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Mississippi Mud Cake is a rich, fudgy chocolate sheet cake topped with gooey marshmallows and chocolate frosting. An easy dessert that’s perfect for feeding a crowd!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you love a good chocolate sheet cake, you are going to love this Mississippi Mud Cake. It’s somewhere between a cake and a brownie—rich, chocolatey and perfectly fudgy.
Perfect for a crowd. Sheet cakes are one of my favorite desserts when I need to feed a lot of people. You can cut the pieces as big or small as you need, making this perfect for potlucks, BBQs, family gatherings and parties.
Marshmallow goodness. A layer of marshmallows goes over the warm chocolate cake, creating a soft, gooey layer that makes this cake extra delicious.
Chocolate on chocolate. As if a rich chocolate cake wasn’t enough, everything gets covered with a decadent chocolate frosting. The combination of chocolate, marshmallows and nuts is what makes a classic Mississippi Mud Cake so good.
Easy to make. No layers to stack or fancy decorating required. Bake it, add the marshmallows and frosting, and you’re ready to serve!
Ingredients Needed
- All Purpose Flour
- Sugar, granulated sugar and powdered sugar
- Butter, salted and room temperature
- Milk, whole milk or 2 percent
- Eggs
- Semisweet Chocolate Baking Bar
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Marshmallows, miniature
- Pecans
How to Make Mississippi Mud Cake
- Combine butter and semisweet chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and heat at high for 1 minute until melted and smooth. Stir in 30 second intervals.
- Add sugar, flour, cocoa, eggs, vanilla and salt into chocolate mixture. Stir to combine.
- Pour batter into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with marshmallows.
- Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the marshmallows begin to melt, puff up and are slightly brown.
- Remove from oven and drizzle warm cake with chocolate frosting
Tips from leigh Anne
- Don’t overbake the cake. One of the best things about Mississippi Mud Cake is its rich, fudgy texture. Overbaking can make it dry, so start checking it a few minutes before the recommended baking time.
- Add the marshmallows while the cake is warm. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the cake shortly after it comes out of the oven. The warmth of the cake helps soften them and creates that gooey marshmallow layer.
- Let the frosting cool slightly. You want the frosting to be pourable and easy to spread, but not so hot that it completely melts the marshmallows.
- Toast the nuts for extra flavor. If you are adding pecans or walnuts, toasting them first brings out their flavor and gives the cake a little extra crunch.
- For cleaner slices, let the cake cool. It can be tempting to dig right in, but allowing the cake and frosting to set makes it much easier to cut. Use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between cuts.
- Cut the pieces to fit the crowd. This is a rich dessert, so smaller pieces are often plenty. One sheet cake can go a long way!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called Mississippi Mud Cake?
The name comes from the cake’s rich, dark chocolate appearance, which is said to resemble the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. There are several variations of the dessert, but most include chocolate cake or brownies, marshmallows and chocolate frosting.
Is Mississippi Mud Cake a cake or a brownie?
It’s a little bit of both! Mississippi Mud Cake has a rich, dense texture that is fudgier than a traditional chocolate cake but still soft enough to be considered a cake.
How should I store cake?
Keep the cake covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days. For longer storage, refrigerate it and allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze individual pieces or larger portions. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then place them in an airtight freezer container. Thaw at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator
Do I have to add nuts?
No. Nuts are traditional in many Mississippi Mud Cake recipes, but you can leave them out if you prefer. Pecans and walnuts are both delicious options.
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Mississippi Mud Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate baking bar chopped
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 10.5 ounces miniature marshmallows
- 1 cup chopped pecans optional
Chocolate Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 16 oz. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine butter and semisweet chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and heat at high for 1 minute or until melted and smooth.
- Stir at 30 second intervals.
- Add sugar, flour, cocoa, eggs, vanilla and salt into chocolate mixture.
- Pour batter into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with marshmallows.
- Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes of until marshmallows begin to brown.
- Remove from oven and drizzle warm cake with chocolate frosting (see below)
Frosting:
- Melt butter in pan over medium heat.
- Add in milk and cocoa, and bring mixture to a boil.
- Stir constantly.
- Remove from heat.
- Add in powdered sugar and stir until smooth.
- Add vanilla.
- Use immediately.
- If you need to thin it out add a little milk.
- Sprinkle with chopped nuts
Tips & Notes:
- Don’t overbake the cake. One of the best things about Mississippi Mud Cake is its rich, fudgy texture. Overbaking can make it dry, so start checking it a few minutes before the recommended baking time.
- Add the marshmallows while the cake is warm. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the cake shortly after it comes out of the oven. The warmth of the cake helps soften them and creates that gooey marshmallow layer.
- Let the frosting cool slightly. You want the frosting to be pourable and easy to spread, but not so hot that it completely melts the marshmallows.
- Toast the nuts for extra flavor. If you are adding pecans or walnuts, toasting them first brings out their flavor and gives the cake a little extra crunch.
- For cleaner slices, let the cake cool. It can be tempting to dig right in, but allowing the cake and frosting to set makes it much easier to cut. Use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between cuts.
- Cut the pieces to fit the crowd. This is a rich dessert, so smaller pieces are often plenty. One sheet cake can go a long way!
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Diana Sue says
Finally, found the recipe I used a long time ago: and wanted it to fit a jelly roll pan. Thanks so much! New to your site but will be back!
Leigh Anne says
So glad you found it! Hope you’ll visit often.