cake and a DIY - you read that right! keep reading for a delicious recipe and super cute craft.

s'mores. cake. firecracker chocolate. does it get any more festive for summer? no way! this cake truly has it all! make this pop this 4th of july with our firecracker s'mores cake! 

ingredients:

for cake (we used foodstirs simply sweet vanilla cake mix, these are the instructions from their box):

• 1 box foodstirs' simply sweet vanilla cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 tbsp milk
• 6 tbsp yogurt (they recommend plain, we used vanilla to make it extra vanilla-y!)

for frosting / decoration:

• 1 cup softened unsalted butter
• 4-5 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 crushed graham crackers (crushed to powder, so you don't have any chunks in the frosting)
• 12 or so mini firecracker chocolate bars
• mini marshmallows 

instructions:

for cake (taken from foodstirs cake mix box):

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. spray pans with cooking oil (we used 4 4-inch pans for super cute mini cakes!)
3. In a medium bowl, whisk cake mix, eggs, butter, milk, and yogurt until smooth. 
4. pour evenly into prepared pans.
5. bake for 32-37 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. it took ours closer to the 37-minute time mark. 
6. remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes in pans and then remove carefully and transfer to wire rack to cool completely before frosting. 

prepare frosting and decorate:

1. in a medium bowl or a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy. 
2. slowly add in confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until it reaches the desired consistency. 
3. with a spatula or wooden spoon, mix in crushed grahams until they are completely mixed in. 
4. frost the cake, we did a middle layer of frosting and then frosted all over. 
5. line the cake with mini chocolate bars and mini marshmallows around the top. 
6. break up one mini chocolate bar and decorate the top with it. 
7. enjoy! 

Bonus DIY!

Looking for a fun and easy DIY for the 4th of July? These little popsicle boxes are the perfect place to stash a mini bar and they make a great place setting for kids (or adults)! 

We found it was easiest to use a square paper, so we cut down an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of construction paper to make it square and then followed along with THIS PINTEREST POST. We wrapped the boxes in a festive paper, which you can download here. 

These are quick and easy and will dress up any party!