Easy Mississippi Mud Cake
This easy Mississippi Mud Cake recipe is made with boxed cake mix, marshmallows, and a homemade fudge frosting. It’s an easy yet impressive dessert that everyone will love!
This Easy Mississippi Mud Cake is a creative twist on chocolate cake that you can make in a 13×9 inch pan.
It starts with chocolate cake with pecans, then a layer of toasted marshmallows, and topped with a layer of chocolate fudge frosting.
It’s decadent without being extremely sweet, and it has lots of delightful textures like soft and tender cake, crunchy pecans, gooey marshmallows, and a smooth and creamy frosting.
It looks really similar to my Ding Dong Cake, but has a flavor all its own.
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What makes this recipe delicious
- It’s EASY. This recipe calls for chocolate cake mix instead of making a cake from scratch.
- We’ll doctor up the cake mix with a cup of brewed coffee in place of the water, which amps up the chocolate flavor.
- My favorite part is the toasted marshmallow layer—YUM!
Ingredients
- You’ll need chocolate cake mix, plus the ingredients to make the cake as listed on the box.
- We’ll use brewed coffee in place of the water for the cake mix.
- Finely chopped pecans get mixed into the chocolate cake.
- You’ll need an entire bag of mini marshmallows.
- The frosting is powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk.
How to make easy Mississippi Mud Cake
Start by making a boxed cake mix according to package directions in a 13×9 inch pan.
Substitute brewed coffee for the water in the cake. You can use regular or decaf.
To the batter, add 1 cup of finely chopped pecans mixed with 1 teaspoon flour. The flour prevents the pecans from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
Bake the cake according to package directions.
Remove the cake from the oven, and add 1 package of miniature marshmallows. Place the cake back in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the marshmallows are lightly toasted.
Allow the cake to cool completely.
The chocolate fudge frosting
The key to a smooth and creamy fudge frosting is making sure that the butter is at room temperature.
To make it, place the butter, powdered sugar, milk, and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Spread the frosting over the cake, and serve the Mississippi Mud Cake either at room temperature or cold from the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The coffee complements the flavor of the chocolate cake mix, but it’s not necessary to use it for this cake.
To make this recipe even easier, you can substitute one can of chocolate frosting for the homemade frosting.
You can omit the pecans and flour from the recipe without any other changes.
Make ahead instructions
The cake can be made 1–2 days ahead of serving. Store it tightly covered, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze the cake. Wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap, then with foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight at room temperature before serving.
More cake recipes made with cake mix
Love a good 13×9 inch cake? Me too. Here are a few more of my favorites that also start with a box of cake mix:
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Easy Mississippi Mud Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 1 box chocolate cake mix prepared according to package directions
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- 1 (16 oz) package mini marshmallows
- ½ stick butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9 inch pan with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, stir together the pecans and flour.
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions, but substitute brewed coffee for the water that’s called for on the package. Stir in the flour-coated pecans.
- Bake the cake according to package directions, but underbake by 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and pour the mini marshmallows over the top. Place the pan back in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the marshmallows are very lightly toasted.
- Let the cake cool completely.
- Place the softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and milk in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy.
- Spread over the cake. Let sit for several hours until the frosting firms up slightly (or refrigerate for 30 minutes). Cut into slices and serve.
