This baked s’mores cheesecake brings the three essential campfire flavors into one make-ahead dessert: a compact graham cracker crust, a smooth chocolate cheesecake center, and marshmallows toasted just before serving. The method focuses on controlled mixing, gradual cooling, and a restrained ganache so each layer stays distinct.
What makes this s’mores cheesecake work
The graham cracker crust is baked before the filling goes in, helping it stay compact beneath the moist cheesecake. Dutch-process cocoa and melted semisweet chocolate provide rounded chocolate flavor, while sour cream keeps the filling from becoming excessively firm. The marshmallows are added only after the cheesecake has fully chilled, preserving their freshly toasted surface and keeping the graham garnish crisp.
Choose the right cream cheese and chocolate
Use full-fat brick cream cheese rather than whipped or spreadable cream cheese. The brick style provides the structure needed for clean slices. Semisweet chocolate around 55 to 65 percent cacao balances the sweet marshmallow topping without making the filling harsh or overly bitter.
How to prevent a lumpy or cracked filling
Bring the cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs to room temperature before mixing. Smooth the cream cheese before adding dry ingredients, then keep the mixer on low once the eggs enter. Excess air expands during baking and can contribute to a raised surface that falls or cracks as it cools.
The water bath moderates the heat around the springform pan. Doneness is determined by movement rather than time alone: the outer area should look set while the center moves as one soft, gelatin-like section instead of rippling like liquid.
Plan the cooling and chilling time
This is a make-ahead dessert, not a same-hour bake. Cool it gradually in the switched-off oven, finish cooling it at room temperature, and refrigerate it for at least five hours. Overnight chilling gives the filling more time to set and makes the final topping and slicing easier.
Torch versus broiler
A kitchen torch is preferred because it browns the marshmallows without reheating the chilled cheesecake. A broiler works, but the cheesecake must be unmolded first, kept several inches from the element, and watched continuously. Marshmallows can move from pale to burned within seconds.
Serving and make-ahead options
Bake and chill the plain cheesecake up to two days ahead, then add the ganache, marshmallows, and graham pieces on the day of serving. For another rich chocolate dessert, try the caramel brownie cheesecake. For a party dessert that does not require baking a full cake, the cheesecake ball recipe offers a different format. Readers who prefer a nostalgic chocolate bake can also explore these cosmic brownies.
S’mores Cheesecake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan About 3 inches deep
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil Two wide layers for the water bath
- Large roasting pan Deep enough to hold the springform pan
- Stand mixer or hand mixer Use low speed after adding eggs
- Heatproof bowl For melting chocolate and making ganache
- Fine-mesh sieve For the cocoa powder
- Wire rack
- Kitchen torch Preferred for browning marshmallows
- Long thin knife For clean slices
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs Finely crushed; about 14 full sheets
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter Melted
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt Omit only if using salted butter
Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate Finely chopped; about 55–65% cacao
- 24 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese Softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder Sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream At room temperature
- 3 large eggs At room temperature and lightly beaten
Toasted Marshmallow and Ganache Topping
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate Finely chopped; about 55–65% cacao
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 12 large marshmallows Cut in half crosswise
- 2 full sheets graham crackers Broken into irregular bite-size pieces
Instructions
S’mores Cheesecake
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly grease the inside of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside bottom and sides in two wide, overlapping layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil, keeping all seams above the eventual water line.
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, and salt until every crumb is evenly moistened. Press firmly and evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the crust smells toasted and its surface looks dry. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Place the 6 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate in a dry heatproof bowl. Melt it over barely simmering water, or in short microwave intervals, stirring until smooth. Let it cool until fluid but no longer hot.
- Beat the softened cream cheese on low to medium-low speed until smooth, scraping the bowl thoroughly. Mix in the sugar, sifted cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla until uniformly dark with no visible cocoa pockets. Add the sour cream and cooled melted chocolate, then mix on low only until evenly combined.
- With the mixer on its lowest speed, add the lightly beaten eggs in three additions. Stop mixing as soon as no yellow streaks remain. Scrape the bowl and fold the filling several times by hand to check the bottom and sides.
- Pour the filling over the crust and smooth the surface. Place the springform pan inside the roasting pan. Add enough very hot water to reach about halfway up the outside of the springform pan. Bake at 325°F for 60–70 minutes. The cheesecake is ready when the outer 2–3 inches are set while the center moves together as one soft area and does not ripple like liquid.
- Turn off the oven, crack the door open about 1 inch, and leave the cheesecake in the water bath for 1 hour. Remove the springform pan from the water, discard the foil, and place it on a wire rack. Run a thin knife around the upper edge only if the cheesecake is visibly attached to the pan. Cool to room temperature for about 1 hour.
- Cover the pan without touching the cheesecake surface and refrigerate for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight. Do not add the marshmallows before this chilling period.
- Place the 4 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream just until steaming, pour it over the chocolate, and leave it undisturbed for 2 minutes. Stir from the center outward until smooth. Remove the chilled cheesecake from the pan. Spread or drizzle the ganache over the top, leaving part of the cheesecake visible near the edge. Arrange the marshmallow halves cut-side down over the ganache. Toast them evenly with a kitchen torch until golden brown with a few darker spots. For the broiler alternative, place the unmolded cheesecake on a rimmed baking sheet 6–8 inches below the element and watch continuously.
- Add the broken graham cracker pieces after torching so they remain crisp. Let the finished cheesecake stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Dip a long thin knife in hot water, wipe it dry, and clean it between every cut.
Notes
Nutrition
A brief history of the s’more
The earliest documented recipe appeared as “Some More” in the 1927 Girl Scout handbook Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts, according to the Smithsonian. S’mores cheesecake is a modern American adaptation that transfers the familiar graham cracker, chocolate, and toasted marshmallow combination into a baked cheesecake format.