This Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe makes a simple yet scrumptious chocolate dessert with marshmallows, pecans, and rich chocolate icing. Perfect to make ahead and a hit with chocolate lovers!

Looking for more easy cakes? You’ll love my favorite Best Chocolate Cake, Cream Cheese Poundcake, Easy Carrot Cake, and many more!

Closeup of white baking dish full of chocolate dessert topped with pecans, marshmallows and chocolate icing // addapinch.com

This Mississippi Mud Cake recipe is one I love to make again and again for a simple yet amazing dessert for family suppers and casual get-togethers. Just look at this cake covered in pecans and marshmallows and topped with chocolate icing! It always gets rave reviews and disappears in a flash. I’ve been making it for many years, and this delicious recipe is still one of my favorites for making when we are entertaining groups of people. It comes together easily and is even great to make ahead because it is just as good when made a day or so ahead of serving!

Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe

Bite of rich chocolate dessert topped with pecans, marshmallows and chocolate icing with remainder of serving on a white plate in the background. // addapinch.com

This easy Mississippi Mud Cake has such a rich and amazing chocolate flavor that everyone loves! It is so simple to bake in a 9×13 dish and is chocolatey, nutty, and amazing with its rich chocolate poured icing!

I’ve made this cake for so many casual parties, potlucks, and more. I make it often the night before because it is perfect the next day. But it comes together quickly and can be made for a last-minute dessert or invitation to a friend’s house. And get ready – because everyone loves it and asks for the recipe.

How to Make Mississippi Mud Cake

To make this rich, scrumptious cake, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • sugar
  • natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • kosher salt
  • all-purpose flour
  • butter
  • eggs
  • vanilla extract – you can also use a pure, quality vanilla extract
  • pecans – toasted and chopped
  • miniature marshmallows

For the Icing:

  • butter
  • natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • confectioners sugar
  • milk
  • vanilla – you can also use a pure, quality vanilla extract

Step-by-Step Instructions

Combine dry ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and flour in a medium bowl.

Whisk together wet ingredients. In a large measuring cup, whisk together the melted and cooled butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined.

Combine wet with dry ingredients. Pour the egg mixture into the sugar and flour mixture and stir until well combined. Stir in 1 cup of the toasted pecans.

Bake the cake. Pour the cake batter into the prepared 9×13 baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes. I have tips you can follow on how to tell when your cake is done. Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven and top it with mini marshmallows.

Make the icing. While the cake is baking, during the last 10 minutes of the cake’s baking time, prepare the chocolate icing by melting the butter and cocoa in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add confectioners sugar and milk and bring to a full boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla until well combined.

Ice the cake, cool it and serve. Pour the chocolate icing over the warm, marshmallow-topped cake, making sure to cover the cake to the edges of the pan. Top with the remaining pecans. Let cool, cut into pieces, and serve.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

Store the cooled, iced cake in an airtight container or under a cake cover for up to three days.

I do not recommend freezing this cake since it contains marshmallows.

White porcelain dish with handles holds cake topped with pecans, marshmallows and chocolate icing  // addapinch.com

More Easy Chocolate Desserts

Peanut Butter Bars

Best Chocolate Cupcakes

S’mores Bars

Southern Chocolate Cobbler

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s my Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe. I think you’ll love it, too!

Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes
Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe – Mississippi mud cake is a simple, yet scrumptious chocolate dessert with marshmallows, pecans and a rich chocolate icing. Perfect to make ahead and great for chocolate lovers!
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 24 (2-inch) pieces

Ingredients 

Mississippi Mud Cake:

  • 2 cups (396 g) sugar
  • 1/3 cup (28 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1.4 g) kosher salt
  • 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (226 g) butter, , melted and cooled
  • 3 large (150 g) eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (228 g) roasted pecans, chopped
  • 1 (10.5-ounce) bag (297 g) miniature marshmallows

For the Chocolate Icing:

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) butter
  • 2 tablespoons (10.5 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 cups (340.5 g) confectioners sugar
  • 1/4 cup (56.75 g) whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon (4.7 g) vanilla extract

Instructions 

Mississippi Mud Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350º F.
  • Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. In a 2-cup measuring cup, whisk together the melted and cooled butter, eggs, and the vanilla extract until well combined. Pour the egg mixture into the sugar and flour mixture and stir until well combined. Stir in 1 cup of the toasted pecans. Pour the mixture into the prepared 9×13 baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
  • Remove from the oven and top with the mini marshmallows.

Chocolate Icing:

  • During the last 10 minutes baking time for the cake, prepare the chocolate icing by melting the butter and cocoa in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add confectioners sugar and milk and bring to a full boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla until well combined.
  • Pour the chocolate icing over the warm, marshmallow topped cake, making sure to cover to the edges of the pan. Top with the remaining pecans.
  • Let cool, cut into pieces and serve.

Notes

Make-Ahead:
Store Mississippi Mud Cake in an airtight container or under a cake dome for up to 3 days.
Do not recommend freezing since marshmallows do not typically freeze well.

Nutrition

Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 407IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe - Mississippi mud cake is a simple, yet scrumptious chocolate dessert with marshmallows, pecans and a rich chocolate icing. // addapinch.com

From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2011.

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




38 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This cake is delicious! I shared it with the neighbors and got rave reviews. Can’t wait to make it again. Thanks for the recipe.

    1. Thank you, Wendy. I”m glad you shared with your neighbors and they loved the cake.