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
FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
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.
This is the best cake ever!!!!
I made this recipe yesterday. The cooking time was not long enough and the cake filled the pan leaving little room for the marshmallows & icing. Also, my cake was MUCH, much fluffier than what your pictures show. Mississippi Mudcake should be denser. Should I leave out one of the eggs or use less boiling water?
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.