Busy-Day S'mores Cake #SundaySupper

I don't know about you guys, but my life's been super busy right now. The job's been running me ragged: I'm training yet another temp, and last week we had about 60 drug reps in for training. I don't know how drug reps are in the real world, but in training classes, they're worse than teenagers. But not just any teenagers, the really obnoxious teenagers who think they're the shiz and can do no wrong. Absolutely no consideration for anyone beyond themselves, obsessed with their own appearance, and don't get me started on the sheer amount of cologne they bathe in each morning.

Then I have all the prep for NYCC coming up. That's been a lot of fun, but it's still taking up a lot of my time. Oh, and it's October, so that means it's time for my annual "I don't have a plot" freak out. *spastic flailing* Right on schedule.

And now I'm coming up on car troubles, so suffice it to say, cooking or baking anything too involved hasn't been too high on my to-do list.

Thankfully, this week's #SundaySupper theme of One-Pot Meals, hosted by Amy of kimchi MOM, has got my back. I think we can all agree that the absolute worst part of cooking is the cleaning, so the fewer dishes I have to wash means much less stress for me. And I could use less stress at the moment. *more spastic flailing*

My friend actually pointed me in the direction of this cake from Lucinda Scala Quinn, saying that it was her favorite chocolate cake recipe, and didn't even require a mixing bowl. Everything is whisked together in the pan you bake it in.

My only conundrum then was how to frost it. I could use my very favorite chocolate frosting recipe (which, fittingly, is Hershey's One Bowl Buttercream), but that would involve using a separate bowl and an electric mixer. I thought about maybe melting chocolate chips on top before taking it out of the oven. That's when I thought of using marshmallows. Nice, toasty marshmallows on top, all melty and gooey, who needs frosting?

Adding a couple crushed graham crackers (and some chocolate chips, because more chocolate is never wrong) makes a very simple, very easy, and very delicious s'mores cake.

The cake really is the star, though. It's so easy to make, and uses such basic ingredients, but you get this moist, tender, flavorful chocolate cake that tastes like you slaved over it all day. Then the graham crackers and toasted marshmallows on top give it a nice added texture and layer of flavor that complements the cake well.

This is some seriously good cake, people. And at only 10 minutes of hands on work, there's no excuse not to make it. Plus, if you sub in some vegetarian marshmallows, the cake is vegan. No eggs or dairy to be found.

Seriously, make this cake.

Busy-Day S'mores Cake
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
1½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 heaping tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. fine ground sea salt
6 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup cold water
8-12 graham crackers, roughly crushed
Approx. ½ cup mini marshmallows
Approx. ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with non stick foil or parchment paper. Sift the dry ingredients together directly into the pan. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Whisk together until well combined.

Bake for 35 minutes. Sprinkle the top with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate chips if using. Bake for another 5 minutes, until the marshmallows start to turn golden brown. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before cutting.

Note: The cake is easier to cut after it's completely cooled, or even chilled. However, the cake is gooey, messy deliciousness while still a bit warm. Your choice.

Recipe adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Today we're proving easy doesn't have to mean sacrificing quality. Check out the rest of the One Pot Meals from the #SundaySupper crew:

“Take the chill off” Chilis, Soups, and Starters

• Spicy Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Eggplant Parmesan Soup by The Texan New Yorker
• Cream of Tomato and Tortellini Soup by Noshing With The Nolands
• Chicken Tortilla Soup by What Smells So Good?
• Chicken Corn Chowder by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Spinach and Mushroom Tortellini Soup by Neighborfood
• Lasagna Soup by The ROXX Box
• Beefy Skillet Nacho Bake by The Weekend Gourmet
• German Onion Soup by Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• White Bean and Spinach Soup by Ruffles & Truffles
• Korean Oxtail Soup (Kkori Gomtang) by kimchi MOM
• Fall Squash Chili by Pescetarian Journal
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili by Alida's Kitchen

