Homemade MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE made from scratch is a rich, dense, decadent chocolate cake covered in melted gooey marshmallows and warm chocolate frosting. This classic cake recipe never disappoints!
Everyone loves a good chocolate cake (like this Flourless Chocolate Cake). Who doesn’t? But this popular potluck cake, Mississippi Mud Cake, just sets the bar up high….waaay up high!
We’re talking about moist, rich, and chocolatey cake, topped all over with a gooey melted marshmallow then finished off with a deliciously sweet chocolate frosting. Double YUM!
I don’t usually discriminate when it comes to baked goods (hey, I love them all), but DANG, this easy mud cake is simply drool-worthy. That soft melted marshmallow on top is what I think makes this cake far better than the rest. Hubby, who’s not even a big dessert fan, swears by this cake. Let’s get down to business and discover what makes this cake extra special!
What Is Mud Cake?
This Mississippi Mud Cake was originally associated with Southern cuisine, then, later on, gained an international reputation with its sheer amount of chocolate in each serving. It’s mostly dubbed as every chocolate lover’s dream!
It is called such as it was found to closely resemble the color of the mud (thanks to its generous amount of chocolate!) along the river banks of the Mississippi River. Others believed that this Mississippi Mud Cake was an upgrade from the brownie, which is another fudgy mud-colored chocolate treat.
The original 1970 version of this mud cake used marshmallows as toppings. But other versions would also top it with nuts like pecans and almonds, and even fruits.
What’s the Difference Between a Chocolate Cake and Mud Cake?
Okay, this is really a tough question for me. Honestly, I can hardly find a difference between these two. But it all boils down to how chocolatey the cake is. Mud Cake is denser than your usual chocolate cake. It is so dense that it cuts cleanly and seamlessly with perfect edges.
Can I Use Marshmallow Fluff Instead of Marshmallows?
Yes, you can. Also called marshmallow creme, marshmallow spread, or marshmallow paste, marshmallow fluff (actually, it’s a brand name) is a confectionary spread that tastes similar to, yes, you guessed it, solid marshmallows.
When 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. And then, you can proceed with making the chocolate fudge sauce.
Recipe Variations
You can strictly follow this mud cake recipe OR get creative and put your own twist on this ridiculously decadent cake. Here are just a few of my suggestions.
- You can put marshmallows and then frost on one half of the cake and the other with just the frosting.
- If you don’t have marshmallows on hand, you can top the cake while still hot with a thin layer of vanilla frosting. Then with the chocolate frosting and pecans.
- Hate marshmallows? Then leave it OUT completely.
- To save time, instead of covering the cake with frosting, you can simply top the cake with marshmallows and chocolate chips and melt them in the oven for about 5 minutes. Swirl it with a spoon for a dreamy look.
- Instead of using 1 cup of boiling water, you may swap it with the same amount of hot coffee (or 1 tbsp of coffee granules) to bring out more of the chocolatey flavor.
How Long Does Mississippi Mud Cake Last?
Like most chocolatey cakes, this easy Mississippi mud cake tastes better the following day. No, it’s not that it doesn’t taste that good ON THE DAY, but serving it the next day allows the chocolate to set well and develop its flavor.
This homemade cake could last in the fridge for up to a week. But seriously, this cake only lasted for two and a half days here at home. Now I’m wondering who got most of the slices.🤔
More Classic Southern Cakes
How To Make Mississippi Mud Cake
Mud Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, combine oil, eggs, vanilla, milk, and sour cream until mixed completely. Be careful not to overmix. Overmixing creates a more elastic batter resulting in a dense, chewy cake.
- On low speed, carefully add the boiling water. Beat at high speed for 1 minute to allow air bubbles to form. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until fully combined.
- Pour batter into the cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Toothpick test to see if the cake is done. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cover the top with mini marshmallows and return to the oven for 2 minutes or until the marshmallows are slightly melted.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Mud Cake Frosting
- In a small saucepan, melt butter.
- Using a wooden spoon, gradually add heavy cream and cocoa powder. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla and powdered sugar using an electric mixer. Beat until smooth.
- Immediately drizzle over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 25-30 minutes until the frosting has set.
