Mississippi Mud Pie

Pulling out another vintage recipe from the dessert files of long ago. I thought I'd shared this, but my search came up empty and this one is too good not to share. I've had this recipe for 37 years. Back when we were first married, we met a couple that lived down the road a piece. We lived on a 12 mile dirt road and they lived on a 10 mile dirt road going the opposite direction. On weekends, we'd get together and visit over good food and Laura shared this recipe with me. It's rich. Really rich. And I only make it when I have at least 12 to feed, but there are still leftovers. It freezes well though. Did I mention that it's rich? Just a little bit will go a long way, but if you like chocolate, this is your dessert. It's perfect for a potluck or family reunion or a crew of cowboys or a haying crew. I don't rightly know why it's called pie, because it's really a cake, but I've always known it by this name and it was perfect for last week when I had a crew of 20. I have a pan  that's bigger than 9x13 and I just multiplied everything to make a batch 1 and 1/2  times more than the recipe.

Mississippi Mud Pie

Base Layer:

1 1/2 C flour
2 C sugar
1/4 C cocoa
2 sticks butter
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C pecans
1/2 C coconut

2nd Layer:

 1 jar marshmallow cream

Top Layer:

1/2 C butter
1/3 C cocoa
1/2 C evaporated milk
3 1/2 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

*Mix all 8 ingredients for the base layer. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and spread 1 jar marshmallow cream over cake while hot. Bake 5 more minutes. In a small pan, heat 1/2 C butter, 1/3 C cocoa, 1/2 C evaporated milk. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Add 3 1/2 C powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and mix with a whisk until smooth. Pour over cake. Refrigerate overnight.

This one has stood the test of time!