“Put meat on your bones” Stews

• Brew Stewed Beef by The Foodie Army Wife
• Dr. Pepper Shredded Chicken (slow cooker) by girlichef
• Pepper Beef Stew by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Slow Cooked Beef Stew with Red Wine, Carrots and Tomatoes by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Fabulous French Cassoulet by Webicurean
• Slowcooker Coq Au Vin by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Claypot Braised Tofu by My Trials in the Kitchen
• Moroccan Lentil Ragout with Poached Eggs by The Wimpy Vegetarian

“Make room for seconds” Main Dishes

• Slow Cooker Hawaiian Kalua Pork by Shockingly Delicious
• Chicken and Dumplings by Hip Foodie Mom
• Spicy Tomato Pasta by Supper for a Steal
• Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole by The Urban Mrs.
• Carnitas with Queso Fresco Enchiladas by Casa de Crews
• Slow Cooker Garlic and Herb Pork Chops and Veggies by Cookin' Mimi
• Jambalaya by Country Girl in the Village
• Easy Oven Sweet & Sour Chicken by Momma's Meals
• Asian Chicken Rice Pot by a distinguished palate
• Quick One Pot Red Beans and Rice by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Sweet & Sour Vegetarian Stir Fry by Foxes Love Lemons
• One-Pot Lentil Chicken by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Beef and Quince Tajine by MarocMama
• Slow-Cooked Italian Beef Sandwiches by Juanita's Cocina
• Sunday Supper Pork and Chorizo by Family Foodie
• Mediterranean Chicken Bake by The Dinner-Mom
• Easy Chorizo, Corn and Potatoes by Mama's Blissful Bites
• Crockpot Roasted Corn, Tomato and Broccoli Risotto by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Quick 'n Easy Asian-Style Quinoa by NinjaBaking.com
• Pan-fried Chicken with Bacon and Asparagus by Food Lust People Love
• Vegetarian Chipotle Tamale Pie by Curious Cuisiniere
• Turkey Sausage and Noodle Pesto by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• One Pot Coconut Rice Shrimp Pilaf by Sue's Nutrition Buzzz
• One Pot Spicy Pasta by Mess Makes Food

“Can’t say no” Desserts

• Vegan Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Busy-Day S'mores Cake by Treats & Trinkets
• Mascarpone Pumpkin Cheesecake in the Microwave by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Spice Apple Crisp by Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos
• Flourless Almond Butter Cookies by Pies and Plots

Black Forest Icebox Cake

We've been having a heat wave over in New Jersey. It's been so hot, I haven't wanted to turn the oven on. And that's like, me not wanting to bake? Inconceivable!

(You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.)

But I had to satisfy my dessert-making cravings somehow, and since my ice cream maker was ousted from the freezer because of a lack of room, that meant ice cream was out of the question.

So what's a girl to do but make her most favoritest no-bake treat in the whole wide world? That's right, it's time for icebox cakes!!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Kermit flail*

(Sometimes I worry about how much I love these things. Then I make one and worry about how little I loved them before.)

I've been playing around with the idea for a Black Forest icebox cake for a while. After all, what is Black Forest Cake, but chocolate cake, cherry filling, and whipped cream? Replace the chocolate cake with chocolate cookies, stick it in the refrigerator for a few hours, and you have an icebox cake. I haven't made it before now because I kept forgetting to buy canned cherries (easier to make a filling with, and fresh cherries don't last long enough in my house to make something with) (you could use cherry pie filling, but the canned stuff is too bright and tastes artificial, and as for making my own, see the previous parenthetical comment.)

Normally I go to the park or take a walk or sit outside and read on my lunch break, but it was way too hot for any of that this past week. And since there is a grocery store a short drive from my office, what better way to spend the time than buying ingredients for an icebox cake?

I have to say, though, that grocery store is big and clean and nice and has a great salad/hot food bar, and all sorts of organic and specialty diet options, so it totally lulled me into thinking that it would have a great selection for scratch cooks.

It does not. It is a grocery store for hipsters who like to pretend to be all gourmet and up on foodie trends and eco-friendly, but don't actually like to cook. The baking aisle is so limited (mostly mixes, to be honest), and they didn't even carry unflavored gelatin until recently. Nor could I find plain chocolate wafer cookies. They had Oreos and off-brand Oreos galore (though not much in the way of other cookies), but not plain wafers. What is up with that?

