This Mississippi mud cake, made with rich chocolate cake, toasted marshmallow topping, and buttery pecan drizzle is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth and your inner child.
This Mississippi mud cake, a riff on the famed Mississippi mud pie, has a chocolatey foundation that’s cake and, in place of frosting, a proper topper of a different sort in the shape of marshmallows. The topping mentioned in the recipe isn’t exactly a topping. We mean, it’s a topping, but it’s the sort that’s drizzled over the cake after it’s cut into slices. Think of it more as an embellishment. Just wanted to clarify that.–Renee Schettler Rossi
☞ Contents
Mississippi Mud Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan or 8-inch (20-cm) square pan
Ingredients
For the Mississippi mud cake
- 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for the pan
- 1 1/2 cups Dutch process cocoa
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups miniature marshmallows
For the topping (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter melted and cooled
Directions
Make the Mississippi mud cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform or an 8-inch square pan.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa. In a separate bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Add the pecans and the vanilla and stir until well combined.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and turn the oven to broil.
- Sprinkle the cake with the marshmallows and return it to the oven. Broil the cake, watching it carefully, until the marshmallows melt and begin to brown, about 1 minute. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.
Make the topping (optional)
- In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and the cocoa into a medium bowl. Add the pecans, evaporated milk, and melted butter and mix until combined.
To serve
- If using a springform pan, remove the sides from the pan. Slice the cake into wedges or squares. If desired, drizzle the topping over each slice. (You can store any leftover cake, loosely covered, at room temperature.)
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
A bit like a collision between a brownie and a s’more, this dessert satisfies all your chocolate-y, nutty , and gooey cravings. Watch your topping carefully as the marshmallows brown quickly under the broiler and melt into a sticky puddle of delicious goo. I found that kitchen shears work perfectly to trail blaze a track through the marshmallow layer, enabling a perfect slice to be cut with a knife moments later.
This cake is a showstopper! It has a great presentation and tastes so decadent. I love anything chocolate and marshmallow and my husband was waxing reminiscent on a Mississippi Mud Pie he had as a child, so this recipe easily roped me in. The cake is rich and thick with lovely texture given by the pecans. I was skeptical of the chocolate sauce (mud), but it is excellent with the gooey golden marshmallows.
The finished batter was very dense. Scraping the batter into the pan is accurate, as it definitely does not flow freely from the bowl. My total bake time was 50 minutes before the cake was cooked with only moist crumbs coming off a toothpick. After 35 minutes, I double checked the oven thermometer and the temperature was exactly at 350°F so I persevered. My cake took closer to 50 minutes to be cooked through, but otherwise this recipe was perfect.
This cake is very rich, so I think it could serve a lot if you take a smaller sliver like I would. If you are taking the slice that my husband helped himself to though…it probably still serves 8 to 10.
Originally published May 23, 2020
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
My mother made this when I was a kid. I think I’ll make it this weekend. Thanks for the recipe and the reminder of old times.
You’re welcome, Bkhuna. Grateful that this brought memories to you. What a gift food can be in that way.