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Wilmington Island Marsh Mud Cake

I am fortunate enough to live on beautiful Wilmington Island, where my home sits directly on Turner's Creek. There's nothing more wonderful and peaceful than looking out my window and seeing the porpoises playing and gliding through the water, or the herons stalking the minnows in the tidewater creeks. Many homes on the island sit either on the water or the marsh -- any way you look at it, we all see our share of mud here. Since this is one of the favorite cakes baked out here, I think that the name is very befitting.

CAKE
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

FROSTING
1 16-ounce box light brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 10.5-ounce package miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 X 9 X 2-inch pan.

Stir cocoa into mixing bowl with butter. Add eggs, flour, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat well with a handheld electric mixer. Stir in nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes. While cake is baking, prepare frosting. Mix brown sugar, cocoa, butter, milk, and vanilla together in a bowl and beat until smooth. Remove cake from oven and pour marshmallows over hot cake. Pour frosting over marshmallows on top.

Serves 16 to 20

Copyright © 2002 by Paula H. Deen