Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe
“I am an amateur cook but a professional eater.”
I started my training young, beginning with foods in liquid form…
…and then progressing on to solids.
Eating didn’t come natural to me and it took a lot of practice to get it right.
But once I mastered it …
…there was no stopping me.
Nothing was getting in the way of my rusk and my mouth.
Not even the risk of tongue mutilation would stop me from ingesting that intoxicating mix of sugar and fat.
When it comes to food, I live dangerously.
When I became a bit more proficient at eating, I graduated to the next stage in culinary development and I became a kitchen assistant to the master chef in the house – my mother.
Here I am at seven years old proudly showing off my first ever bake. It was pastry shapes made from leftover pasty from the apple tart that my mam baked.
Look how proud and freckly I am!
I knew this was the first stop on my culinary journey and that there would be no end to my pastry delights.
When I turned ten years old, my mother stopped using the pudding bowl to cut my hair and she finally allowed me to use it to bake puddings. I still remember flicking through the Australian Woman’s Weekly Cakes & Slices Cookbook. This cookbook was recently procured from my nan, who is also a great baker.
We never had anything new in our home. We were poor. Everything we had was from second-hand shops or hand me downs from my mam’s nine siblings and their children. For years, I wore my Spanish cousin’s clothes. He was a boy, years older than me, and feet taller! A dedicated follower of fashion I was not.
I flicked through this cookbook and I ran my hand over the shiny new unstained pages. I spied the cake that I would most like to stuff in my ten-year-old face. It was the Mississippi Mud Cake. Not only did it just look so bloody good, but also, even back then, I was (and still am) obsessed with American food, especially American desserts. So, I am sure the name of the cake influenced my decision to bake it.
I can still remember my mam hovering over me as I stood on my tippy toes to reach the bowl sitting on top of the pot of boiling water to stir the molten mess of yumminess. Also, I told her that I could do it by myself. Of course, I couldn’t and I needed her to help pour the mixture from one bowl to another. Ok, and to help me with turning on the oven but, apart from that, I did everything else by myself. I swear I did!
Making this cake again was a lovely trip down memory lane but I didn’t realise how sophisticated it is. It’s a proper grown-up cake with alcohol and a full driving licence.
It is more elegant than brownies so it is perfect to make for someone whom you are trying to win over or get in the sack. You could just feed them the whole cake and hope that there is enough alcohol in it to get them drunk!
I think that the last sentence just sums up my whole approach to dating and that is probably why I am single; not enough alcohol in the cakes (I will adjust the recipe next time).
For now, here is the recipe and some sexy photos of the cake under moody lighting; the same type of lighting in which you should serve the cake.
The chocolate sauce and strawberries are appropriate accompaniments for the cake or inappropriate accompaniments if you manage to pull.
So, there you have it, a rambling story of my first ever bake, my…
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hr 10 minutes
Yield: 1 large cake
250 grams of unsalted butter
150 grams of dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or more)
400 grams of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of instant coffee/espresso powder or 40ml of espresso, I use L’or Espresso Supremo pods
85 millilitres of whiskey (dark rum would also work well)
240 millilitres of hot water
185 grams of plain flour
40 grams of self-raising flour
32 grams of cocoa powder (I used Dutch-process cocoa powder)
2 large eggs
Grease and line a 23cm square slab pan.
Preheat the oven to 150°C / 130°C for fan assisted ovens / 300°F / gas mark 2.
Bring a pot of water to the boil and place a heatproof bowl on top.
Chop the butter and chocolate into pieces and add to the heatproof bowl along with the sugar, coffee, whiskey and hot water.
Stir over the heat until the sugar dissolves and everything has melted.
If you start with room temperature butter and chocolate, the mixture will melt quicker.
Take off the heat and allow to cool until lukewarm.
If you add the eggs to the mixture now they will cook. You must let it cool before you add the eggs.
Once lukewarm, sieve and stir in the two flours and cocoa powder. Click here to find out the difference between natural and Dutch-process cocoa powder.
Beat the two eggs together and then stir into the mixture.
The mixture is quite slack, like a batter and it’s what gives the cake its lovely dense texture.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and place in the middle of the preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
When done, leave to cool in the pan for ten minutes before turning out onto a rack and carefully removing the parchment paper.
At this point, most recipes would say ‘allow to cool’ but that has never happened with this cake. It always feels like I have been waiting for ages to tuck in, so I usually slice it up and demolish it whilst it is warm.
The texture of the Mississippi Mud Cake is very dense and rich but it isn’t overly sweet and it has a complex depth of flavour that makes this cake quite sophisticated. I usually serve it with something smooth and creamy like natural yoghurt or cream or ice-cream. On this occasion, I served it with strawberries, because I wanted it to look exactly like it did in the book and I also had a slice with Hersey’s chocolate syrup, which was a delicious accompaniment.
The flavour of this cake improves overnight and the next day and should keep for up to five days in an airtight container (although I cannot be certain of this, as the cake has never lasted longer than two days in my house).
So, what do you think of my Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe? Did you try it out? Did you like it? What improvements would you make? Share a photo of your attempt at this recipe or leave any feedback and comments below, I’d love to hear from you.
“Bon Nomnom”
You might also like my recipe for salted caramel sauce chocolate cake.
Here’s my recipe for mini hot chocolate cheesecakes.
And I have a blog post explaining the difference between regular cocoa powder and Dutch-processed cocoa powder and when you should use each one.
Oh, and you have to try my recipe for perfect Pavlova.
If you like this Mississippi Mud Cake recipe, please share with others.
