Mississippi Mud Sheet Cake
A rich chocolate indulgence with a dreamy marshmallow-chocolate frosting.
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Like me, you might be more familiar with Mississippi Mud Pie than you are Mississippi Mud Cake, but rest assured that our sheet cake version has a similar mash-up of chocolatey layers and textures that’s every bit as delicious. While there’s no crunchy cookie crust, there is plenty of fudgy, rich chocolate and also a dreamy marshmallow and chocolate swirled frosting to top it all off. It’s a rich indulgence, but it’s one that’s very easy to make.
This starts with a simple chocolate cake batter – it’s made with cocoa powder, and I personally always love it when a great chocolate cake comes together without you needing to melt down any solid chocolate. There’s also nutty pecans and shredded coconut, which add crunch and chew to the chocolate crumb.
The best part though is the gooey, drippy chocolate and marshmallow topping, which starts with a jar of marshmallow creme being spread over a hot cake…
… and then swirled together with a simple chocolate frosting. Just look at that swirl!
When you cut into the cake, that frosting drips down the sides, lending a clean bite of sweet marshmallow flavor to go along with all of that rich chocolate.
Maybe it gets its name from the murky waters of the Mississippi, but what is abundantly clear is that this cake is delicious. It has a nice combination of textures thanks to the moist chocolate crumb, crunchy nuts, and chewy coconut. And the gooey marshmallow and chocolate swirl of a frosting? Well, that’s just the icing on the cake, as they say!
Mississippi Mud Cake
For the cake:
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
For the frosting:
- 1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6-8 tablespoons milk
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until thick. Add sugar and vanilla and beat to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, flour, cocoa, salt, coconut, and pecans. Add to egg mixture and stir until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-28 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the frosting:
- In a clean bowl, stir together the melted butter and cocoa powder. Add vanilla and 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat well.
- Add half of the milk, followed by remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar. Beat until smooth, adding more milk to reach desired consistency if needed.
- When cake is done, immediately remove from oven and spread marshmallow creme over the top. Spread frosting over marshmallow creme and use a spatula or knife to swirl them together. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The Food Charlatan.