S’mores Cheesecake- No Campfire Needed!

This S’mores Cheesecake has a graham cracker crust, toasted marshmallow cheesecake filling, and is topped with rich chocolate. This is a camping recipe that’s indoor friendly. That’s because I don’t do “camping”. Bugs and I don’t get along. I also don’t like poisonous plants or the outside for that matter. I don’t like any of it. Let me be great inside. A s’mores cheesecake is my way of bringing the great outdoors inside. Because it contains all of the elements one wants from s’mores (without the open flame and mess), I actually think it’s the better option. 

What are S’mores?

S’mores are a campfire dessert of marshmallows, toasted over the campfire before being sandwiched between two graham cracker squares topped with squares of chocolate bars. Squeeze the molten marshmallow between the crackers and, as a result of the pressure and heat, the chocolate is melted. And you also have a gooey mess of sugar in the palm of your hand. 

S’mores are messy. You have to start a fire to make them. Inevitably someone ends up crying because they burned their marshmallow to a crisp. They’re easy, yes, but there’s always some drama involved.  

What ingredients do I need to make S’mores Cheesecake?

The ingredients for the base, or graham cracker crust, are graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted unsalted butter.

To make a s’mores cheesecake, you need cream cheese that’s soft. I set my bricks of cream cheese out on the counter the evening before I plan to bake. Yes, they’re fine after being stored at room temperature that long. You need sugar, sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla extract, cornstarch and jumbo marshmallows, as well.

To make the ganache topping you only need heavy cream and semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

Because this is a pretty decadent cheesecake you can forgo topping it with more stuff if you want to. I don’t believe in food guilt, so I do it up. Top your cheesecake with marshmallows, graham crackers and broken chocolate bars. Or, you can pipe swiss meringue and torch it as I have done. In addition to the swiss meringue rosettes, I still topped it with more grahams and chocolate too. Don’t do this if you don’t plan to finish the cheesecake in one sitting, though. I’ll explain why later. 

Time to bake!

How do I make a cheesecake crust?

First, you need to make and bake the graham cracker crust. Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the graham crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until the mixture clumps together when squeezed in your hand. Dump the mixture into a 9″ springform pan. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan- just use a measuring cup to do this. Once the bottom crust is formed, press the crust mixture up the sides of the pan to create a 1/2″ high side crust.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Once the crust is done baking, pull it from the oven and allow it to cool on the countertop. After the pan is cool enough to handle, wrap the bottom and sides in two layers of aluminum foil. Set the crust aside while you prepare the toasted marshmallow cheesecake batter. 

How do I toast marshmallows in the oven?

First, arrange the marshmallows on a lightly-greased sheet pan. Marshmallows are inherently sticky, so you need something that will release them from the pan after toasting them. After you blend the cream cheese and eggs together, you’re going to pop the pan into the oven to start toasting the mallows. 

How do I make a s’mores cheesecake batter?

Use a hand mixer (on high) to blend the cream cheese and granulated sugar together until the cheese is light and fluffy.

Now’s when you’re going to put the marshmallow pan into the oven: before you begin adding the eggs.

Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs to the cheese mixture, one at a time, blending in on medium speed. Blend the batter well after adding each egg. Mix in the sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla extract now as well. 

Scrape down the bowl and go grab the marshmallows out of the oven.

The marshmallows shouldn’t be too brown, but shouldn’t be lighter than this, either. Here comes the dramatic part: adding the warm marshmallows to the batter. Don’t jack the mixer speed up to the highest setting. If you do that, the marshmallows will climb up the beaters and chaos will ensue.

Don’t ask me how I know. 

Begin on the lowest speed and gradually blend in the marshmallows. If they climb onto the beaters, stop the mixer and use your rubber spatula to scrape them back into the batter. Blend on low speed until they are incorporated. It’s okay if you have small lumps in the batter. More than likely, that’s the result of the crisp brown edges of the marshmallows. They will melt into yumminess during baking. 

Finally, add the cornstarch and blend on low speed just until it’s mixed in. 

