If you’re after a rich, chocolatey dessert that’s gooey, fudgy, and a little nostalgic, this Mississippi Mud Cake is it! It starts with a moist chocolate cake, topped with melty marshmallows and finished with a silky chocolate frosting. Decadent, messy in the best way, and perfect for feeding a crowd straight from the pan.
Why This Is the Best Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe
If you’ve never heard of a Mississippi Mud Cake before, you’re in for a treat! I’ll admit, when I first came across it, I thought it looked a bit over the top and way too sweet. But trust me, this cake is next-level delicious! Here’s why you’re going to love this recipe:
Moist
This cake is incredibly moist thanks to a combination of oil, butter, and milk—plus a touch of hot coffee that enhances both the texture and deep chocolate flavor. It’s based on my 5-star rated chocolate sheet cake, a rich and soft cake without being too dense.
Easy to Make
With just a whisk and a few bowls, this recipe comes together quickly—no electric mixer needed. The method is straightforward and beginner-friendly, yet the results taste like something from a bakery. You don’t even need to take the cake out of the pan to serve it!
Not Too Sweet
Despite the gooey marshmallows and fudge frosting, the overall sweetness is well-balanced. It was super important to me to make sure the cake wasn’t overly sweet!
Decadent and Crowd-Friendly
Melty marshmallows, fudgy chocolate frosting, and a soft cake base, this dessert is unapologetically messy in the best way. It’s made in a 9×13-inch pan, making it perfect for sharing (or not!) with a crowd.
Interested in more chocolatey desserts? Check out my rich chocolate cake recipe, chocolate muffins, and chocolate banana bread recipe!
How to Make Mississippi Mud Cake
You can find the full list of ingredients for this recipe in the recipe card at the end of the blog post (for easy navigation, hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post). Here is a quick visual breakdown of the recipe (recipe video is also provided in the recipe card below).
Chocolate Cake
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional and grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release). Don’t line the bottom, as the cake is served straight from the pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add brown sugar, white sugar, melted butter, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Using a whisk, mix until well combined.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix.
In a separate bowl or jug, mix instant coffee powder with boiling water to make a strong coffee (or use espresso). Add the hot coffee to the batter and whisk again until just combined.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to release any large air bubbles. Bake for about 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Once baked, immediately top the cake with mini marshmallows. Return the pan to the oven for 2–3 minutes, or until the marshmallows are slightly melted and puffed up. Don’t overbake, otherwise the marshmallows will become tough.
Once done, set aside to cool completely. Once cool, prepare the chocolate frosting.
Chocolate Frosting
In a saucepan over low to medium heat, add the heavy cream, semi-sweet chocolate, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, instant coffee powder, salt, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Stir everything together, and let the mixture melt gently. Once smooth and silky, remove the saucepan from the heat. Do not let it simmer or boil.
I like to run my frosting through a sieve to ensure there are no lumps, but this step is optional.
Once the frosting is done, spoon the warm chocolate frosting evenly over the marshmallow layer. It helps to use a large spoon to distribute it, as spreading can be tricky over the marshmallows.
Let the chocolate icing set at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing and serving.
How to Store Mississippi Mud Cake
Once the cake has completely cooled and the frosting has set, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or foil. You can store it at room temperature for up to a day or two or in the fridge for a week. If refrigerating, let slices come to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor. To keep the cake extra moist, avoid leaving it uncovered for extended periods as air can dry out the cake.
Mississippi Mud Cake (So Moist!)
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder - Dutch processed preferred (see note 1)
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt - only use ½ tsp if using salted butter in this recipe
- 1 cup (200 g) soft light brown sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180 g) whole milk - room temperature
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter - melted
- ½ cup (105 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 2½ tsps vanilla extract/essence
- ¾ cup (180 g) strong hot coffee - I use 1 tbsp instant coffee powder in 180g (¾ cup) hot water, but you can use espresso as well.
- 5½ cups (283 g) mini marshmallows - 10 ounces in the US. For putting on top once the cake is done
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- ½ cup (113 g) heavy cream
- 1¼ cups (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate - roughly chopped. I use 50% dark chocolate
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (85 g) powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners' sugar
- ¼ tsp instant coffee powder
- ¼ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- 2 tsps unsweetened cocoa powder - Dutch processed preferred (see note 1)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 2 if using a convection oven with a fan) and grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release). Don't line the bottom, as the cake is served straight from the pan.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, white sugar, melted butter, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Using a whisk, mix until well combined.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix.
- In a separate bowl or jug, mix instant coffee powder with hot water to make a strong coffee (or use espresso). Add the hot coffee to the batter and whisk again until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to release any large air bubbles. Bake for about 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Once baked, immediately top the cake with the mini marshmallows. Return the pan to the oven for 2–3 minutes, or until the marshmallows are slightly melted and puffed up. Don’t overbake, otherwise the marshmallows will become tough.
- Once done, set aside to cool completely. Once cool, prepare the chocolate frosting.
Chocolate Frosting
- In a saucepan over low to medium heat, add the heavy cream, semi-sweet chocolate, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, instant coffee powder, salt, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Stir everything together, and let the mixture melt gently. Once smooth and silky, remove the saucepan from the heat. Do not let it simmer or boil.
- I like to run my frosting through a sieve to ensure there are no lumps, but this step is optional. Once the frosting is done, spoon the warm frosting evenly over the top of the cake. It helps to use a large spoon to distribute it, as spreading can be tricky over the marshmallows.
- Let the frosting set at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
4 Comments
Can you please tell me once I’ve left my email address why I don’t continue to get all your recipes for your cakes and other things cause I have to keep putting it up there and I really love your recipes and you’re so right on with everything I just made yesterday the sticky toffee pudding with the caramel sauce. It was delicious and many of your other cakes, but I would like to get them on a regular basis if that’s possible my email i
[email protected] Thamkyou ! 👏❤️🇨🇦🇨🇦
Hi Heather! So sorry to hear you’re having some trouble with signing up. I’ve just checked this and you are on our email list so hopefully you’re receiving the newsletters now 🙂
Let me know if you’re still having problems. So glad you’re loving the recipes 😀
Love it as always Mariam 💓
Yay! So happy to hear that Rabia 😀