I’m a huge fan of s’mores and an even bigger fan of coffee cake. Coffee cake is like my ultimate sweet craving because it’s not too sweet and there’s cinnamon involved and the crispy crunchiness from the streusel topping. You just can’t beat it! But with summer winding down, I thought maybe, just maybe I could squeeze out one more late summer recipe. This S’mores Coffee Cake combines two of my favorite treats and turns it into one delicious recipe that everyone will love. And if you’re looking for more s’mores inspiration, I just so happen to have a bunch on the blog already. From cinnamon rolls, slab pie to doughnuts to biscuits…there is literally something for everyone.
To make the topping, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, and brown sugar. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry blender or your hands until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the chocolate chips and marshmallow bits and set aside.
**Tip: You want to look out for small dried bits of marshmallow, the kind that usually comes in with hot cocoa packets. I’m not sure if it’s a new product or just new to my store but I found them in a container in the baking aisle next to the marshmallow fluff and regular marshmallows.**
To make the cake batter, whisk together 1 cup of flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
**Note: You want to make sure the graham cracker crumbs are as fine as possible as they’ll act like a flour here. It gives this cake that s’mores graham cracker taste we’re looking for.**
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, and then add the vanilla extract. Mix together the buttermilk and vanilla.
Stir in the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients and mixing until just combined after each addition.
**Note: Make sure you don’t over-mix the batter at this point as you’ll run the risk of creating a dry and dense cake crumb. Gently folding will ensure you don’t over-mix.**
Toss the chocolate chips with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and then fold into the batter until just combined.
**Tip: Tossing the chocolate chips in a bit of flour before stirring into the batter prevents them from sinking to the bottom.**
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread out into an even layer. Top with half of the crumb mixture and then add the remaining batter and spread out once more. Top with the rest of the topping.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick, inserted in the middle, comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
This cake is best eaten with a couple of days of making it. The sour cream really helps keep it moist. You can store any leftovers, well-wrapped or in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you want to prolong it longer, you can store in the fridge and then warmed up slightly before serving.
I hate to ask for two different types of chocolate chips for one recipe and to be honest, it’s partly because I happened to have both on hand but also because visually, I thought the mini chips would look better on top. But if honestly you don’t want to buy two different kinds you can just use mini chocolate chips for both the inside and on top.
If you’re a fan of s’mores and coffee cake, then you’ll definitely love this recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think below. Thank you for reading and following along.
S’mores Coffee Cake
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand or stand mixer
- 9-inch square baking pan
Ingredients
Topping:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter diced
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chip
- 3/4 cup dried mini marshmallow bits
Cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon
- 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan and set aside.
- To make the topping, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, and brown sugar. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry blender or your hands until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the chocolate chips and marshmallow bits and set aside.
- To make the cake batter, whisk together 1 cup of flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, and then add the vanilla extract. Mix together the buttermilk and vanilla.
- Stir in the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients and mixing until just combined after each addition. Toss the chocolate chips with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and then fold into the batter until just combined.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread out into an even layer. Top with half of the crumb mixture and then add the remaining batter and spread out once more. Top with the rest of the topping. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick, inserted in the middle, comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
I love coffee cake too, but never tried a smores version of it, very clever, and definitely worth a try, thank you!