Mississippi Mud Cake
Gina: Just about every church cookbook and family recipe box throughout the South has its own version of this dark, rich chocolate cake named for the “muddy” Mississippi River. In our version, we add coffee to deepen the chocolate flavor, and throw in a handful of mini–chocolate chips, creating a sinfully “muddy” bottom that’s fun to drag your fork through. Then we top the whole thing off with mini-marshmallows and a river of icing. This is one Mississippi cake you’ll be happy to drown in!
Recipe information
Yield
serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
Cake
Icing
Preparation
Step 1
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 × 13-inch baking pan.
Step 2
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3
Heat the butter, cocoa, and coffee in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, just until the butter is melted; remove from the heat, and cool slightly. Stir the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture until smooth.
Step 4
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla, and then add this mixture to the chocolate batter, stirring until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 25 minutes, or until it is springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out mostly clean. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack, then top with the mini morsels and miniature marshmallows.
Step 5
While the cake is baking, make the icing. Melt the butter with the cocoa, instant espresso, hot water, and cream over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar, then the vanilla.
Step 6
Pour the warm icing over the cake and the chocolate chips and marshmallows, top with the chopped nuts, and cool completely before serving.
