This Mississippi mud cake is a moist, decadent cake topped with toasted pecans and a caramelly, chocolate glaze. It is rich and indulgent.

I’m all about having a bit of chocolate sweetness to end the Thanksgiving meal. Enter this dessert.

A moist, decadent cake is topped with toasted pecans and a caramelly, chocolate glaze. The entire combination is rich, indulgent and completely worth every bite.

Slice of chocolate mud cake on a white plate with a fork taking a bite out.

The great thing about adding this to your holiday table is that it can be made up to two days ahead of time.

Although, being completely honest here, if that planning method evidenced itself in my house, I’m not entirely sure any of the cake would actually make it to the big day…

White plate with a slice of chocolate mud cake.

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Two Years Ago: Banana Bars with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

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Mississippi Mud Cake

4.41 stars (5 ratings)

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ cups (530 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (227 g) butter
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • ¾ cup (64 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 large room temperature eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups pecan halves, toasted (can use walnut halves in place of pecans)

Chocolate Glaze:

  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 6 tablespoons dark corn syrup
  • 8 ounces (227 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10 ½-inch by 15 ½-inch jelly roll pan. Tap out any excess flour. As you can see from the picture below, I don’t own a pan this size, however, by folding foil and using my mini-loaf pans, I adapted my large baking sheet to work just fine.
  • Sift the flour through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Add the sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir well to combine. Set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, milk, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently until the butter melts completely and the cocoa is incorporated. Add the hot chocolate/milk mixture to the flour mixture, whisking until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan.
  • For the glaze: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and corn syrup. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth, about 1 minute.
  • Remove from the heat and let the mixture stand until lukewarm, about 10 minutes. The glaze should be thick but pourable. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.
  • Arrange the toasted pecans evenly over the top of the cake. Spoon the glaze over the top, carefully spreading it in and around the pecans. This step is messy and it’s ok if the glaze isn’t completely smooth over the top of the cake. Let the frosted cake stand at room temperature until the glaze sets, about 3 hours.
  • Cut into squares. Serve, or cover with aluminum foil and store for up to 2 days at room temperature.

Notes

Glaze: this cake, once frosted with the glaze, needs to sit at room temperature for a couple of hours for the glaze to set so plan ahead!
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 543kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 298mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 48g

Recipe Source: adapted from Williams-Sonoma Desserts

My altered pan…worked great!

sheet pan covered in tinfoil, with two small bread pans on the side