Mississippi Mud Cake (small batch)

 

One thing which is done really well in North America is the North American Diner.  These, usually roadside eating establishments are well known for serving up good, honest, simple and delicious fare!  

With excellent service, great food, reasonable prices, brilliant conversation and great coffee, they are a mecca for anyone who wants to enjoy a really delicious meal in a comfortable atmosphere that won't break the budget.

This recipe I am sharing with you today was adapted from one I found in The American Diner Cookbook.  I cut the recipe in half to make a small batch Mississippi Mud Cake, which is a very popular dessert and not just in diners!

 

 

Mississippi Mud Cake is a delicious dessert cake with a chocolate fudgy brownie bottom, topped with a marshmallow topping and a fudgy chocolate icing. It is called mud cake because of the fudginess of the chocolate cake bottom, and the gooey marshmallow and fudge frosting. Almost mud like.  It is said to have been invented in the southern American states. 

It is a delicious meshing together of brownies, cake, and s'mores. Ooey, gooey, chocolatey, fudgy, deliciousness that is impossible to resist.

Very easy to make this cake always goes down a real treat. Whether you choose to enjoy it with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of java, this is one cake that nobody will be turning down a piece of!  It's a real chocolate dessert treat!  Family friendly and very simple to make.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE (SMALL BATCH)

A few simple store cupboard baking ingredients. There is nothing too out of the ordinary except for maybe the marshmallow cream. I will provide a link to where you can make your own.

For the cake:

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60g) softened butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup (94g) unsifted all-purpose plain flour
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup (28g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Not the drink mix)
• 1/2 cup (58g) chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 cup (25g) marshmallow creme

For the frosting:

• 2 TBS softened butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (Not the drink mix)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) cream
• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar (confectioners' sugar/powdered sugar)
• Additional toasted nuts to garnish (optional)

 

Everything needed for this recipe is pretty self-explanatory. Do make sure your butter is at room temperature.  When I am baking, unless a recipe specifically asks for something different, I usually make sure all of my ingredients are at room temperature.

The one thing which might be difficult to come by in the U.K. is the Marshmallow Creme. This is a spreadable marshmallow product.  You could probably just top the cake with regular marshmallows and pop the cake back into the oven for a few minutes to melt them, but you can also make your own Marshmallow Creme.  I highly recommend this recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction.  Her recipes are always very reliable.

Do make sure that you use unsweetened cocoa powder and not chocolate drink mix or cocoa mix powder.  Both of those are sweetened ingredients and you don't want to use them.  Unsweetened cocoa powder is specifically to be used for baking and that is what you need here.

You can toast your nuts very easily by popping them onto a baking sheet and popping the baking sheet into a moderate (350*F/180*C) oven for 8 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn. You just want them to be lightly toasty.

 

HOW TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE (SMALL BATCH)

This was really a very simple cake to make. Quick, easy, delicious and just the right size. You can't ask for much more than that!

Make the cake part of the recipe first. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C./ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch round cake tin really well and dust lightly with flour. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt together. Add to the creamed mixture, stirring everything together just to combine. It should be smooth with no dry streaks. Fold in the nuts.

  

Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top down.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The top should spring back, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few crumbs.

While the cake is still hot, dollop the marshmallow cream over top of the cake. Spread it out to cover with the back of a metal spoon. Set aside to cool completely.

 

Combine all of the frosting ingredients in a bowl, sifting in the cocoa powder so as to remove any lumps. Beat together until smooth and creamy. Spread this mixture over top of the cold cake. Sprinkle with additional chopped nuts if using.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

 

This was incredibly fudgy, rich and delicious!  Very decadent as well with that lush marshmallow cream filling.  It was perfect enjoyed with an ice-cold glass of milk!

I did use pecans instead of walnuts as most of the people in my family prefer pecans instead of walnuts. The chopped nuts on top were optional but added a lovely touch!  It made the perfect dessert cake! Quick, easy and delicious! Why not treat yourself today!

 

Are you a fan of the small batch dessert cake?  I love them as they are just the right size for the smaller family without a lot of leftovers to tempt me into eating too much of what I shouldn't be eating!  Here are a few other favorites of mine!

7-UP SHEET CAKE -  There is no leavening in the recipe. No baking powder, or soda. Instead the cake relies on the carbonation of the soda drink to give it some rise.  This also helps to keep the cake tender and moist. It is really delicious and has a lovely lime glaze frosting. It also goes beautifully with fresh berries.

SMALL BATCH GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM - This is a small batch Gingerbread Cake, built for two with leftovers. Not enough leftovers that you have it hanging around for a week or two or three. Just enough so that you can enjoy it once as a dessert with something lush spooned over top, and once as a teatime treat, served warm, split and buttered. I hope that I am not the only person who enjoys my ginger cake buttered!  Its delicious!

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Mississippi Mud Cake (small batch)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 35 Min

I adapted this delicious cake recipe from a full batch recipe found in the American Diner Cookbook. The original said it made six servings, but they must have been really generous servings as a half a batch recipe makes four generous, deliciously fudgy servings! Simply delicious. This is a real winner of a dessert cake!

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60g) softened butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup (94g) unsifted all-purpose plain flour
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup (28g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Not the drink mix)
• 1/2 cup (58g) chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 cup (25g) marshmallow creme

For the frosting:

• 2 TBS softened butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (Not the drink mix)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) cream
• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar (confectioners' sugar/powdered sugar)
• Additional toasted nuts to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the cake part of the recipe first. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C./ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch round cake tin really well and dust lightly with flour. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt together. Add to the creamed mixture, stirring everything together just to combine. It should be smooth with no dry streaks. Fold in the nuts.
4. Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top down.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The top should spring back, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few crumbs.
6. While the cake is still hot, dollop the marshmallow cream over top of the cake. Spread it out to cover with the back of a metal spoon. Set aside to cool completely.
7. Combine all of the frosting ingredients in a bowl, sifting in the cocoa powder so as to remove any lumps. Beat together until smooth and creamy. Spread this mixture over top of the cold cake. Sprinkle with additional chopped nuts if using.
8. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Did you make this recipe?

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