I ended up getting chocolate graham crackers. Those, at least, they had, and I did not fancy baking my own or scraping the filling out of the Oreos. And I ended up really liking the graham crackers. I think the chocolate ones taste more cake-like after softening than the regular grahams, too.

I also added a little red wine to the cherries, because the cherries are traditionally soaked in kirsch for Black Forest cake. I do not have kirsch, but I had a bottle of Malbec with only a little bit left in it. This was a last minute decision, and totally optional

There's no point to ganache if you don't let it drip down the sides.

And because I'm fancy, I poured some ganache on top. And then I let the rest set, whipped it, and piped ganache rosettes, so the cherries on top would have little chocolate thrones. And ended up with the PRETTIEST CAKE EVAAAAAAA!

And tastiest. Because you can't go wrong with cherries, chocolate, and whipped cream. And you can NEVER go wrong with an icebox cake. Word.

Black Forest Icebox Cake
Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients
For the cherry filling:
1 (15 oz.) can sweet cherries in heavy syrup
1/4 cup fruity red wine (optional)*
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. sugar

For the cake:
1½ cups whipping cream, chilled
1½ tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
1 box chocolate graham crackers or chocolate wafer cookies

For the ganache:
6 oz. milk chocolate, chopped**
6 oz. heavy cream

Chocolate sprinkles, and more cherries, for decorating

Directions
Prepare the filling: Dice the cherries into quarters. Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Heat on low, mixing until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Continue to heat until the mixture is thickened and can coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Prepare the cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters, whip together the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread some of the whipped cream evenly in the bottom of the loaf pan, about ¼ inch thick. Place a row of graham crackers over the whipped cream, filling as much space as possible. Spread a layer of cherry filling on top. Top with another layer of graham crackers and spread with more whipped cream. Repeat, alternating between the cherry filling and whipped cream until the top of the loaf pan is reached, ending with the whipped cream. Refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight.

Prepare the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-sized mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over low until boiling, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Assemble: Invert the loaf pan over a serving dish to release the cake (it should pop right out). Frost the sides with the remaining whipped cream, decorate with sprinkles, if desired, and pour about 1/2-2/3 of the ganache on top. Allow the remaining ganache to come to room temperature (it seem solid), then whip on high with an electric beater. Pipe the whipped ganache on top of the cake in rosettes, then top with more cherries. Serve chilled.

Tip: You can also make a freeform cake. Just line the serving dish with graham crackers and layer from there.

*Traditionally, the cherries for Black Forest Cake are soaked in kirsch. I did not have any, so I used wine instead. Feel free to skip.

**I originally used bittersweet chocolate, but it overpowered the cake. Milk chocolate has a much milder flavor. However, feel free to use your favorite

Recipe by Kim

This recipe is featured on Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party

Cannoli Cream Icebox Cake

Benedict Cumberbatch did not win a Golden Globe. >_<

No, I am not over it yet. I will never be over it. Because I believe in Sherlock Holmes.

Source

Oh, the trials and tribulations of being a fangirl. And they still haven't started filming the third series, but I heard a rumor about March.

So after the epic let down of Benedict not winning a Golden Globe-- which he totally deserved, Hollywood Foreign Press. Have you even seen The Reichenbach Fall?-- I needed the comfort of icebox cake. Because icebox cake is the ultimate comfort food. The texture of the softened graham crackers, and the real cream, and the thousand different flavors you can incorporate makes it perfect to soothe you when awards shows make mistakes. *grumble*

I decided to do a cannoli icebox cake, because I had all the ingredients on hand, and it sounded like a good idea at the time. I just adapted my Pumpkin Pie Icebox Cake recipe, and like in that recipe, the cream is very light in flavor and texture. I thought about just slathering cannoli cream in between the graham crackers, but I like the whipped texture, and it's covering the graininess that ricotta can give the cream

I also put regular chocolate chips in the cream instead of listening to my instincts and using minis, which made the layering a little more difficult than is should. The cream layers were so thick that the cake ended up being a little unstable. Hahaha, whoops. Still, it tasted good. And my cannoli-loving family gave it their seal of approval

So, Benedict, if you're still smarting from Sunday, here's a recipe that'll make you feel better. And if you don't want to make it, you can always come over so I can give you a slice. But only if you tell me how Sherlock survives. Deal?

