Mississippi Mud Cake
Forget the pie! This Mississippi Mud Cake is a fun twist on the classic Mississippi Mud Pie. This chocolate cake with chocolate-pecan frosting is one heck of a tasty treat!
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When you hear Mississippi Mud, the next word is typically Pie. A Mississippi Mud Pie is chocolate pie that is said to look like the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. The origins of this recipe are about as murky as the waters of the Mississippi. Indeed, there are hundreds of variations of this pie…and all of them involve chocolate. I made a mocha mud pie years ago, and it was incredible! (What is it about coffee-flavored desserts? I love ’em!)
For this recipe, I took that Mississippi Mud concept, but flipped it on its head. We went with a traditional layered cake instead of a pie, and the result is this Mississippi Mud Cake. It’s delicious. Like dangerously delicious. And it includes a ridiculous amount of chocolate.
Mississippi Mud Cake
As with many recipes, there are hundreds if not thousands of versions of Mississippi Mud Pie. Variations include adding pecans, marshmallows, pudding, cookies and even bourbon. For this Mississippi Mud Cake, I used pecans and pudding. There are chopped pecans in the frosting itself, and then I used whole pecans to garnish the top of the cake. There are multiple ways to go with the pudding here. I opted to use the pudding mix in the frosting – similar to what I did with this Pistachio Cake. However, I could see making the pudding and then using that as a filling in between the layers.
As noted above, this is one version of this iconic dessert. This recipe is amazing. Seriously. Laura and I allowed ourselves one slice, and then we wrapped up the leftovers and sent ’em off to the downstairs freezer. I knew I couldn’t trust myself with this cake sitting on the counter! (At least with the frozen cake, I’ll have to wait an hour or so before I can eat a slice – that prevents midnight snacking. 1:00 am snacking anyone??)
However, you could have a lot of fun with different variations of this cake. Perhaps replace some of the milk in the frosting with coffee? I think that might need to happen! Or you could use some instant cappuccino mix (the powdered version) in the frosting, too. I’m also intrigued by the addition of bourbon in some versions of Mississippi Mud Pie. What about a coffee-bourbon-chocolate cake? Sounds pretty fantastic to me! Either way, I say start with this version first – it’s so good, you might not want to venture away too far.
Baker’s note: Including the chopped pecans in the frosting itself made it a little tricky to frost the sides of this cake. Here are a couple of tips I learned the hard way: (1) Make sure to finely chop the pecans. (2) When using an offset spatula to frost the sides of the cake, dip the spatula in very hot water first. This helps create a smooth frosting. (3) If all else fails (and I almost went this way), just press the chopped pecans into the sides of the cake rather than mixing them into the frosting. No matter the method, the taste is the same!
I hope you enjoy this Mississippi Mud Cake as much as we did! Happy Baking!
Did you bake this Mississippi Mud Cake at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Mississippi Mud Cake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cups boiling water
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- 1 cup butter softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 3.4-oz. package chocolate instant pudding mix
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- 10 oz. milk chocolate note: not chocolate chips
- 1½ cups finely chopped pecans
- 2 cups whipped cream for garnishing
- ½ cup whole toasted pecans for garnishing
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease or spray (3) 9” round baking pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper.
- Using a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth; set aside.
- Using a large bowl, add flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk until well combined.
- Add eggs, egg yolks, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla; whisk until well combined.
- Finally, add the cocoa powder and hot water mixture to the bowl in several additions, whisking well between each addition.
- Divide batter evenly into baking pans; tap pans lightly on countertop to release any air bubbles.
- Bake at 350°F for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool. (Note: Remove parchment paper from bottom of cakes when transferring them to the cooling rack.)
For the Frosting
- Using a countertop mixer, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy (~3 minutes).
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition.
- Add pudding mix, vanilla extract and milk; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Using a double boiler or microwave, melt the milk chocolate. Pour melted chocolate into frosting. Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until well combined. (Note: If you desire a looser frosting, add an additional tablespoon of milk. For a thicker frosting, add an additional ¼ cup of powdered sugar.)
- Fold chopped pecans into frosting.
To Frost Cake
- Place one layer of cake on large platter. Spread ~1¼ cups of frosting on top. Repeat with 2nd and 3rd layers of cake. Use remaining frosting on top and sides of cake.
- Fit a pastry bag (or ziptop sandwich bag) with a large star tip. Fill bag with whipped cream and pipe large stars around top of cake. Garnish top of cake with whole toasted pecans.
Looking for more tasty chocolate dessert recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Will be making this soon for the cake can i use coconut cream / for the frosting can i use vegan butter / milk chocolate and almond milk as am dairy free i never had mississippi mud cake before perfect for my birthday on 19 September and after office snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
I think those substitutions would work just fine in this cake, Ramya! The chocolate + pecan combination is quite delicious, and I know it would make a fine birthday cake!
