S'mores Icebox Cake with Toasted Meringue
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
A towering frozen take on the campfire classic, with silky chocolate mousse, cream and coffee-soaked crackers finished under a cloud of toasted meringue.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
Unlock all flavours with Premium
This flavour is part of Premium. You can see the ingredients and nutrition; the quantities and the full method are for members.
Premium: $4.99/month or $39.99/year.
Equipment
- large heatproof bowl and saucepan
- whisk
- 23 x 10 cm loaf tin
- cling film
- stand mixer with whisk
- flexible or offset spatula
- 23 x 33 cm rimmed baking tray lined with foil
- pastry brush
- small saucepan
- sugar thermometer
- kitchen blowtorch
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 548 kcal |
| Protein | 8.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 56.7 g |
| of which sugars | 44 g |
| of which free sugars | 42.3 g |
| Fat | 32.7 g |
| of which saturates | 19 g |
| Fibre | 3.2 g |
| Salt | 0.63 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 8 servings
Chocolate mousse
- 200 g dark chocolate (64-70% cocoa), coarsely chopped
- 180 ml double cream
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
- ¼ tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
- 50 g caster sugar
Whipped cream
- 240 ml double cream
- 15 g caster sugar
- 1 g fine sea salt or table salt a pinch
Layers
- 20 graham crackers (about 107 g)
- 60 ml brewed coffee
Italian meringue
- 4 large egg whites (about 140 g), at room temperature
- 200 g caster sugar
- 120 ml water
- 1
Melt. Melt 198 g dark chocolate with 180 ml double cream over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally for about 10 min, then whisk smooth off the heat and stir in the 3 egg yolks once the mixture is just warm.
- 2
Whisk. Whisk the 3 egg whites with ¼ tsp salt and the optional espresso powder until foamy, then stream in 50 g caster sugar and whisk to glossy medium-stiff peaks, about 8 min.
- 3
Fold. Fold a quarter of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then fold in the rest and chill the mousse.
- 4
Whip. Whip 240 ml double cream with 15 g caster sugar and a pinch of salt to medium-stiff peaks, about 2 min.
- 5
Layer. Line the loaf tin with cling film and build up layers of graham crackers brushed with 60 ml coffee, chocolate mousse and whipped cream, repeating to use four cracker layers and finishing with crackers brushed with coffee.
- 6
Chill. Cover and chill for at least 6 h, then turn the cake out onto a foil-lined tray, peel away the cling film and freeze for about 1 h until firm enough to slice.
- 7
Meringue. Whisk 4 egg whites on low speed while boiling 200 g caster sugar with 120 ml water to 115 °C, then whisk the whites to soft peaks, pour in the hot syrup down the side of the bowl and whisk on high until stiff and no longer warm, about 10 min.
- 8
Torch. Swoosh the Italian meringue over the top of the cake and brown it with a kitchen blowtorch held 3-5 cm away.
- 9
Slice. Cut into 8 portions with a hot, dried knife.
Storage
The cake can be frozen without its meringue for up to 1 week; add and torch the meringue just before serving.