Cannoli Cream Icebox Cake {Printable Version}

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients
1 cup boiling water
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. (1 packet) unflavored gelatin
1½ cups ricotta cheese
½ cup (4oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange zest
¼ tsp. almond extract
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Approx. 1 box graham crackers*
Crushed ice cream cones and candied citrus peel for decorating (optional)

Directions
Prepare the filling: whisk the boiling water, ½ cup sugar, and gelatin together until the sugar and gelatin are completely dissolved. Set aside. With an electric beater, beat the ricotta, cream cheese, zest, vanilla and almond extract together at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and carefully stream in the gelatin mixture. Beat until completely mixed, cover, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, until thickened. Meanwhile, whip the cream and remaining 2 tbsp. sugar at high speed until soft peaks form. Carefully fold the whipped cream and chocolate chips thickened ricotta mixture.

Assemble the cake: line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread the filling evenly in the bottom of the loaf pan, about ¼ inch thick. Place a row of graham crackers on top, filling as much space as possible. Top with another layer of graham crackers and spread with filling. Repeat until the top of the loaf pan is reached, ending with the filling. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

To serve: invert the loaf pan over a serving dish to release the cake (it should pop right out). Frost the
sides with the remaining filling. If desired, top with crushed ice cream cones and candied citrus peel.
Serve chilled.

Tip: You can also make a freeform cake. Just line the serving dish with graham crackers and layer from there.

*Almond cookies would also work well

Recipe by Kim

Source

I could stare at that gif all day long. I think I have a problem...

This recipe is featured on Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party

Chocolate Peppermint Icebox Cake

Urgh, you guys. I should know better by now. Me and planning, we will never get along. Ever. We will be mortal enemies. One day there will be an epic battle, and only one of us will survive. With light sabers.

Can you tell I had a bout of insomnia last night?

I think planning is gunning for me. Loading the deck. Everyone tells me, try it out, it'll make things easier on you, you won't have to do everything last minute. But then I try. And it's not easier. It's never easier. It just screws me up and ends up taking more time, and now I'm frustrated because it didn't work and I hate myself and I just make another icebox cake. Because icebox cakes are cool. And next to impossible to screw up. I know. I've tried.

This isn't exactly the prettiest icebox cake I've ever made. And it's a bit...tilty. You see, I screwed up making the ganache, and I tried (read: planned) to do something funky with the graham crackers and it didn't work. No more planning for this girl, nuh-uh. So I came out with a cake that's a bit wonky because I had to manhandle it out of one container into another, and I didn't have enough whipped cream, because I screwed up the ganache. So it's not quite right, doesn't have that half-melted ice cream cake texture.

And while I was making it, I realized I totally screwed up when giving you the recipe for red velvet graham crackers. I never put down the cocoa powder. D'oh. So I fixed that up and tweaked it a little bit further for you. Because I never make a recipe the same way twice. That would be boring.

For some reason unknown to man, I had Reddi whip in my fridge, so I tried to distract you by doing a cute swirl on top, with a peppermint kiss and some Christmas-y sprinkles. But the Reddi whip started melting 30 seconds out of the can. The one time I actually want to use that fake stuff, and it completely lets me down. My life is this.

But, it's all Christmas-y and yummy and (if you do as I say and not as I did) pretty. So, I guess we can call it a success?

And don't forget to enter my giveaway! Only 2 days left to enter to win the cutest apron in the entirety of existence or a surprise box of awesome.

Planning, you better watch your back. Because I been training up my light saber skills. Zwong! (That's kind of like the noise it makes, right? Zwong, zwong. You can totally hear it, can't you? Maybe I should just stick to laser guns. Pew pew pew!)

