Mississippi Mud Cakes

Perfect for one-- even better to share-- these rich chocolatey cakes topped with pecans, marshmallows, and smooth chocolate glaze are just right when you're harboring a craving for chocolate (and aren't thinking about your calories.)

Let's start with what you'll need for the cake:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 cups milk
16 T unsalted butter 
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (I used 1/4 c Ghirardelli cocoa and 1/2 c plain old Hershey, just to keep things interesting)
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups toasted pecan halves
3 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Prep a 15x10 baking sheet or, for individual cakes, line a muffin tin with foil liners (pretty colours optional, but encouraged.)  Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, butter, and cocoa until butter melts completely and the mixture becomes smoooth.  Mix into dry ingredients, then add eggs and vanilla.  

Spread (or, if you're doing minis, spoon-- I use an ice cream scoop when I do cupcakes, just to keep things easy and generally uniform in size) cake batter into pan/tins and sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Bake for 23 minutes (for individual cakes, about 10) or until a toothpick draws clean from the centre.  

Remove from the oven and poke repeatedly with a fork-- this'll give the glaze more space to absorb into the cake for maximum deliciousness.  And yes, you get to lick off all the cake that'll stick to the end of your fork!

Add pecans, then marshmallows, and return to the oven for 2 more minutes.  Remove and set the pan aside.  If you're doing minis, remove the liners from your muffin tins and set them up nice and pretty on a cooling rack.

GO-- while your cake is cooling, but before it gets TOO cool, start on the glaze!  Here's what you'll need.

6 T whipping cream
6 T dark corn syrup
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan (let's be honest, you're using the one you used earlier) bring whipping cream and corn syrup to a simmer.  Add chocolate chips and stir until chips melt and glaze becomes nice and smooth.  Let stand up to five minutes and pour over your warm and delicious cakes.

Yields 24 servings of chocolatey deliciousness!

To view the recipe in full, head over here!