S'mores cake without oven

With these temperatures you have to take a lot of courage (or have a thermometer-proof pastry will) to face a lit oven. Even so, in order not to discourage those who resist depriving themselves of a succulent dessert despite the summer heat, today I bring you this S'mores Cake, a recipe that does not require an oven , but that will hardly find a rival among those that do.

The Anglo-Saxon term “ s'more” is a contraction of the expression “ some more” (“a little more”) and refers to a typical sweet of North American origin that consists of a marshmallow – or cloud or marshmallow – toasted directly on the fire from a campfire (it is very common on camping nights) and placed between two cookies and a chocolate bar, which also melts when it comes into contact with the heat of the semi-molten marshmallow . Come on, apparently one of these is not usually enough, so the operation is usually repeated over and over again until everyone is completely satisfied (or the marshmallows run out). And hence its name.

Despite the fact that this recipe is presented in the form of a cake, it maintains the basic principles and ingredients of traditional s'mores : biscuit, chocolate and melting marshmallows , this time in the form of a meringue, which ends, as the canons dictate, toasted over the fire (from the torch, of course). Of course, we will serve this cake cold, so success is guaranteed (as if after all the above there were still some doubts...). And since you never know, instead of preparing a single cake to serve it in portions, we can also opt for individual tartlets. In both cases, the ceramic molds for Le Creuset tarts are simply impeccable as well as precious, perfect for serving our creations directly to the table and without removing the mold (and in the case of individual tartlets, even to eat them in the same mold! ).

KitchenAid Artisan food processor , T&G wooden board and Le Creuset ceramic mold

Ingredients (for 1 large tart or 6 individual tarts)

All ingredients must be at room temperature, unless otherwise indicated .

For the crunchy cookie base:

• 250 g biscuits ( Digestive type), finely crushed
• 100g unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the chocolate filling:

• 400 g good quality dark chocolate (min. 50% cocoa)
• 350 ml of liquid whipping cream (min. 35% MG)
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the marshmallow meringue:

• 150g white sugar
• 80ml maple syrup
• 45ml water, cold
• 2 large egg whites (60-65 g approx.)
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)*
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

«1 tablespoon = 15 ml / 1 teaspoon = 5 ml«

Elaboration

From the crunchy biscuit base

1. In a large bowl , mix the biscuits, finely crushed, together with the melted butter until completely combined.
2. Next, we spread the previous mixture on the bottom and sides (up to the very edge) of a 24 cm diameter round cake mold (or divided between 6 11 cm diameter round molds if we are going to make individual desserts) - in both cases, I have used Le Creuset ceramic cake pans. With the help of a glass or the back of a spoon, we will press the biscuit base well against the mold so that it is as compact as possible without cracking.
3. Cover with transparent film and put in the freezer.

From the chocolate filling (ganache)

4. While the base of our cake settles, we cut the chocolate into small portions (the smaller the better) and reserve in a heat-resistant bowl.
5. In a medium saucepan , bring the liquid cream to a boil over medium heat.
6. Once it boils, we immediately pour the cream over the chopped chocolate, add the salt and let it rest without stirring for a couple of minutes.
7. With a spatula , gently stir until all the ingredients have been completely combined and the mixture has acquired a smooth, homogeneous and glossy texture. It is important to use gentle, enveloping movements and thus avoid incorporating air into the chocolate ganache so that bubbles do not form, as they would remain trapped inside as it solidifies.
8. We then remove the mold (or molds) with its crunchy biscuit base from the freezer, fill it with the previous mixture, smooth the surface with a spatula and now place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours if we have opted for a single cake (2 hours in the case of individual tartlets). In any case, if time permits, it is even better to let it refrigerate overnight.

From the marshmallow meringue

9. When the time to enjoy our S'mores cake approaches, we will begin to prepare the marshmallow meringue (this step can take about 20-25 minutes) . In a medium saucepan with a certain depth, place the sugar, maple syrup and water and combine with a few rods. We then bring to a boil over medium-high heat without stirring and without taking our eyes off it (the mixture will start to bubble and the bubbles will rise very quickly, so if we see that it can overflow, we will lower the heat) until we get a syrup at “soft ball” point, that is, at about 115-117ºC on a kitchen thermometer (which can take up to 10 minutes)**. When the syrup is around 100-110ºC, the increase in temperature will no longer be as fast as at the beginning, but it will continue to heat up little by little until we reach where we are interested, so be patient. Then remove from the heat and reserve while it warms up a bit. WARNING : All precaution is little when we make this type of mixtures with sugar at these temperatures, so be extremely careful to possible splashes.
10. Meanwhile, in a large bowl (it can be the bowl of our mixer, equipped with the beater accessory) add the egg whites and the cream of tartar (if we are going to use it) and begin to assemble them, initially at medium speed, until let them start to foam. We then increase to high speed and continue riding until they acquire a more compact consistency, but still soft.
11. Next, we began to incorporate the syrup that we had reserved (point 9) without stopping beating, now again at medium speed, progressively in a trickle directly on the whites (we will prevent the syrup from coming into contact with the bowl so that it does not harden).
12. Once all the syrup has been added, add the vanilla extract, increase the speed and continue to assemble the mixture until it reaches a firmer consistency (it should hold its shape without any problem when turning the bowl upside down). The outer surface of the bowl will still be warm to the touch.
13. Finally, we remove the tarts from the fridge and drop a generous amount of our marshmallow meringue (a lot, a lot of meringue!) over the already curdled chocolate filling and spread it very gently with circular movements with the help of a spatula or the back of a a spoon. If we feel a little more artistic, we can even use the pastry bag .
14. To finish, and just before serving, toast the surface of the meringue with a kitchen torch, and that's it!

It keeps refrigerated for about 3 days.

WMF stainless steel pot and Le Creuset ceramic mold

Grades

• *Cream of tartar is used to stabilize stiff egg whites so they stay firm without losing their volume over time. It is not essential, but it is very helpful. It can be replaced by a few drops of lemon juice.
• **If we do not have a kitchen thermometer, we can drop a few drops of the syrup after a few minutes into a glass of cold water. We will have achieved the point of "soft ball" or "soft ball" if we can shape them with the fingertips without them falling apart. If we had gone too hard (the syrup hardens very quickly), we can add a little more water to the mixture and try again until we find the right point.
• An ultra-quick alternative (although somewhat less interesting in my opinion) to the marshmallow meringue would be to skip this step directly and cover all the chocolate filling once set with marshmallows (white if possible) – for the single cake better if they are large; somewhat smaller if we opt for individual tarts, although this is already a personal matter. We would only have to lightly burn the surface of the clouds with the torch and that's it. I insist, the marshmallow meringue has no equal, but if the need arises...
• Marshmallow meringue is also sold ready-made (commonly known as “ fluff” ). The homemade version is by far preferable and especially this one that I propose, because instead of adding light corn syrup (which is the most common, but also much less healthy) I have opted for maple syrup, which although it provides a very subtle nuance of its characteristic flavor (delicious, in any case) is much more natural. The meringue can be kept in an airtight glass container, always refrigerated, up to a maximum of 2 weeks.
• To crush the cookies we can put them in a zip-lock bag and roll over them until they are completely broken. We can also chop them in a blender (always using short pulses to prevent a cookie dough from forming due to the heat) or even in a mortar.
• When it comes to mounting egg whites (always at room temperature), we must make sure that the utensils to be used – both the bowl and the rods – are perfectly free of any traces of fat or otherwise, it would be difficult for us to achieve our purpose.

In short, a very soft bite, loaded with flavor and full of textures each more irresistible. And you, will you be able to eat only one portion or will you want "a little more"?