This Mississippi Mud Cake includes a homemade chocolate cake with melted marshmallows and warm chocolate frosting poured on top. Trust me, it’s as delicious as it sounds!
When I think of a chocolate lover’s dream, this is the cake that comes to mind! It’s called a “Mississippi Mud” cake because of the layers of soft marshmallow and chocolate that make up the topping and frosting. It’s one of the easiest cakes to make, baked in a simple 9×13” pan.
I adapted the recipe from my favorite Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe but instead of buttermilk I used milk and sour cream for an extra moist and tender cake. The warm chocolate frosting is the same recipe I use for this popular Texas Sheet Cake. It’s SO GOOD!
How to Make Mississippi Mud Cake:
- Combine dry ingredients: flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add wet ingredients: Add oil, eggs, vanilla, milk and sour cream and mix until combined. Reduce speed and carefully pour in the boiling water. Beat on high speed for 1 minute to add air to the batter.
- Bake: Pour batter into greased 9×13” pan and bake for 28-33 minutes.
- Add marshmallows. Remove cake from oven and sprinkle marshmallows all over the top of the hot cake, completely covering it. Return to oven for 2-3 minutes until marshmallows are puffed up. Cool cake before frosting.
- Make the Frosting: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add milk and cocoa powder and whisk well. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Use an electric mixer to make the frosting smooth.
- Drizzle frosting over cake.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
The cake can be made 1-2 days in advance, stored covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The baked and frosted cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
More Chocolate Cakes to love:
- The BEST Texas Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse Filling
- German Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Mug Cake
- Dark Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
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Recipe
Mississippi Mud Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup oil , canola or vegetable
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 Tablespoons milk
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 cup boiling water
For topping:
- 10.5 ounce package mini marshmallows
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 6 Tablespoons milk
- 3 heaping Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13” baking pan.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add oil, eggs, vanilla, milk and sour cream and mix until combined. Reduce speed and carefully pour in the boiling water. Beat on high speed for 1 minute to add air to the batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 28-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove cake from oven and sprinkle marshmallows all over the top of the hot cake, completely covering it.
- Return to oven (at 350 degrees F) for 2-3 minutes or until the marshmallows are just slightly puffed and melted.
- Allow cake to cool completely before drizzling frosting on top.
For the frosting:
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add milk and cocoa powder and whisk well. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Use an electric mixer to make the frosting smooth.
- Drizzle warm frosting immediately over cake. Refrigerate cake for about 30 minutes or until frosting has set. Store at room temperature.
- Next time try Mississippi Mud Brownies!
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.x
I originally shared this post September 2015. Updated February 2021.
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I used a 9” square cake tin. Took perhaps 45 minutes to bake as it was still runny at the specified time. I used 2/3 cup of boiling water.
Be careful with the marshmallow part. I think 3 minutes is way too long as I ended up with a pool of melted marshmallows. Next time I’d put in the oven for seconds, or even not at all. They seemed to melt fine on top of the warm cake without the oven.
So far so good. Waiting for the cake to cool. The cake cooked though and looks great. Thanks! Will try baking it again.
Awesome cake
Hi this recipe looks like one from my childhood, and I can’t wait to make it! I see lot of comments that say the pan is too small; is 9×13 the correct pan size to use?
Love this!! My kids ask for it constantly!!! One question for you…I’m trying to make it now and just realized I’m out of all purpose flour. I have cake flour, self rising, and whole wheat flour. Can I substitute any of these for the all purpose or does it HAVE to be AP Flour?
Can I replace buttermilk for the milk?
Absolutely! You can replace regular milk with buttermilk in the Mississippi Mud Cake recipe. It will add a nice tanginess and can also make the cake a bit more tender. Just use the same amount of buttermilk as the recipe calls for milk.
This recipe brought me back to childhood it was just as awesome as I remember the only thing I would do next time is add a few pecans👍
Made this cake G/F,
Was the most delicious cake I’ve ever eaten substituted plain flour for gluten-free plain flour also added same quantity of baking powder with Xgum powder,
My first time making mud cake. Cake came out beautiful but absolutely NO room for marshmallows and frosting. I think recipe should be adjusted to a regular 9×13 baking pan that most people have.
