Mississippi Mud Cake

I used to make Mississippi Mud Cake quite a bit when I was in college, before I really got into baking.  I had a recipe from Southern Living that I tried for Thanksgiving dessert one year and made it a few times afterward, but not again until now.  I was in the mood for baking something rich, and one of my friends recently mentioned wanting Mississippi Mud Cake, so I decided this would be it.  It’s pretty simple to make.  The base is basically a brownie, and these are really more like marshmallow brownies rather than cake.  The recipe says to melt the marshmallows on top of the cake after taking it out of the oven and then top it with the frosting.  I could just imagine that spreading the frosting over the marshmallows would be a huge mess, so I decided to frost it, and then place it in the oven to brown the marshmallows.  That seemed to work well.  It’s not a pretty dessert, but it’s supposed to be messy and fun!  These were a huge hit and definitely satisfied the craving for something rich and chocoalty.  The recipe was written in weighted measurements, which I would recommend using!  Those measurements are much more accurate, and it’s much easier in the process.

Mississippi Mud Cake
Source: adapted from Tea and Wheaten Bread

Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter cut into big chunks
2 1/2 ounces cocoa powder
4 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 oz sugar
9oz plain flour
pinch salt
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts ( I didn’t use these)

Frosting

1lb icing sugar
2 1/2 oz cocoa powder
½ cup (1 stick)  butter
125mls milk or evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (10.5-ounce) bag mini marshmallows

To Make The Cake

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 13 x 9 pan (I lined it with foil).

In a medium saucepan melt the butter and the cocoa over a medium heat stirring now an dagain until the butter is melted and the mixture is well combined about 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the beaten egg, vanilla sugar, flour, salt, and nuts.

Beat with a wooden spoon until the batter is well combined and smooth

Quickly pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the top is springy to touch and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan

Frosting

Prepare this while the cake is baking so you will be ready to pour it over the hot cake.

In a medium bowl sieve the icing sugar and cocoa powder and combine well.

Add the melted butter milk and vanilla.

Mix well

Set aside until the cake is done.

Pour frosting over warm cake.  Top with marshmallows, and then return to the oven for about 10 minutes, until marshmallows are browned.
Cut into small squares.