Chocolate Peppermint Icebox Cake {Printable Version}
Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream, divided
3 oz. white chocolate, chopped
½ tsp. peppermint extract
1 recipe Red Velvet Graham Crackers (or 1 box chocolate graham crackers/wafer cookies)

Directions
In a small saucepan over low heat, heat ½ cup heavy cream just until the edges start to bubble. Remove
from heat, add the chocolate, and stir until completely melted. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Add the remaining cream and the peppermint extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. With the whisk
attachment, beat the cream at high speed until soft peaks begin to form. Add in the chocolate mixture
and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread some of the whipped cream evenly in the bottom of the loaf
pan, about ¼ inch thick. Place a row of graham crackers over the whipped cream, filling as much space
as possible. Spread more of the whipped cream, and top with more graham crackers. Repeat until the
top of the loaf pan is reached, ending with the whipped cream. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

To serve: invert the loaf pan over a serving dish to release the cake (it should pop right out). Frost the
sides with the remaining whipped cream. Serve chilled.

Recipe by Kim

Zwong!

Pumpkin Pie Icebox Cake

Despite the fact that this is the time of year for pumpkin flavored everything, I've never actually been the hugest fan of pumpkin anything. Pumpkin bread is okay, but I'd much rather some banana. Pumpkin pie never appealed, and pumpkin cheesecake... ick (although to be fair, that's the reaction any cheesecake gets from me).

But Kim, you're saying, I am a diligent reader and I read the title of your post. The words pumpkin and pie are very clearly there and meant to be said together.

That is very true, diligent reader. And there is not only pumpkin, but cream cheese in the recipe.

So, you say confused, it's like a pumpkin cheesecake? But you just said...

I know what I just said. I wrote it after all. This isn't the final week of NaNoWriMo where I'm writing so much so fast that I don't remember writing half of it. This is October which means holycrapNaNoWriMoislessthenamonthawayandIdon'thaveaplotandIhavetodotheblogtooandmakeChristmaspresentsand....

*Deep breath*

Phew, okay. Sorry about that. Minor freak out, nothing to be worried about. (they'll be a lot worse in November).

Anyway, I was in a no-bake mood, and decided to go with my newest favorite dessert in the entire world, the icebox cake. Now, I waxed eloquent about how much I love these suckers the last time I made one, and I had a Costco box of graham crackers left over from Sunday S'mores, so this was a bit of a no-brainer. The only question was the flavor. Pumpkin was the next logical step because, well, 'tis the season and all.

The next question was how to make it pumpkin. Pumpkin whipped cream, maybe, but I wanted something a little more stable than just pumpkin whipped into whipping cream. No-bake pumpkin cheesecake filling might work, but I didn't have enough cream cheese, and a lot of recipes called for instant pudding and cool whip. I don't have cool whip or instant pudding. I have heavy cream and unflavored gelatin. I realize that's the exact opposite problem that normal people have, but I'm not a normal person. I'm a foodie. This is a problem.

In the end, I solved my problem by doing a little bit of both. I took a little inspiration from a (plain) no-bake cheesecake recipe and a little from my chiffon pie. I subbed the pumpkin for the missing cream cheese, used the unflavored gelatin to stiffen it up, and folded in some whipped cream. In the end it was more like a cheesecake mousse, but super light in both texture and flavor.

I did end up liking it, much to my surprise. It's not my favorite, because it still uses flavors that I'm not the hugest fan of, but my mother assures me that she would have no trouble eating the entire cake. By herself. In one sitting.

This would also make an awesome pie filling. Just slap it into a graham cracker or cookie crumb crust, and call it a day. (Gingersnap anyone? Or maybe Biscoff?). There might even be enough for two. I don't know; I haven't tried it.

Here, try a bite.

I also made some dulce de leche to drizzle on top, but while being super yummy, it was too thick to drizzle. So I decided to be fancy and swirl it on top, but it wouldn't stick to the filling and ended up being a hot mess. So I covered the top of the cake with five million chocolate sprinkles. Sprinkles fix everything, don't you think?

Pumpkin Pie Icebox Cake {Printable Version}

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients
1 cup boiling water
½ cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. (1 packet) unflavored gelatin
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
Approx. 1 box graham crackers*

Directions
Prepare the filling: whisk the boiling water, ½ cup sugar, and gelatin together until the sugar and gelatin are completely dissolved. Set aside. With an electric beater, beat the cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla and spices together at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and carefully stream in the gelatin mixture. Beat until completely mixed, cover, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, until thickened. Meanwhile, whip the cream and remaining tbsp. sugar at high speed until soft peaks form. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the thickened pumpkin mixture.

Assemble the cake: line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread the filling evenly in the bottom of the loaf pan, about ¼ inch thick. Place a row of graham crackers on top, filling as much space as possible. Top with another layer of graham crackers and spread with filling. Repeat until the top of the loaf pan is reached, ending with the filling. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

To serve: invert the loaf pan over a serving dish to release the cake (it should pop right out). Frost the sides with the remaining filling. Serve chilled.

Tip: You can also make a freeform cake. Just line the serving dish with graham crackers and layer from there.

*Gingersnaps, Biscoff cookies, or chocolate wafers would also work well

Recipe by Kim

This recipe is featured on Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party.

Sunday S'mores: S'mores Cinnamon Rolls

We're almost to the end of Sunday S'mores, my friends. There are only two more after today. The last one is going to be September 2nd. I was going to end with the last Sunday in August, but September 2nd just happens to be my little cousin CC's first birthday party, and I'd be making something anyway, so I figured, why not do something s'mores-y and go out with a bang?

I have to admit, I will miss Sunday S'mores, even if I'm starting to feel a little s'mores'd-out. Apparently there are a billion and three ways that you can put together the traditional graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow combo, but I'm starting to have trouble coming up with new ways. *laughs*

So take the next few weeks to bid a fond adieu to Sunday S'mores. Maybe I'll come up with a new weekly series for fall. Any suggestions.

I had not actually planned to do S'mores cinnamon rolls when I started out this week's Sunday S'mores. I had planned on doing a S'mores roulade. But once again, planning and I proved why we never work well together. So I went hunting through the kitchen for inspiration and saw a can of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. I guess I was still in a kind of a roll mood, since that sounded like an excellent idea. So I decided on a graham-cracker roll, with a chocolate chip filling and a marshmallow drizzle.

I'm not gonna lie. Yeast doughs frighten me. But I have Max (my bread machine), so I just shove everything in him and set him on the dough cycle (that sounded terrible. Sorry Max!). I'm a wuss, what can I say? If you don't have a bread machine, just follow the mixing and kneading instructions from any reliable cinnamon roll or sweet dough recipe. I'm afraid I can't comment on that since I'm more of a scaredy-cat than Needy McSnuggles.

S'mores Cinnamon Rolls {Printable Version}
Yield: 15 cinnamon rolls
 
Ingredients
For the rolls
¾ cup warm water (approx. 110°F)
1 tbsp. instant or active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup finely crushed graham crackers
½ cup cinnamon sugar (or 1/3 cup sugar plus 2 tsp. cinnamon)
½ tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, softened

For the filling
2 tbsp. butter, softened
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Marshmallow topping and extra chocolate chips, to decorate

Directions
Prepare the dough: Add the yeast to the water and let activate for 10 minutes (skip this step if using
instant yeast). Add all the ingredients for the rolls to a bread machine and set on the dough cycle. When
finished, turn out onto a lightly floured service and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Roll the dough out
into a rectangle approximately 10x15”.

Prepare the filling: Spread the butter evenly over the dough. Combine the rest of the filling ingredients,
and sprinkle evenly over the dough.

Roll the dough into a log, starting from the long side of the rectangle, and pinch the edges to seal.
Grease a 9x13” baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Cut the log into 15 1” pieces and place in the
baking dish, leaving a little space between each piece. Cover lightly and let rise for 30 minutes or until
doubled. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 5-10
minutes. Drizzle with marshmallow topping and chocolate chips and serve warm.

Tip: To make your own marshmallow drizzle, heat marshmallow crème (Fluff) and a little bit of water in the microwave for a few seconds.

