Mississippi Mud Cake

While typing the title of this post I had to do my M-I-S-S--I-S-S--I-P-P-I spelling chant to make sure that I spelled it right. How funny that not only do I remember these little mnemonics as an adult, but I still use them!

We had a potluck at work last week. I believe we were celebrating our lovely secretaries. When the sign up came around it didn't take a lot of time for me to decide to sign up for a dessert. In case you haven't noticed from my posts, we haven't been eating a lot of sweets around here and I love baking a fun dessert. Who doesn't? Any chance I get to bake something and bring it for others to share I consider a win-win situation.

I just happened to decide on a Mississippi Mud Cake after seeing it on the site that is listed as my source. It was a last minute decision, as in the night before the potluck, finally deciding what to make. I was very surprised when I realized that I had every single ingredient in my house. This NEVER seems to happen with a new recipe. It never fails that there is at least one thing I have to run out and get. I thought this time it was going to be heavy whipping cream because I typically don't have that in my fridge. Imagine my surprise when on a whim I opened up my fridge to check just to make sure before I put it on a sticky and saw an almost full container sitting on the shelf. It was even before it's expiration date, how nice is that!

The only change I made is that instead of whole milk I used 1% milk. We don't drink whole milk around here and I figured that 1% wouldn't make that much of a difference. Oh, and I only had about 2 cups of mini marshmallows so I ended up cutting larger marshmallows into about 6 pieces each to make my last cup. You have to give me points for ingenuity.

I set out the ingredients before bed, got up early for my morning run, and then proceeded to bake this before work. Let me just say that it was super easy. I love making cake from scratch and this really couldn't have been an easier recipe to make. The only bad thing is that I kept slicing little pieces off because it was so darn good. Enjoy! 


Mississippi Mud Cake
Source: Brown Eyed Baker

For the Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups miniature marshmallows

For the Chocolate Glaze & Toppings:
1 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently fold it together until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake is firm to the touch.

Remove the cake from the oven and evenly scatter the miniature marshmallows over top. Return to the oven for 5 minutes to melt the marshmallows. They will be puffy and lightly browned.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Spread the pecans on baking sheet in a single layer and bake until fragrant, about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop the pecans.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, corn syrup, and heavy cream. Stir over medium-low heat until the chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture over the top of the cake. If necessary, use the back of a spoon to gently spread the chocolate over the marshmallow layer so it is evenly covered. Sprinkle with the pecans, and then the coconut. Let cool completely before serving. Store leftovers tightly wrapped (or in an airtight container) at room temperature.

Makes about 12 servings