Can you use marshmallow fluff instead of marshmallows
Sure, if you want!
Can this recipe be cut in half?
Yes, that’s fine.
Thank you! This recipe is great. I have made it twice now. But today I am not sure what I was thinking and didn’t read the icing recipe. I made it like butter cream(not heating the butter) I thought it looked wrong. Didn’t go back and read until I already iced the cake. Hopefully it will taste and set up ok
Too much batter for the pan, making the cake way too thick. It was not like what was pictured at all. Frosting way too sweet.
I agree way too much batter in pan mine has been in over already 35 minutes and the batter is still wet completely wet I don’t think it’s even going to be edible.
Too much cake batter for the pan! Not enough room for the marshmallows and frosting. I would definitely not recommend this recipe. My usual Mississippi Mud cake recipe used a larger pan with a cake layer that is thinner. I should have stuck with it.
This recipe was a big disappointment!
I made the cake today. Still have not eaten it. The two things things that I had issues with was the baking time. My cake was still raw in the middle at 28-33 minutes. I had to keep it in the oven close to 45 minutes to pass the toothpick test. Secondly, the icing was in no way able to “drizzle”. It was super, super thick. I even added hot water to it to try to thin it out but it didn’t stay thin for very long. I ended up just scooping thick icing on top and spreading it like it was mortar. But on the positive side, the flavor of the icing was good. Looking forward to eating it tonight.
Hi Lauren, I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it looks and sounds delicious. I’m wondering can this recipe be made using a 13×18 in. half sheet pan? If so, I plan to give it a try. Thanks!
That would be fine for a thin sheet cake!
I made the Mississippi Mud Cake today for my husband’s Birthday. It is so moist and the icing is totally awesome! Couldn’t ask for a better recipe! I just added chopped pecans to the frosting. My frosting turned out so creamy. It reminded me of fudge just beginning to firm up. Just melts in your our mouth. Fantastic recipe! Thanks for sharing!!
Very good recipe
It looks wonderful! Could this be made with gluten free flour?
I am going to try this with Bob’s Red Mill Chocolate Cake Mix. I like that it bakes first…as when you add the boiling water to the mix it is always soupy. So, this recipe could work out well.
Just a tip…I also make mini cakes (In mini pie tins) to freeze for quick n easy GF snacks.
Can I just make a cake from a box “with pudding” instead from scratch as your recipe calls for? To save time
Yes, that would be fine.
I recall when my mom switched from scratch to a box mix. My favorite cake became undesirable. Do yourself and family and favor and take an extra 5 minutes to make from scratch.
Delicious! Made it two days in a row for two different events-No leftovers! Because I read the comments before baking, I decided to use a disposable lasagna pan. There was no overflow, as stated in on comments. So good!
Hello Lauren, I love your recipe Mississippi Mud Cake . In fact I’ve made it numerous times. I especially love the cake it’s so moist and delicious. I love it so much I’d like to make it into a Bundt cake. But , without the marshmallows of course. Then just put a chocolate glaze on it. Would it work? Thank you for your awesome recipe.
I followed the instructions for using the amount of marshmallows but they overflowed in my oven making a huge mess. I used a deep glass cake dish. I won’t get to taste it because I’m taking it to a senior citizen for his 96th birthday. Next time I’ll use a deeper aluminum roasting pan.
Ditto. Didn’t literally overflow but there’s no room (AT ALL!) for frosting. Going to take it out of the pan & pour the frosting over the top. Wish me luck! Next time I’m going to use the same pan but 1/2 the recipe.
I remember my grandmother making this for Sunday dinners when I was a girl. I never got her recipe before she passed away. I’m excited to give this a try.
