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Mississippi Mud Cake

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott


Recipe Introduction

"Southerners love this earthy cake—the way it looks, the way it tastes, and especially its wacky name. You don't have to be from Mississippi—or even Southern—to come under its spell. The main requirement, judging from the response during a help-us-eat-all-these-cakes party we hosted a while back, is that you be in the room with it and be able to reach the cake plate. How its components transform themselves into such a tasty cake is a mystery to me, since it's ready for the oven after only two simple steps."

List of Ingredients

Cake:
â—¦ 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into big chunks
â—¦ ½ cup cocoa
â—¦ 4 eggs, beaten well
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ 2 cups sugar
â—¦ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ â…› teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Mississippi Mud Frosting:
â—¦ One 16-ounce box (about 3 â…” cups) confectioners' sugar
â—¦ ½ cup cocoa
â—¦ ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
â—¦ ½ cup milk or evaporated milk
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ 4 cups mini-marshmallows, or 3 cups marshmallows, quartered


Recipe

To make the cake, heat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9-inch pan. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and the cocoa and cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until the butter is melted and the mixture is well blended, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the beaten eggs, vanilla, sugar, flour, salt, and pecans, and beat with a wooden spoon or a spatula or with a mixer at low speed until the batter is well combined and smooth, and the flour has disappeared.

Quickly pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350° F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched gently in the center and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Prepare the frosting while the cake bakes, so that you will be ready to pour it over the hot cake. In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and the cocoa, and stir to mix them well. Add the melted butter, milk, and vanilla, and use a large spoon or a mixer at low speed to beat everything together well. Set aside until the cake is done.

Remove the cake from the oven, scatter the marshmallows over the top, and return the cake to the hot oven for about 3 minutes, to soften the marshmallows.

Place the cake, still in the pan, on a wire rack or a folded kitchen towel. Pour the frosting all over the marshmallow-dotted cake, and cool to room temperature. Cut into small squares and serve.

Serves 10 to 12