A warm, comforting breakfast that's easy to make.
Twixmas is a great time to chill out and relax.
Packed with protein, fibre, and flavour, it's the perfect grab-and-go breakfast.
This creamy hot chocolate recipe is a closely guarded secret.
Discover the ideal white wine and food matches for every occasion.
Your journey to understanding the nuances of white wine.
View Comments
sweet.
Thanks Noel. I hope you like the blog.
Hi Melanie, saw your link on Irishbizparty and wow this is fantastic, humorous, honest and informative with fab recipe too! I think you have captured perfectly what most of us would relate to, well done! And continued success from South Dublin Yoga would love you to like and interact with the posts that interest you.
Best wishes
geraldine
Thanks a million for the great comment. I am beaming here. I really appreciate you saying that, Geraldine.
I want some of these cakes! That second last photograph. Wow! Soft focus strawberries in the background and unctuous chocolatey goodness so close and perfect you could eat it. Great photo Melanie. You're totally crushing that food photography thing.
Aw, thanks a million for that. I am trying so hard to improve the photos on the blog. Some work, a lot don't but I'm always improving so I am happy with that. Glad you liked it.
One I must try, for sure!
It is such a scrumptious cake. Let me know how you get on when you bake it.
Oh my goodness! It looks like the most delicious things I've seen in such a long time! And I loved your pictures as well.
P.S. I bookmarked this one :)
Let me know how you get on if you bake it.
It's such a tasty cake. Thanks for dropping by!
This looks imply decadent and delicious! Plus I loved your account of how you got started. Memories like that always remain special. Not being a great cook or baker, this recipe does look easy to follow so I think it's something I can definitely try my hand at.
I think being a great cook and baker is very hard. I mess up so many recipes but the only way to get better is to burn more cakes! This one is easy to make you just need to make sure the oven is the right temperature and you keep checking that the top isn't getting too dark. Good luck.
Love a travel, lifestyle, food blog. Especially this one from august. Keep it up
Thanks so much and thanks for stopping by.
I love the baby photos they are too cute. The cake looks so good especially with those strawberries on the side.
Aw, thanks. My mam loves this post because of the baby photos! Raspberries also work really well on the side, too.
I loved these photos of your step by step cooking process, they look like they could belong in a cookbook! I definitely want to try this recipe now after seeing your easy steps-- and the amateur cook but professional eater line killed me because it's all too relatable. Great post-- and cute personal touch with those baby photos!
Thanks so much. The step-by-step photos take ages to do but I really do think they help with the recipe. I do hope you make this cake. It is delicious.
I just want to put my face straight into the batter mixture, that looks so good. Love the pictures at the beginning of the post, too!
Lol! I like your style. Thanks so dropping by and feel free to share any of your embarrassing baby photos just to even things up a bit.
Oh i love the pictures. And that Mississippi Mud Cake looks so delicious! Will definitely try this recipe.
Thanks and yes, the cake is delicious. Enjoy.
This cake looks so delicious! I've never tried it but thank you for sharing the recipe, I'll surely try it out - I'm a chocolate lover xx
I'm a chocolate lover too and this is full of chocolate, you could even cover it in melted chocolate if you wanted to!
Ah the photos are all adorable! Too cute! This recipe looks amazing, I love anything to do with chocolate so must try this!
It is my go-to chocolate cake recipe. It never fails to impress.
You are right, that cake does look rather dense. It's probably why you don't have to let it sit too long before you can cut into it. It definitely looks amazing.
Sure, who can wait for cake to sit? I want to eat it as soon as it comes out of the oven!
Oohh! This looks awesome! Will have to make this one for the kids one day :)
You should let the kids help you make it or at least let them lick the bowl!
oh this cake looks so good. And I love how easy it is too. Thanks for the recipe!
It is very easy but you do create a little bit of washing up!
Even though my mother was a superlative chef, she preferred to have us watch and not dabble in her kitchen. I learned by experimenting and never looked back. Your story brought back memories.... now for a slice of those cakes. Yum!
I bet you still learned loads by just watching but I have to say it is so much fun helping people bake. And experimenting is the best way to learn!
Love how you shared a flashback to your younger years. :) This is something I would definitely want to make for my daughter - I think she will like it!
Thanks for that. I hope your daughter enjoys the cake and I hope she joins in. I loved helping my mam bake when I was younger.
I really like how you composed this post with the flashback photos. Awesomeness. This cake would great with my coffee right now. I may have to try this one day. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you liked the old photos! Nothing like embarrassing yourself on the internet!
To be honest i love your story more !! and forget to focus on recipe !!! It must be sweet and awesome like you !! Keep experimenting and share with us
Ah, thanks so much.
Would this work topped with a ganache (thinking white choc ganache to top with dark choc ganache piping around bottom edge or vice versa). Looks yummy as is, but planning to use as a birthday cake, so would need a base for decorating (piped chocolate lettering)
Also approx how many serves does this recipe make (need at least 30 serves)
You'd probably need to make two cakes to get 30 slices. You could also try and make my chocolate salted caramel cake which would serve more people.
It would be a perfect base for a white chocolate ganache topping, or you could try making my salted caramel chocolate cake and substitute the fudge topping for the white chocolate.
Very yummy cake. Used a dark choc ganache with white choc lettering and berries to decorate which everyone enjoyed (had a pan 34×23 cm so i multiplied by 1.5 to account for the tin being 1.5 times that of the recipe. Worked a charm)
Oh super. So glad you liked it and that it turned out well.