I am always up for ingesting a “ridiculous amount of chocolate @ so this has me drooling! What a fantastic and fun cake! Im definitely going to have to send my drone up there to get a piece or stop by when we are there in August! 🙂
Awesome recipe, my friend!
A “ridiculous amount of chocolate” is always a good thing, right, Shashi? 🙂 I heard the drone might not be able to make it back home with this cake…guess you’ll just have to swing by. Haha! Thanks so much, my friend!
What a gorgeous cake David! It looks utterly decadent and rich, and of course the combination of pecan and chocolate is always scrumptious (I’m a bit sad you opted out the bourbon part though!) I see why you needed to wrap it up and hide this beauty in the freezer so quickly – it has a dangerously tempting appearance 🙂
Yeah, I was kinda regretting opting out of the bourbon here, too, Ben. Next time. Next time. 🙂 And, yes, this cake does have magical properties – it disappears without any effort. Haha!
Now this is a cake! Wow David, absolutely gorgeous and completely delicious. I love that you applied the Mississippi Mud concept to cake instead of pie, talk about genius! I’m with you and Laura, freezing would be necessary to keep our house from consuming this Mississippi Mud Cake in one sitting. 😋
Thank you so much, Shannon! I’ve had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while – use the concept of a Mississippi Mud Pie but turn it into another style. The problem is there are literally 100s of ways you can go since Mississippi Mud Pies have so many variations. Either way, I can attest that this cake version is delicious! 🙂
Gosh, David! This cake looks amazing! My chocoholic son would love this, especially since he likes cake more than pie, 😉
This truly is a cake for chocoholics, Michelle! There is so much chocolatey goodness going on here. I do love a good slice of Mississippi Mud Pie, but I’ve gotta say this cake was a fun twist. 🙂
i love sour cream in a cake batter; makes it smooth and tangy. that’s an interesting idea using choc pudding mix. is there anything else you could use to replace it? LOVE this cake david. looks so good.
I’m with you on the sour cream in cake batter, Sherry – it’s a magical ingredient! And the chocolate pudding mix takes it to a new level. I recall you saying chocolate pudding isn’t common down there in Australia. I bet you could use a copycat instant pudding mix recipe instead – this one from Alton Brown looks like a good place to start (https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/instant-chocolate-pudding-mix-recipe-1943281) Of course, that recipe makes way too much, so you’d have to do some math to scale it back to the correct amount. But I think it is doable!
This is on my radar! While I don’t typically favor a chocolate dessert over a fruity one, this recipe is speaking to me. I always feel that chocolate MUST have nuts with it, be it a cookie, cake, or even a candy bar. The cake part reminds me of Texas sheet cake —made with, among other things, boiling water, cocoa, brown sugar, and buttermilk (your sour cream does the same as buttermilk), which I love because, of course, the nuts in the icing. But this cake is much more elegant for special occasions. Question: I have three- 3” deep 8” pans and I have only two- 2” inch deep 9” pans (pans, pans everywhere and never do I have the right ones!). Should I go for the 3 thicker 8” layers or should I bake 2 layers in the 9” and then bake the 3rd layer after those come out of the oven? I never ask questions on a food blog, but I will here because I know you will answer (which is so rare and wonderful!)
Oh, I am totally with you on the chocolate + nuts combination. I almost always opt for pecans, but I’ve been known to go with chocolate and walnuts on occasion. Oh, and Texas Sheet Cake. That one is near and dear to me! I haven’t made one of those in ages!!
Hmmm, excellent question about the cake pans. Personally, I would go with the (3) 8″ pans. They are plenty deep enough for the batter, although you might need to keep an eye on baking times. (The deeper pans should take a couple more minutes I would think.) That’s a much easier approach than baking this cake in 2 rounds.
And thank you for the kind words – from Day 1 of this blog, I swore I would always answer every reader’s questions. Well, that doesn’t include the occasional troll – those just get deleted. 🙂
I’m with you on coffee desserts – love em, even though I don’t drink/like coffee itself! I don’t think I’ve ever had Mississippi Mud Pie before… This cake sounds decadent & delicious!
Honestly, it was coffee desserts that originally got me drinking coffee. Now I look forward to that cup of coffee each morning – it’s the quiet before the storm as Laura and I drink our coffee before Robbie wakes up! Either way, this cake is quite fantastic. I highly recommend a slice or two. 🙂
Ohhh yes please David! That slice looks really good, now you made me crave for one
Haha – a good chocolate cake is quite crave-able for sure. 🙂 Thanks, Raymund!
Please note that it is instant pudding in the recipe itself. I almost never read the comments and would have gone with the cooked version.
Ah, thank you for catching that, Elizabeth! It is indeed instant pudding mix, and I’ve updated the recipe above. Happy baking!
There is an actual Mississippi Mud Cake.
It’s a sheet cake with fudge(boiled) frosting over marshmallows and pecans.
Hey Marilyn! Thanks so much for sharing that version – it sounds quite delicious. I might have to try that sometime! 🙂