I used to make this cake to take camping every time we went but misplaced the recipe. I should be able to make it from memory but since becoming a senior citizen, the memory isn’t that reliable. Thanks for including this one! (Mississippi Mud Cake)
Ditto what S Johnson said about overflowing the pan. Next time I’ll use same pan but 1/2 the recipe. Currently waiting for it to cool, then I’m going to remove it from the pan so I can frost.
this looks great
Found this recipe for Mississippi mud cake in southern living Dec. 2006. Someone on Facebook accused me of spam because I said I made it many times. I have the cookbook still. I’m holding it right now. Maybe ingredients are not exactly the same as yours but I certainly didn’t commit spam
Absolutely delicious! And very rich! Was a hit with everyone who tried it!
Hello! Is this cake good for stacking layers?
Yes, I think that would be fine! (I wouldn’t use the marshmallows in the center layer necessarily, to avoid sliding issues.)
Going to make it
How big a pan? I have three 8″ handi-foil cake pans leftover from Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This recipe was tested in a 9×13” pan.
Can you use a box cake mix instead?
Yes, that’s fine.
Has anyone tried making this dairy-free? I would need to replace or omit the sour cream, and replace milk with either almond or soy milk. Just wondering if anyone has tried this and how it came out!
Wow we had Mud Pie in Europe in the early 50’s for special occasions like birthdays. Think the recipe came from American friends stationed in W Germany.
Does anyone have metric measurements for ingredients please?
this is my mom‘s recipe from when I was a child she gave it to too many people at church potlucks in the 50 s and 60s it was originally called Rocky Road cake not “Mississippi mud!” Some Yahoo finally got a hold of it and put their handle on it and change the name but it was my mom’s recipe Ruth Hector
My aunt made this over 55 years ago before Yahoo was around. It was so delicious!
I am so glad I found this recipe! It is truly the genuine “mud” cake. The texture is like you put hot fudge inside the cake, and the frosting is irresistible. I did pitch in a handful of semi-sweet morsels to melt with the butter. Wow!
Thank you for posting it!
For the topping, can I reduce the sugar content? Is the sugar only for the sweetness of the topping or does it determine the consistency of the topping?
Have 2 nieces that asks for this all the time. 1 that lives on west coast wanted me to bake and send to her!
I made this today. Too many marshmallows and I just used a ten ounce package. Too much icing. It was dripping all out of the pan and I didn’t even put all the icing on it.
I baked the cake for less time than suggested; however, the bottom half-inch or so is a little dry. Any feedback is appreciated.
I suspect it is your over temp. What is 350 in one oven might be almost 400 in another. Also try baking your cakes in the top rack, not middle or lower. Happy baking!
I remember my aunt making this for us as kids. But she never shared the recipe and until now I could not find a recipe for it. This is something I have been telling my wife about for the ten years we have been together. Hopefully it will taste as good as I remember when I make it.
I made it. It was very good. My family loved it.
This cake is out of this world and I am not a huge chocolate cake lover but this cake changes everything…its not a sickening rich chocolate that makes you sick after a few bites, perhaps not a good thing, but the chocolate flavor is perfectly delicious with the moist texture I can honestly say this is the best cake I’ve ever had in my entire life and my very first cake I’ve ever made from scratch and it was surprisingly easy!! Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe with all of us!!
Wow it was wonderful. Thanks for the recipe.
I made this cake for my book group and it was amazing! You don’t need a large piece to enjoy but the cake is so moist and the combination with the marshmallows is divine. I wasn’t sure everyone would eat a cake topped with marshmallows but they really enjoyed it! I would make the cake even my itself, it was so moist. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Made this for a family get together and everyone loved it! I’ve had it before made by my aunt but love this recipe even better. It was loved by everyone but especially by my five year old boy. 🙂 thank you
Can you make cupcakes using this recipe? I would really love to.
yes. I have not tested this to tell you exact baking time. I would start with 10 minutes.
Can I replace the cocoa with nestle quick?
No, I would not do that.
Loved this cake, especially on the 2nd and 3rd day. This is definitely one I will make again. I’m going to try the brownies next!
It was delicious. Everyone loved it!
Super!
