Dolly Parton Mississippi Mud Cake

Make this easy Dolly Parton Mississippi Mud Cake with chocolate cake mix, marshmallows, and rich chocolate frosting for a decadent Southern dessert.

This easy Dolly Parton Mississippi Mud Cake starts with a box of Dolly's rich chocolate cake mix, then gets topped with gooey marshmallows and a warm, fudgy chocolate-pecan frosting. It's an old-fashioned Southern dessert that's rich, messy, chocolatey, and absolutely meant for sharing.

There are a couple of reasons why I'm calling this my Dolly Parton Mississippi Mud Cake.

The obvious one is sitting right there in the ingredient list: it starts with a box of Dolly Parton's chocolate cake mix.

But there's more to the story than that.

Dolly, Carl, and a Chocolate Cake

When I turned over the box of Dolly Parton's chocolate cake mix, I noticed a little note about her husband, Carl.

Dolly mentioned that Carl loved her chocolate cake and that the Dutch cocoa in this mix gives it that rich chocolate flavor.

And that stopped me for a minute.

For all of Dolly Parton's fame, Carl Dean was famously the quiet one. While Dolly became one of the most recognizable women in the world, Carl largely stayed away from the spotlight.

He was simply her husband, her partner, and the love of her life.

There's something incredibly sweet to me about finding a little mention of Carl's favorite chocolate cake on the back of a box with Dolly's face on the front.

And I figure if this chocolate cake mix was good enough for Carl, it's good enough for me.

So I decided to take that chocolate cake one step further and turn it into one of the richest Southern chocolate desserts I know: Mississippi Mud Cake.

Something tells me Carl wouldn't have minded.

Our Own Mississippi Connection

There's another reason Mississippi Mud Cake feels right at home in this Dolly series.

Several years ago, 15 members of our family caravanned from Texas to Tennessee for a family vacation to Dollywood. It was exactly as calm and orderly as you're imagining.

We rented an incredible three-story log cabin in Tennessee, took turns cooking for that enormous crew, spent time at Dollywood, laughed ourselves silly, and even had a black bear wander right up beside our cabin one morning while we were outside on the deck.

We knew we were in bear country.

We were not, however, psychologically prepared to find one outside the house.

But that's a story for another Dolly recipe.

On our way from Texas to Tennessee, we traveled through Mississippi, and if memory serves, we even spent the night in Laurel along the way. We came back through Mississippi on the return trip, too.

So apparently our Dolly adventure had a little Mississippi mixed into it from the beginning.

Put it all together—our Mississippi road trip, Dolly's chocolate cake mix, Carl's love of chocolate cake, and my own love of old-fashioned Southern desserts—and this recipe just felt like it belonged in the collection.

What Is Mississippi Mud Cake?

Mississippi Mud Cake is one of those wonderfully over-the-top Southern desserts that doesn't apologize for being rich.

And I love that about it.

There are many variations, but this version starts with a moist chocolate cake and adds a layer of mini marshmallows while the cake is still hot.

Those marshmallows puff and soften in the oven, creating the gooey layer that gives the cake its wonderfully messy "mud" appearance.

Then, while everything is still warm, the cake gets covered with a pourable chocolate-pecan frosting.

If you've ever had Texas Sheet Cake, you'll recognize the style of frosting immediately. Butter, cocoa, milk, powdered sugar, vanilla, and pecans come together into a warm chocolate icing that's poured over the cake instead of spread on after everything has cooled.

As it sets, that frosting becomes soft and fudgy.

This is not a neat, prim little layer cake.

It's Mississippi Mud Cake.

It's supposed to look like you've had a little fun.

Ingredients

You'll find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here's a quick peek at what you're going to need to make this delicious southern cake. These are simple ingredients you can find at most any grocery store. And if they don't have the Dolly Parton cake mixes you can choose the brand of your choice.

For the Chocolate Cake

• 1 box Dolly Parton chocolate cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups mini marshmallows

For the Chocolate-Pecan Frosting

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ⅓ cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans

You'll find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Dolly Parton Mississippi Mud Cake

Prepare the Chocolate Cake

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick baking spray.

Place the chocolate cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, whole milk, and vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl.

Mix until everything is incorporated, then beat according to the directions on the cake mix box.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly.

Bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Depending on your pan and oven, this will probably take somewhere around 28–32 minutes, but begin checking the cake according to the timing suggested on your cake mix box.

Don't overbake it. We want a moist chocolate cake underneath all of that gooey goodness.

Get Everything Ready Before the Cake Is Done

Here's the one part of this recipe where timing matters.

When the cake has about 8–10 minutes of baking time remaining, start preparing the chocolate frosting.

You should also have your 3 cups of mini marshmallows measured and ready to go.

Once the cake comes out of the oven, things move pretty quickly.

Make the Chocolate-Pecan Frosting

Place the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and melt.

Whisk in the cocoa powder and milk until smooth and heated through.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Gradually add the powdered sugar, whisking until the frosting is smooth, glossy, and pourable.

Stir in the chopped pecans.

Keep the frosting warm while you finish the marshmallow layer.

Add the Marshmallows

As soon as the chocolate cake comes out of the oven, scatter the mini marshmallows evenly over the entire surface.

