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 38-45 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 3-5 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
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.
This post contains affiliate links.
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.