Bake the s’mores cheesecake

Pour the marshmallow cheesecake batter into the pan with the prepared crust, then set the foil wrapped pan into a larger pan. Fill the outer pan with boiling water to create a water-bath and carefully place the pan into the preheated oven.

Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check the cheesecake after 45 minutes. If the top looks golden brown, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over it- don’t press it onto the surface- to stop it from browning too much as it continues baking. 

After baking, turn the oven off and prop open the door an inch or two. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for one hour. After an hour of cooling in the oven, remove the pan. Remove the cheesecake pan from the water bath and unwrap the foil from the sides. Allow the cheesecake to cool on the countertop for 30 minutes, then wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 5-6 hours or overnight. 

How do I make chocolate ganache for topping cheesecake?

About an hour before you’re ready to dig in, prepare the chocolate ganache topping. I’m a Guittard fan, but you can use your favorite chocolate for this. Just make sure it’s a high-quality brand. 

Heat the cream until it’s steaming. Pour the cream over the chocolate in a mixing bowl and whisk until the chocolate melts. The ganache should be smooth and lump-free. Let the ganache cool for 5 minutes prior to pouring. When cool, the ganache doesn’t flow as wildly as it does when piping hot. 

Once you’re ready to top the s’mores cheesecake, remove the collar from the springform pan. Spread the ganache over the surface of the cold cheesecake using an offset spatula. The ganache is going to harden when it cools, so work somewhat fast. 

How do I decorate a S’mores Cheesecake?

Since all of the components for s’mores are here already, you don’t even need to decorate it. 

But, if you’re extra like me, you will want to. Top the cheesecake with regular (or jumbo) marshmallows, graham cracker segments and broken milk chocolate bars. Or, you could pipe rosettes of swiss meringue and top with the latter two. You could even create mini s’mores, put them on toothpicks and have them jutting up from the cake. You could even top the cheesecake with an entire layer of marshmallows and toast them with a butane torch! I’m just brimming with ideas. 

How do I store a decorated cheesecake?

Since you want to keep the decorations looking beautiful, don’t wrap the top. If you’ve decorated it with swiss meringue, be aware that it’s going to weep after it’s refrigerated. Consequently, I don’t recommend going the swiss meringue route if you can’t kill this cheesecake in one sitting. 

If you top it with the marshmallows, feel free to store it in the fridge. Be sure to press a piece of wax paper against any exposed inner surfaces of the cheesecake (after you’ve cut it). It prevents the cheesecake from getting gunky. 

How long can I store my cheesecake? 

Cheesecakes are best if eaten within 3 days of baking. 

I found a piece of cheesecake squirreled away in the fridge yesterday (day 3). It belonged to someone in this family, but I sure as hell ate it. 

Can you freeze cheesecake?

You actually can freeze cheesecake. I would do so after baking, but prior to topping it with the ganache. Wrap the refrigerated cheesecake in a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze it for 2 months or less. When you’re ready to serve it, thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours and top with the ganache as instructed. 

We clearly don’t need to battle ticks and wild bears to enjoy a bit of the great outdoors. This S’mores Cheesecake proves it. 

Pin this recipe for your next indoor camping trip and share it with your world. 

*this post was originally published in 2017. I’ve updated it with new images and instructions*

S'mores Cheesecake

Marta Rivera at Sense & Edibility

5 from 77 votes

Who needs campfires, stale graham crackers and the all-too-common singed marshmallows, when this is begging to be prepared and devoured? 

Servings: 10 servings

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

cooling and chilling times 6 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Equipment

• 9" springform pan

Ingredients

  

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Graham Cracker Crust

• 2 cups (242g) graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons (30g) sugar
• 1/2 stick (57g) unsalted butter melted

Cheesecake Filling

• 10 jumbo (200g) marshmallows or 10oz (284g bag of regular marshmallows)
• 4 8 ounce packages (904g) cream cheese room temperature
• 1 cup (203g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 1/2 cup (115g) sour cream room temperature
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (19g) cornstarch

Chocolate Ganache Topping

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup (175g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional Toppings

• marshmallows
• graham cracker squares
• milk chocolate bar squares
• swiss meringue rosettes

Instructions 

Mix and Bake the Graham Cracker Crust

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• In a mixing bowl, stir together the graham crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. The mixture should hold together when squeezed in your hand.

