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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!
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
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.
More Easy Chocolate Desserts
Here’s my Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe. I think you’ll love it, too!
Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Mississippi Mud Cake:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butter , melted and cooled
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups toasted pecans chopped
- 1 (10.5-ounce) bag miniature marshmallows
For the Chocolate Icing:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
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
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.
Nutritional Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2011.
That looks like the kind of dessert that I need today!
I would love a piece right now! Looks divine!
This is definitely a Southern dessert, looks amazing. Happy Baking!
That looks delicious! Never had a Mississippi Mud Pie or Cake before, but now I feel this need to have one!
I haven’t had the chance to make your chocolate sheet cake yet, and you’ve already got another waiting for me! (yay!)
I will tell you- I opened this blog post and stared at that picture for a full minute and said “holy crap”- before I even read the post. wow is right- and im not even holding a piece in my hand! im not a very good baker, so i dont make things from scratch generally, but i will have to give this one a try. wow.
This sounds mighty tasty. This is my first visit to your site so I decided to poke around a bit. I’m so glad I did that. I really enjoyed the time I spent here and I plan to come back. You’ve created a great place for your readers to visit and I really enjoyed the time I spent here. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…MAry
I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to make great, better! This LOOKS incredible! Bookmarked!
Oh, my! This looks wonderful. Just packed full of the good stuff!
Does the pan need to be greased (and floured)?
Great question, Vikki! I just spray my pan lightly with non-stick cooking spray and that’s it. 🙂
Sounds perfect!! I love chocolate sheet cake, and this is even better 🙂
oh wow robyn! this is so great! Funny story 🙂
Love this cake, and yours looks fantastic!!! Will have to make this cake when my granddaughter comes over!! This cake will make her very happy!!!!
You are amazing. Not only does this recipe look wonderful, but the fact that you made it for 65 people for what was surely an awesome event is even better!!! Well done!
That looks DIVINE!!! I know my hubs does the same thing- I wish they would just say YUM or YUCK & keep the guessing game out of it. 🙂
I have to say, I’m a little jealous of the 65 people that got to taste these! Wow indeed!
i cannot even look at this . . . no seriously . . . because you see, i’ve made a commitment to 2 other women that i am running a 5k w/them in February . . . so nope. not gonna even look at this . . .
Love how “muddy” this looks. I bet I could accomplish this dessert since it’s about taste over form 🙂
Really cute story, Robyn. And that mud cake…oh my!
It is a bad, bad sign that I have everything I need already to make this. I still have 3 lbs to lose!
How stinkin’ cute are you two? Love this and the cake!
Such a sweet story. It’s been years since I made Mississippi Mud Cake. I’m gonna try your recipe. I found your blog through Pinterest today and am enjoying reading your recipes and stories.
I made this cake a few days ago and it was fabulous! I used Special Dark cocoa powder and left out the nuts. Thanks for such a great cake.
Can I assume that 1 stick of butter is 1/4 of a pound – or a half cup? Up here, it is just usually sold as a pound block.
Just wondering…what size pan? Prepared how? Greased or greased and floured? Thanks!
Hi Barbara,
It is made in a 9×13 baking dish. I generally use a baking spray (like Baker’s Joy) or spread with butter and then lightly flour the baking dish. I hope that helps! xo
Is it salted butter or unsalted butter that you use Robin?
You can use either. I always have salted butter on hand since it keeps longer, but unsalted is fine if that is what you have.
Read this and wanted to make it immediately. My husband would absolutely love this.
Just on question what size pan do I use
thx
Hi Maureen,
I sure hope your husband loves it! It is so, so, so delicious and rich, and delicious! 🙂 Did I mention delicious? The pan size is 9×13. xo
What size baking pan?
This is a different Mississippi Mud cake recipe that looks soooo good. Thank you this. will make this weekend.. Only ranked 4, as not made it yet, but sure it will be a 5
This sounds really awesome! Can’t wait to make this!!!
I hope you enjoy it, Ginny! It’s sooo good! Thanks!
Doesn’t this recipe need baking soda? Just wondering.
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.
Thank you, Wendy. I”m glad you shared with your neighbors and they loved the cake.