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”Ht3aSyoE” upload-date=”2023-02-06T18:59:55.000Z” name=”KROGER REC 4 Mississippi Mud Cake.mp4″ description=”Homemade MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE is a rich, dense, decadent chocolate cake covered in melted gooey marshmallows and warm chocolate frosting.” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]
Mississippi Mud Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup oil, vegetable or canola
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 cup boiling water
- 10 ounces mini marshmallows
Frosting
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- Walnuts for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, combine oil, eggs, vanilla, milk, and sour cream until mixed completely. Be careful not to over mix. Over mixing creates a more elastic batter resulting in a dense, chewy cake.
- On low speed, carefully add the boiling water. Beat on high speed for 1 minute to allow air bubbles to form. Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix until fully combined.
- Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 30 minutes. Toothpick test to see if cake if done. If toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Remove cake from oven and cover top with mini marshmallows and return to oven for 2 minutes or until the marshmallows are slightly melted. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter. Using a wooden spoon, gradually add heavy cream and cocoa powder. Cook about 2 minutes stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla and powdered sugar using an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Immediately drizzle over cooled cake. Refrigerate for 25-30 minutes until frosting has set.
Tips & Notes:
- If you don’t have a sifter, use a strainer with very 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.
- When 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. And then you can proceed with making the chocolate fudge sauce.
- Hate marshmallows? Then leave it OUT completely OR check the RECIPE VARIATIONS part of the blog post above for other suggestions.
- Keep cake in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Krista says
I loved this Recipe. Thank you for sharing it. When I was 9 yrs old I remember our neighbor coming over and handing my mother a Mississippi Mud Cake. I’m know all grown up and came across your recipe. Delicious.
Imma says
Wonderful! Thank you so much for the feedback Krista! Looking forward to you trying more of my recipes 🙂
Dee Hopson says
This is the simplest recipe! I just loved how the cake came out. Almost filled the 9×13 pan. Then with the marshmallows and icing! If you could see how we’ll it turned out!
Imma says
Amazing!!!!! That looks absolutely delicious!! Glad you loved it. Looking forward to you trying more of my recipes.
Kim says
I haven’t made this yet. But I know it’s gonna be delicious. I just wanted to let you know that if you use marshmallow creme you can take the lid off & any foil & put it in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds or until you see it start to bubble over. I will get back to you after I make this cake. I have no doubt it will be delicious.
Imma says
Great tip, thank you for sharing:) Sure it will be very delicious. Eagerly waiting to see once you finally try!
Erica Ludwgi says
My husband is celiac so I used gluten free flour and it still turned out amazing@
Imma says
Yeah, it will work too. Thank you for testing that out and sharing your valuable words. Just one step ahead to add recipe rating:) This will help to for other readers to gain confidence in the recipe.
Wendy Blackwell says
I would like to know what kind of flour do I need to use, plain or all purpose, or something else? I would think because of using the baking soda and baking powder it would be plain. However, I will have to wait until you let me know.
imma africanbites says
Hi, Wendy. You can use plain or all-purpose flour intechangeably.
Haileigh T. says
Made this for my family and they absolutely loved it! Your recipes are amazing 🙂
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you so much, Haileigh! So happy to know your family loved this! I hope you’ll get to enjoy more of my recipes 🙂
Mara says
Delicioua and easy to make, thank you
Camrynn Ford says
This recipe is amazing!!!! The first time I’ve made a cake from scratch and I was surprised by how delicious it was!!!!
Immaculate Bites says
Yay! Thank you so much for giving this a try, Camrynn! 🙂
Nga Castillo says
Have you finished this?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes it is finished.
Britt Buczkowski says
I will never stop loving the cover !
Kyle H says
I loved this recipe! I did however struggle a little bit with cutting it neatly, do you maybe know of any tricks I can use to make this process smoother
ImmaculateBites says
Try cutting it with a warmed sharp knife.
Rohtak says
This is my all time favorite dessert.
imma africanbites says
I can totally see why it’s your all-time favorite dessert! 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
Swati jha says
Hieee Imma, simply love ur recipes.. love allll of themCan i do this without Marshmallows?
Love
Swati jha
ImmaculateBites says
Of course you can Swaijha ! You are too kind.
Much love.
swati jha says
hey Imma, can i bake it in a bundt cake mould as i wont be using marshmallows so i guess it wont be a problem, plz tell me the baking time if i bake it in a bundt cake mould
Dorothy says
Thank you for this recipe!! My Mom use to make a cake like this. Of course a lot of years ago. But it was sooo good. Brings back so many memories. Going to make it soon!
imma africanbites says
Yes, please. I’m so excited for you. Happy baking!