An indulgent mashup of two American favorites—cheesecake and s’mores—this S’mores Cheesecake with Bailey’s Irish Cream Hot Fudge is both easy and fun to make.
In college, after a difficult breakup, I threw myself into baking and bookmarked dozens of recipes. One I couldn’t forget was a S’mores Cheesecake. For years I tried to gather the ingredients, but something always got left behind. When I started this blog I finally set out to recreate that memorable dessert using what I could recall—and adding my own touches.
The original version I remembered didn’t include a hot fudge sauce—just pieces of melted chocolate. I decided to use a rich Bailey’s Irish Cream hot fudge to deepen the flavor, though plain melted chocolate or regular hot fudge works well if you’re serving kids.
I also like a hint of cinnamon in my s’mores; it rounds out the flavors and lifts the whole dessert. A small amount in the crust makes a subtle but noticeable difference.
This cheesecake is delicious with regular marshmallows, but I’ve found vegan marshmallows hold their flavor nicely inside the cake. Because the marshmallow topping is a star, I keep the chocolate light—just a drizzle of hot fudge and a few mini chocolate pieces—so the toasted marshmallows can shine.
The toasted marshmallow topping is the best part: perfectly browned marshmallows bring the s’mores flavor to life. If you’re short on marshmallows, you can skip folding them into the batter and reserve them all for the top.
Short on time? Pin this recipe for later and come back when you can give it the attention it deserves.
Recipe Card
S’Mores Cheesecake with Bailey’s Irish Cream Hot Fudge
Ingredients
- 1 box (about 3 packages) honey graham crackers
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, plus an additional ½ cup (100 g) divided
- ¼ cup (50 g) packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup (86 g) melted butter
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 16 oz (480 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 12 oz (340 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 package (16 oz) mini marshmallows
- ½ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream hot fudge (approximately)
- Optional: 2 Hershey’s chocolate bars for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
- Crush about two packages of graham crackers in a medium bowl until fine. Stir in ¼ cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon. Press the mixture into a 12-inch springform pan to form the crust. Optionally add a layer of marshmallows over the crust.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and ½ cup granulated sugar until smooth and combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing just until incorporated. Fold in mini marshmallows if using.
- Pour about one-third of the batter over the crust. Drizzle some of the hot fudge over the batter. Add another third of the batter, drizzle more fudge, then finish with the remaining batter.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, until the edges are set and the center still jiggles slightly.
- Top the cheesecake with a layer of marshmallows and bake for an additional 5 minutes. For deeper toasting, briefly broil—watch carefully so the marshmallows don’t burn.
- Cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
- Roughly crumble half of the remaining graham cracker package for garnish. Place pieces of Hershey’s chocolate on top if desired, sprinkle with crumbs, and drizzle remaining hot fudge over the finished cheesecake.
Notes
*Adapted recipe. For a non-alcohol option, substitute regular hot fudge or melted chocolate. If short on marshmallows, reserve them for the topping rather than folding them into the batter.