Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram She is my mothering idol. Instead of merely letting my kids make cookies for dinner, I left them for 2 and 1/2 weeks and let grandparents have all the cookie-making decisions. First I went to Philadelphia for my brother’s med school graduation, then came home, but turned around a couple days later for an anniversary trip with Eric in Seattle. Who’s from Seattle?? Who’s visited? What a fun city. We stayed for almost a week and had so much fun. Eric is convinced he wants to live there. Every time he brought it up I started shivering in protest. I know it’s 105 degrees in Sacramento this week (ugh, gag me) but I would take 105 a couple times a year over drizzly 60 degree temperatures year round.
I recently crossed the Mississippi River on my drive out to Philadelphia, and I can attest that this cake looks JUST like the river it’s named for. Just kidding. Have you had Mississippi Mud Cake?? It’s always been a favorite of mine. Chocolate and marshmallow is one of the best combos. My mother-in-law Kris made this cake for her kids all the time when they were growing up. Eric remembered it and called her up for the recipe. So she emailed him a recipe from Allrecipes.com. He told her that the internet didn’t even exist when he was a kid, so how could this be the right recipe. She said, “it’s basically the same!” Uh uh Kris. No way. I pestered her until she got me the recipe from a chocolate cookbook she used to use all the time. Aaaaaand then I changed it. Oops. The original recipe calls for both coconut and pecans in the cake. I interrogated Eric until he told me that his mom usually did half the cake with pecans and half without, and he always chose the nut-free side. (Eric said, “I mean, muddy rivers DO have rocks at the bottom…”) Feel free to add nuts/rocks if you like! They are a classic ingredient in this cake. Coconut, however, is not. I looked up a whole bunch of recipes and none called for coconut. I was in a very self serving mood when I made this, and I don’t love coconut, so I left it out. Next time I will probably add it though. Coconut often does pretty magical things when added to cake. If you whip up this cake, snap a photo and share on Instagram using #TheFoodCharlatan! I’d love to see it. Want to freeze it? Just make sure it’s in a tightly sealed container. This cake freezes really well, and you can even cut it into individual portions. Defrost overnight in the fridge or on the counter when you’re ready for more. Chocolate Cherry Sheet Cake with Fudge Frosting: «sooooo easy. so good. Strawberry Truffle Cake « you get to smash a cake when you make this. For real. Death By Chocolate Bundt Cake « made from a cake mix! No one will believe you. Mississippi Mud Brookies from Chocolate, Chocolate, and More Peanut Butter Mississippi Mud Blondies from Oh Sweet Basil Mississippi Mud Brownies from Bun in my Oven