This is ok. Not as great as everyone says. Will not make again.
Can this cake be made with a regular chocolate box cake?
Yes, of course 🙂 Enjoy!
I replaced the hot water with hot coffee. Super moist & rich. We also added chopped pecans & caramel drizzle for even more decadence. Loved this SO moch! Tyvm for sharing 🙂
Tammy from Missouri
I’ve got mine in the oven. I can’t wait to dig in. I haven’t had this cake since my childhood, many many years ago.
My FAVORITE cake!
I absolutely love this cake; it’s a very special favorite of many family members and I love to bake it. Thank you for sharing this recipe
My friend made this cake & brought it to a church dinner. I had to get this recipe from her because it’s the best cake I have ever eaten. TY!
Can you put pecans in the batter
Sure! enjoy 🙂
Could I make this recipe in a jelly roll pan? I need to make about 100 pieces. Each piece about 3”x3.
It would probably work fine, I haven’t tested this so I can’t say for sure.
You may want to 1-1/2 x’s the recipe just to make sure it is not too thin.
I grew up eating Mississippi Mud at my grandmother’s in Mississippi and was craving it. This filled the craving and thrilled my family who had never had Mississippi Mud. Will definitely make again.
Love this recipe! Just another recipe for your site that is a total winner!
Can I sub milk and sour cream with buttermilk?
I haven’t tried it but I think it should work 🙂 Enjoy!
I can not find a chocolate cake recipe on your site that uses the ingredients in the video. Please let me know which chocolate cake recipe to use to get the moist cake shown in the video. Thank you.
Hi Andie, I used the chocolate cake from this recipe: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/chocolate-cake-oreo-cream-filling/ Enjoy!
This is an awesome cake!!! It’s easy and I went exactly by the recipe. It turned out perfect. I’m getting ready to make it again and take it to a girls weekend get together. This is a keeper for sure!!
I have made this twice and am getting ready to make it again for my daughter in law’s birthday. It’s so easy and delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I made this cake a couple of months ago and it was delicious! I want to make it again, but…. I can’t find where you told how to convert your two layer made from scratch chocolate cake into a single layer baked in a 9×13 pan.
Hi Renee, I’ve updated the chocolate cake recipe with ingredients for a 9×13” pan. (Grease and flour pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.) Thanks!
Someone help please….I want to make this (right now) but, pic shows a cookie sheet type pan but homemade
chocolate cake link (which recipe says: bake cake according to instructions…) is a 2 layer cake.
Hi Sue, you can make that cake recipe using a 9×13” pan. Check it around 30 minutes bake time. Hope you love it!
Can i have a slice of it? Joking but thanks for sharing this recipe, it bring a lot of memories
I can’t wait to try this 😉
My frosting was really runny compared to the one in the video
It should be slightly runny as you pour it over the cake and then it hardens as it cools.
This cake is reminding me of my childhood from Mississippi.
Love your recipes!!!
Thank you so much!
I had never heard of this 🙁 I have seen other versions since & yours looks the best. I’m so going to make it for a potluck this wknd. Could the cake be made a day ahead of time & then go from there the next day?
Also does it matter what kind of cocoa powder you use? I’m thinking for one it needs to be sweetened vs unsweetened. Never baked with it before.
I use unsweetened for both 🙂
Yum! I’d love to hear how you like it! Yes, you could make the cake in advance. Bake it, let it cool completely, then cover it well at room temp.
Love your recipes and thank you so much.
Maria
My husband was just telling me how much he loves this cake–and I have never even tried it myself. Time to make!
Thanks Kristen! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Oatmeal cake is so yummy. And I like to think that it is a little healthier too. I will have to change things up and give your recipe a try. It looks amazing.
Hi Lauren. Great Recipe. We posted this on “Rad Cake Network” Facebook page. ❤️
I just made this for my husband’s birthday, and it was AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing it!
Thanks for sharing Amanda! I’m glad it made a great birthday cake!!
The pictures are mouthwatering!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
i love choclate cakes, thank you very much for the inspiration