Bake the Book
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With a name like Mississippi Mud Cake, there's no doubt that this dessert deserves to be included in Southern Living: Classic Southern Desserts. It uses simple ingredients to create a densely chocolatey sheet cake lightened with marshmallows.

Reprinted with permission from Copyright © 2012. Published by Oxmoor House. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

About This Recipe

Yield: makes 15 servings
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the Cake
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 (4 oz) semisweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (10.5 ounces) bag miniature marshmallows
  •  
  • For the Frosting
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 (16 ounces) package powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Procedures

  1. For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Place pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.

  2. Microwave 1 cup butter and chocolate bar in a large microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk sugar and next 5 ingredients into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into a greased 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan.

  3. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle evenly with miniature marshmallows; bake 8 to 10 more minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle warm cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkle evenly with toasted pecans.

  4. For the frosting: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in milk and cocoa, and bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until smooth; stir in vanilla. Use immediately.