Return the cake to the oven for 2–3 minutes.

Watch it closely. You're not trying to toast the marshmallows. You simply want them to become soft, puffy, and slightly melted.

Remove the cake from the oven.

Pour on the Warm Chocolate-Pecan Frosting

While the marshmallows and cake are still warm, pour the warm chocolate-pecan frosting over the top.

Don't worry about making everything perfectly smooth.

In fact, don't.

Let some of those marshmallows peek through. Let the chocolate icing settle into the nooks and crannies.

We're making Mississippi Mud Cake, not auditioning for a cake-decorating competition.

Let the Cake Set

Now comes the easiest step: Leave it alone. Allow the Mississippi Mud Cake to cool completely, uncovered.

As it cools, the marshmallow layer will settle and the chocolate-pecan frosting will set into a soft, fudgy topping.

Once the cake is completely cool, cover the pan tightly.

I like the idea of making this cake the night before serving. That gives all of those layers time to settle together, and it means dessert is already finished the next day.

Can I Use Another Brand of Chocolate Cake Mix?

Absolutely. I'm using Dolly Parton's chocolate cake mix because this recipe is part of my Dolly Parton baking series—and because I loved discovering that little note about Carl's love of Dolly's chocolate cake.

But you don't have to use Dolly's mix to make this recipe.

If you can't find it where you live, substitute another standard boxed chocolate cake mix of approximately the same size.

Do I Have to Use Pecans?

No, but they certainly make this cake feel Southern.

The pecans add a lovely bit of texture to an otherwise very soft dessert, and I particularly love them in that warm Texas-sheet-cake-style chocolate frosting.

If your family doesn't care for nuts, simply leave them out.

Can I Make Mississippi Mud Cake Ahead of Time?

Yes, and I think this is an excellent make-ahead dessert.

Prepare the entire cake, allow it to cool completely, and then cover it tightly until you're ready to serve.

The resting time allows the marshmallows and chocolate frosting to settle into that wonderfully gooey, fudgy topping.

How Do I Cut Mississippi Mud Cake?

Don't expect Mississippi Mud Cake to cut like a brownie.

The marshmallow layer makes this a softer, gooier dessert. Use a sharp knife and wipe the blade clean between cuts for the neatest pieces.

And don't worry if every square isn't picture-perfect.

Remember what we're making.

Mud.

Delicious chocolate mud, but mud nonetheless.

How Should I Store Mississippi Mud Cake?

Once completely cool, cover the cake tightly.

Because this version doesn't contain cream cheese, whipped cream, or another highly perishable topping, it can be kept covered at cool room temperature for short-term storage.

If your house is particularly warm, you can refrigerate the cake and allow individual pieces to come toward room temperature before serving.

More Dolly Parton Recipes

I'm baking my way through Dolly Parton's cake mixes and having entirely too much fun connecting these recipes to Dolly's music, movies, life—and some of my own memories along the way.

You can start with my master post, Dolly, I Will Always Love You!

Be sure to check out my growing collection, including:

Be sure to check out my growing collection, including:

• Dolly Parton Banana Bread
• Dolly Parton Banana Bread Cookies
• Dolly Parton Pineapple Coconut Cake
• Dolly Parton Coconut Cookies with Lemon Glaze
• Dolly Parton Apples & Bananas Dump Cake
• Dolly Parton Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with Nutella
• Dolly Parton Gooey Butter Bars
• Dolly Parton Strawberry Pound Cake
• Dolly Parton Sock It to Me Cake
• Dolly Parton Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake Bars
• Easy Copycat Dollywood Cinnamon Bread

There will be more coming, I promise! As each new recipe goes live, I'll add it here so you can bake your way through the whole collection with me.

Final Thoughts

There's something I really love about this one! Dolly is larger than life. Rhinestones, big hair, enormous talent, huge personality—she has spent decades being one of the most recognizable women in the world.

And then there was Carl. Quiet. Private. Mostly out of sight.

So finding that little mention of him on the back of Dolly's chocolate cake mix made me smile. Out of everything they could have printed there, we got a tiny glimpse into something very ordinary: her husband loved her chocolate cake.

Maybe that's why this recipe feels like the right one to give him a little nod.

We're starting with the chocolate cake mix Dolly says was inspired by the rich chocolate flavor Carl loved, then turning it into a big, messy, old-fashioned Southern dessert.

Add in my own family's trek through Mississippi on our way to see Dolly's Tennessee, and somehow it all comes together.

Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas.

Dolly, Carl, and one very chocolatey cake.

If this chocolate cake was good enough for Carl, it's certainly good enough for me.

And I have a feeling that once I pour that warm chocolate-pecan frosting over those gooey marshmallows, it'll be pretty hard for the rest of us to resist, too.

Thanks for Stopping By!

If you make this delicious Mississippi mud cake and love it please leave a comment or review. And please pin some photos to your Pinterest boards before you go.

Janice Thompson is a professional baker, cake designer, and author with over 20 years of experience creating unique cakes and desserts. She’s the creator of Out of the Box Baking, where she shares her favorite doctored cake mix recipes, tutorials, and baking tips. Learn more →