter. Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars, Honey Maid Graham Cracker Squares, and Kraft's Jet Puffed Marshmallows...the unofficial summertime trifecta, y'all.

I grabbed everything for this cake at Walmart. Many stores have this fun s'mores display to pick up all of your campfire yumminess. What's summertime without s'mores, y'all? Remember when I posted about the new firepit we built? We are out there s'more-ing it up all the time, y'all. S'mores are my love language...they were destined to be made into cake-form in my kitchen. 

This cake is a quick, easy solution for summertime BBQs and parties. Everyone loves the girl who brings a yummy dessert, right?

The Hershey Bars get rough-chopped to give the pudding they go into the s'mores flavor.

And the marshmallow topping is, of course, the pièce de résistance.

I take that back. The fire applied to the marshmallow topping is the real pièce de résistance. Because...you know, a torch is involved. And how can that not be fun? If you don't have a kitchen torch, you can quickly brown the marshmallows under a broiler...but only for a minute(ish). Not only do you not want the underlying cake part to heat up, the marshmallows will catch on fire...I know this because my mom sets the sweet potato casserole's marshmallow topping on fire under the broiler every year at Thanksgiving. Every. Year.

Ten-Minute Layered S'mores Icebox Cake
CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION

Ingredients:

• 1 box Honey Maid Graham Cracker Squares
• 2 (3.9 ounce) boxes Jell-O Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
• 3 cups milk (I like the Knudsen brand)
• 1 (8 ounce) box Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 6-pack Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars, rough chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) container Kraft Cool Whip
• 1 bag Kraft's Jet Puffed Marshmallows

In a 9x13" casserole pan sprayed with cooking spray, lay out enough Honey Maid Graham Cracker Squares to cover the bottom (for my pan, it's 7 sheets). 
Combine pudding mix, milk, softened cream cheese, and chopped Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Mixture will thicken and combine quickly. Fold in Cool Whip until mixture is combined. Spoon 1/3 of this mixture over graham crackers. Add another layer of graham crackers on top of the chocolate mixture. And then repeat the chocolate with another layer of graham crackers on top. Use the rest of the chocolate mixture on top. 
Neatly lay marshmallows on top of the last chocolate mixture, in rows. Refrigerate overnight. Before taking the cake to your barbecue or get-together the next day, be sure to brown the marshmallows. I did this with my kitchen torch. As I mentioned above, you can also do this for about a minute under your oven's broiler. You'll need to watch it closely so the marshmallows don't burn or even catch on fire.

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION

This cake goes together very quickly. It's perfect to be made the night before your get-together. Keep it refrigerated overnight and then (after browning the marshmallows), pop it into the cooler to take to the par-tay! 

The layers of chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows are that quintessential flavors of the season. 

Love me some s'mores....CAKE!

What kinds of fun ways do you like to enjoy the flavors of s'mores?

Neglect your chores like me and don't miss a thing:

Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Follow on Pinterest | Follow on Google+ | Follow on Instagram

{i linky-party here}