Recipe by Kim

Sunday S'mores: S'mores Icebox Cake

I'm worn out, you guys. It's the job, mostly. Long hours with hardly a break, mostly alone save for what often seems like the dregs of humanity that call in whining about how they need to speak to a live person and it's urgent and couldn't I just waste my time calling everyone until I find someone who answers? Or leave the phones and go see if that person's at their desk? Because it isn't like I answer the main line for a very large company or anything, and their's must be my most important call of all time.

Now they've got me whining too.

I vote we make weekends three days instead of two. Because it never seems like there's enough time in the weekend. I can relax and do stuff that I need to, but don't have time to do anything fun. I can relax and do something fun, but stuff I need to do gets put on the back burner. I can do something fun and stuff I need to, but I don't have anytime to relax. Three days would be perfect.

How pretty is this cake? I'm very proud.

So when Sunday S'mores time rolled around again, I knew it had to be something simple and fun to lift my spirits without wearing me down. I could have sworn that I had pinned a s'mores icebox cake on Pinterest, and that sounded like exactly what I needed. I'd never made an icebox cake before, so it would be fun to try, and from what I knew of them, they sure sounded easy enough.

So I went on my s'mores board... and it wasn't there. I had imagined it. So I did some research on icebox cakes and came up with my own. I made it in a loaf pan, since that seemed to be the most common method, but I also made a freeform one, in case the other didn't turn out.

Freeform version

I made some marshmallow whipped cream (although I could have used my toasted marshmallow mousse, I didn't feel much like heating the broiler) and my favorite fudge sauce recipe from Betty Crocker. I made my own sauce because I knew that this recipe was nice and thick (and I had all the ingredients on hand), but you could easily use jarred fudge sauce (which I didn't have on hand).

 As I said, I'd never made an icebox cake before. Nor had I eaten one. But now that I have done both, I'm completely astonished that everyone doesn't make them constantly. Graham crackers, whipped cream, and fudge sauce spend the night together in the refrigerator and somehow becomes cake. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about texture since the whole point of this cake is to make the graham crackers mushy, but it's a good mushy. Firm like a cake, but soft enough to slice. It reminds me a little of a half-melted ice cream cake.

The flavor is pretty much what you would expect. Graham crackers, fudge sauce, and marshmallow whipped cream (though I will admit that the marshmallow gets a little lost. Oh well, I was lazy).

I also topped it with some S'mores Sprinkles by Duff. I completely forgot I had those suckers until now, and they add a real nice sweet crunch.

So to sum up, icebox cakes are super yummy, super easy, no-bake, and only as complicated as you choose to make them. Seriously people, make more icebox cakes.

S'mores Icebox Cake {Printable Version}
Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients
1½ cups whipping cream, chilled
1 cup prepared marshmallow topping or crème (Fluff)
1½ tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
Approx. 2 sleeves of graham crackers (18 sheets or about 72 individual)
Fudge sauce
Sprinkles or crushed graham crackers, to decorate

Directions
Heat the marshmallow topping in the microwave for a few seconds, until it can be drizzled from a spoon.
Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters, whip together the
whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla on high speed until soft peaks form. Reserve about ½ cup of the
whipped cream and carefully fold the marshmallow topping into the remaining cream.

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread the reserved whipped cream evenly in the bottom of the loaf
pan, about ¼ inch thick. Place a row of graham crackers over the whipped cream, filling as much space
as possible. Heat the fudge sauce to spreadable consistency if necessary and spread a thin layer over the
graham crackers. Top with another layer of graham crackers and spread with the marshmallow whipped
cream. Repeat, alternating between the fudge sauce and whipped cream until the top of the loaf pan is
reached, ending with the whipped cream. Refrigerate overnight.

Invert the loaf pan over a serving dish to release the cake (it should pop right out). Frost the sides with
the remaining whipped cream, if desired, and drizzle with fudge sauce. Top with sprinkles or graham
cracker crumbs. Serve chilled.

Tip: You can also make a freeform cake. Just line the serving dish with graham crackers and layer from there (no need to reserve plain whipped cream).

Recipe by Kim

Pretty cake is pretty. XD