Mississippi Mud Cake is one of my favorite southern sheet cakes. It’s a rich and moist chocolate cake covered with gooey marshmallows, crunchy pecans, and a fudge icing. Dessert doesn’t get any better than this.
Mississippi Mud Cake is one of the most popular potluck recipes. Everyone loves a good chocolate cake and this one is a real classic.
How To Make Mississippi Mud Cake
This recipe is wonderfully easy to make. You’ll begin by mixing the dry ingredients in a large bowl and then mix in the vegetable oil, eggs, milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
Next you’ll beat in 1 cup of boiling water. The purpose of the boiling water is to help hydrate the cocoa powder and prevent the cake from being dry. Bake the cake for about 30 minutes. Scatter the marshmallows on top and return to the oven for 2 minutes to partially melt the marshamllows.
Whip up the icing and drizzle it on the cake and finish with the pecans. Note: Leave the nuts off if you don’t like them.
Fudgy Icing
My favorite part of this cake? The fudgy icing. The icing is what gives the cake it’s name since it somewhat resembles the cracked mud along the edge of the Mississippi River.
Alot of Mississippi Mud Cakes have a really dense cake batter that’s almost like a brownie. This one isn’t quite that but it is still plenty chocolatey and rich. If you’re looking for something dense and fudgy, try these Peanut Butter Mississippi Mud Brownies. They are to die for!
Make Ahead and Storage
This easy sheet cake is perfect for making for a potluck. In all honestly, I think it tastes better the next day so it is great for making in advance. Can be stored at room temperature. Wrap it well so it doesn’t dry out.
More Classic Southern Cakes
- Hummingbird Cake
- Lane Cake
- Southern Caramel Cake
- Kentucky Blackberry Jam Cake
- Classic Southern Pound Cake
Watch the short video below to see how easy this recipe is to make.
Mississippi Mud Cake
Ingredients
Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teapsoon salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teapsoons vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
Icing
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup milk
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13-inch pan with baking spray.
- Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add oil, eggs, vanilla extract, whole milk, and sour cream. Use a hand-held mixer to mix until combined.
- Add boiling water and beat on high for 1 minute. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top feels firm when you gently press down on top.
- Sprinkle marshmallows on top. Return to oven for 2 minutes. Let cake cool.
- To make icing, combine butter, cocoa powder, and milk in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Whisk in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Whisk in vanilla extract.
- Slowly pour icing over cooled cake. Sprinkle with pecans.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from Tastes Better From Scratch
To die for
This cake is the bomb!
First of all thank you for this delicious recipe Mississippi mud cake but I have been trying to forward it to my text or my email and I can’t do it I guess I don’t know how I’m old LOL if I give you my email address I would be grateful if you could please email me the recipe or any other recipes you might have I’d be very grateful thank you have a blessed day