  If the crust oozes butter, add more graham crumbs to dry it out. If it falls apart in your hand add a little more melted butter until it holds its shape.
• Dump the crust mixture into a 9" springform pan.

  Use a measuring cup to press the crumbs into the bottom, and up the sides, of the pan to form a crust.
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

  Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool on the countertop. After the pan is cool enough to handle, wrap the bottom and sides in two layers of aluminum foil.

  Set the pan aside. 

Prepare the Toasted Marshmallow Cheesecake

• Arrange the marshmallows on a lightly-greased sheet pan.

  You'll start toasting them just before mixing the eggs into the cheesecake batter. 
• In a large mixing bowl, with your mixer on high, blend the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and salt together until the cheese is light and fluffy.
• Put the marshmallow pan into the oven (before you begin adding the eggs) to toast. The marshmallows will brown in about 5 minutes, so keep an eye on them.
• Scrape down the mixing bowl and add the eggs to the cheese mixture, one at a time, blending them in on medium speed.

  Blend the batter well and scrape down bowl and beaters after adding each egg.

  Mix in the sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla extract until the mix is smooth. 
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually blend in the toasted marshmallows until they are incorporated. If they climb onto the beaters, stop the mixer and use your rubber spatula to scrape them back into the batter.

  It's okay if you have small lumps in the batter. More than likely, that's the result of the crisp brown edges of the marshmallows.
• Finally, add the cornstarch and blend on low speed just until it's mixed into the batter. 
• Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust, then set the foil wrapped pan into a larger pan. Fill the outer pan with boiling water to create a water-bath and carefully place the pan into the preheated oven.
• Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check the cheesecake after 45 minutes. If the top looks golden brown, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over it-but don't press it onto the surface- to stop it from browning too much as it continues baking. 
• After baking, turn the oven off and prop open the door an inch or two. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for one hour.

  After an hour of cooling in the oven, remove the pan. Remove the cheesecake pan from the water bath and unwrap the foil from the sides. Allow the cheesecake to cool on the countertop for 30 minutes, then wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 5-6 hours or overnight. 

Make the Chocolate Ganache Topping

• About an hour before you're ready to serve the cheesecake, prepare the chocolate ganache topping.

  Heat the cream until it's steaming. Pour the cream over the chocolate in a mixing bowl and whisk until the chocolate melts and no lumps remain.

  Allow the ganache to cool for 5 minutes prior to pouring.

Finish the S'mores Cheesecake

• When you're ready to top the s'mores cheesecake, remove the collar from the springform pan.

  Spread the ganache over the surface of the cold cheesecake using an offset spatula. The ganache is going to harden when it cools, so work somewhat fast. 
• Decorate the cheesecake with more marshmallows, graham cracker segments, and broken milk chocolate bars.

  Likewise, you can pipe rosettes of swiss meringue and top with the latter two. If you do choose to decorate it with swiss meringue, don't refrigerate the cake after doing so or the meringue will weep.
• Enjoy your S'mores Cheesecake within 3 days of baking it.

Notes

Successful Storage Tips: 

• After cutting the cheesecake, press a piece of wax paper against any exposed inner surfaces. It prevents the cheesecake from getting gunky.
• Cheesecakes are best if eaten within 3 days of baking. 
• To freeze your cheesecake: prior to topping it with the ganache, wrap the refrigerated cheesecake in a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze it for 2 months or less. When you're ready to serve it, thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours and top with the ganache as instructed. 

Nutrition

Calories: 571kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 8gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 478mgPotassium: 276mgFiber: 4gSugar: 47gVitamin A: 461IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 4mg

Course Sweets

Cuisine North American

Keyword cheesecake, dessert, s'mores

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