Father’s Day is a special time of year to celebrate the fathers in our lives. Hardworking men are an important part of our society and should be honored accordingly. So how do you spoil the most important dads in your life? Let’s face it, men like to eat — some more than others, of course, but the old adage “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” still holds true.
My husband loves sweets, chocolate in particular, so I have a tradition of making some sort of special dessert for Father’s Day. This year I’ve chosen a cake I don’t often make. It has more of a fudge brownie texture to it than cake-like, and it’s very rich. You may have heard of it before, or even tried a version. The one I’m sharing today is the made-from-scratch, original Mississippi Mud Cake recipe. It’s said to have been invented in the 1970s and evolved from a mixture of a brownie and fudge.
For the cake, you will need:
- 1 c. butter
- 2 c. sugar
- 1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1/3 c. cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 1 c. pecans
- 2 c. mini marshmallows
For the icing, you will need:
- 1 lb. confectioner’s sugar
- ½ c. cocoa powder
- 1 c. butter
- ½ c. evaporated milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 c. pecans
To make the cake:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9″x13″ pan. Melt the butter, pour it over the sugar, and stir until blended. Beat eggs, add them to your mixture, and stir until blended. Sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder, then add them to the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Stir until smooth and well-blended. Lastly, stir in the vanilla and pecans.
Pour cake batter into a well-greased and floured pan, and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. After 30 minutes, remove the cake from the oven, sprinkle the miniature marshmallows on top, and return to the oven for an additional 2 minutes.
To make the icing:
Sift the cocoa powder and confectioners sugar together. Melt the butter, add to the cocoa/sugar mixture, and stir well. Add milk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in chopped pecans and spread on your still-warm cake.
Kick back and enjoy it to the very last bite!
Download a printable version:
Classic Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe
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