Mississippi Mud Cake

Made from scratch, this Mississippi mud cake is a rich, dense, decadent chocolate cake covered in gooey marshmallows and warm chocolate frosting. This classic cake recipe never disappoints!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Southern

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Fridge Time 30

Total Time 1 30

Servings

Calories 767kcal

Author Imma

Equipment

9x13-inch baking pan
Medium mixing bowl
sifter
large mixing bowl
Electric hand mixer
Small saucepan

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
½ cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons (9-10g) baking powder
1½ teaspoons (7-8g) baking soda
½ teaspoon (2-3g) salt
½ cup (120ml) oil, vegetable or canola
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
½ cup (120ml) whole milk
¼ cup (60g) sour cream
1 cup (237ml) boiling water
10 ounces (284g) mini marshmallows

Frosting

½ cup (112g) salted butter, softened
6 tablespoons (90g) heavy cream
3 tablespoons (18g) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
2-3 cups (240-360g) powdered sugar
walnuts for garnish (optional)

Instructions

The Cake

Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix oil, eggs, vanilla, milk, and sour cream until thoroughly combined with an electric mixer, being careful not to overmix. (Overmixing overdevelops the gluten, resulting in a dense, chewy cake.)
On low speed, carefully add the boiling water. Beat the batter on high speed for one minute to create air bubbles. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 minutes. Toothpick test to see if the cake is done. If the toothpick comes out clean, it's done.
Remove the cake from the oven, spread the mini marshmallows over the top, and return it to the oven for 2 minutes or until the marshmallows slightly melt. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

The Frosting

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Using a wooden spoon, gradually add heavy cream and cocoa powder. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and mix in the vanilla and powdered sugar with an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Immediately drizzle over the cooled cake, and refrigerate for 25-30 minutes or until the frosting sets.

Notes

If you don’t have a sifter, use a strainer with small holes. Sifting is important because it helps the dry ingredients to combine better. It is especially important in this recipe because cocoa powder tends to have clumps.
If using marshmallow fluff, allow the cake to cool first for about 5 minutes. Then, top the cake with the fluff and let it sit for about 5 minutes before attempting to spread it. The heat from the freshly baked cake will soften the fluff, making it spreadable. Then you can proceed with making the chocolate fudge sauce.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition