A healthy (ish!) vegan s’mores cake made with an oat, nut, and maple crust and a gooey, fudgey chocolate cake interior, topped with perfectly browned vegan marshmallows and melty dark chocolate.
You might be wondering why I’m choosing to share this obviously NOT Whole 30, paleo, keto, clean eating, or *insert fad diet here* recipe right after holidays. Allow me to explain!
Those of you who have been following me long enough know that I don’t believe in dieting at any time of the year. My food philosophy is that eating should be joyful, stress-free, and, above all, FUN. Sharing this dessert recipe, at a time when the wellness industry is telling you to cut out sugar, is my way of encouraging you to do what feels and tastes right.
If you enjoy dessert, you can keep on eating it right through January and beyond. I think a lot of people are missing sweetness in their lives these days, and I think one way you can add more joy into your life is by sitting around the table and eating dessert with people you love. It’s okay if you disagree- it’s just my opinion!
If there is one dessert that is synonymous with fun, it’s s’mores. So many of my favourite childhood memories involved s’mores: summer camping trips cozied up around the fire, roasting marshmallows until perfectly browned and layering them with a few squares of chocolate between a couple of graham crackers. Winter school cross country ski trips in Fitzroy Provincial Park, highlighted by the post-ski treat of choice, s’mores. Even at home, s’mores were always a favourite weeknight dessert.
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I wanted to channel my love of s’mores in this vegan s’mores cake. I’ve put a decidedly grown-up spin on a childhood favourite–though kids will still love it!
In place of graham crackers, I created a simple pecan, oat, maple, and coconut oil press-in crust. This crust gets parbaked before the chocolate fudge cake layer is added. Finally, the cake is topped off with an irresistible layer of vegan marshmallows (I use Dandies) and dark chocolate before being baked into gooey, fudgey oblivion.
You can enjoy the cake fresh out of the oven (as in the photos), or you can wait for it to firm up a bit. I find this cake to be quite rich and sweet, so a little bit goes a long way. It’s perfect with a cup of coffee- the coffee is a nice bitter contrast to the sweetness of the cake.
However you choose to enjoy it, I hope that this vegan s’mores cake is as much of a hit in your household as it is in mine. If you make it, feel free to leave a comment with a rating below the post, and share a photo to Instagram using @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing your delicious recreations, and I’ll share your creations for everyone to see in my stories.
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Vegan S'mores Cake
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
Description
A healthy (ish!) vegan s’mores cake made with a nut, oat, maple base and a gooey, fudgey chocolate cake interior, topped with marshmallows and chocolate. It’s irresistible!
Ingredients
CRUST:
- ⅔ cup raw pecan halves
- ⅔ cup rolled oats
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- Pinch of fine sea salt
CAKE:
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp water)
- 3 tbsp virgin coconut oil, softened
- 3 tbsp sunflower seed butter
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened plant milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups oat flour (can be swapped for 1 cup light spelt flour and ½ cup oat flour)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 100 grams roughly chopped dark chocolate (55 percent cacao or higher)
- ¾ cup mini vegan marshmallows (I use Dandies brand)
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 8×8-inch square baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare the crust: Place the pecan halves, oats, maple syrup, coconut oil, and salt in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and pulse until the mixture is crumbly and holds together somewhat.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and press down into an even layer with your fingers. The more firmly you press it down, the better it will stay together. Bake crust for 8 minutes and set aside.
- Prepare the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the prepared flax egg, softened coconut oil, sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the spelt flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Stir in 50 grams of the chopped dark chocolate.
- Pour the cake batter over top of the pre-baked crust. Add the marshmallows and the remaining 50 grams of chocolate on top, lightly pressing down into the batter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the marshmallows are perfectly browned. Watch closely, as ovens vary in heat intensity: you don’t want the marshmallows to burn!
- Remove from the oven and enjoy it in its warm, gooey glory, or wait for it to cool. I’m not here to judge!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan
Lastly, I apologize for being less consistent with my posting schedule this past week than I had been leading up to the holidays. I was hit by another nasty cold right after my birthday, so my priority has been on getting well again. It’s a good lesson from the universe to treat myself with more respect–I’m learning that rest is a non-negotiable!
Have a great weekend, all. I’ll be back soon with a comforting winter soup recipe. ‘Til then, eat cake and be well.
Joanne says
A healthy, delicious, comfort dessert. I love chocolate and marshmallows too!
Lee says
I love s’mores, and I love this s’mores cake! So sweet and sinful.
Priss says
Hi,
Can I use cocoa instead?
Allison says
Yes, absolutely! I meant cocoa by “cocoa powder.” 🙂 I hope you enjoy this cake.