I spent two years of college at a small liberal arts school that's situated on the bluffs of the Mississippi River. My friends and I would cross the river to get to St. Louis for shopping or movies or baseball games, and curse the river after heavy rains caused severe flooding and prohibited us from escaping the sometimes unbearable confines of a very small college. The muddy water would bury most of the roads leading anywhere worth going. There was one back road but that only went deeper into the woods. It was when we couldn't leave that we'd carve out a little space of our own and find a bench on the bluffs that overlooked the Mississippi. We could watch and hear the steady flow of that murky brown water and allowed it to carry our worries about boys, homework, fatigue… and whatever else was troubling us at nineteen, away.
I never sampled the mud or the water of the Mississippi, but I imagine that it tastes nothing like this recipe we found on Epicurious which is hands-down the best mud pie I've ever had. It's fantastically rich with bold flavors of chocolate, espresso, brown sugar, and bourbon. The sauce is so good you'll think of ways to incorporate it into your every day foods like oatmeal or a cup of coffee.
You'll find it very easy to make but do allow yourself some adequate prep time (although finely chopped isn't a direction we always follow, which saves some time). We also doubled this recipe and it was enough for 30 people. The recipe states that one cake will serve 10, but's it's so rich that you may want to serve smaller slices.
Cake Batter StepsStep 1 Over a medium flame, melt then simmer… 1 cup unsalted butter 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (but only if you have the patience and we do not!) 1/2 cup super strong coffee
Bourbon Mud Pie 2
Step 2 Mix together and set aside... 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt
Bourbon Mud Pie 1
Step 3 Remove the butter and chocolate mixture from the stove and add… 1.5 cups sugar 1/2 cup bourbon Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
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Step 4 In a bowl, whisk… 4 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Step 5 Slowly mix in the flour and egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, alternating in small batches until it has all been incorporated.
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Step 6 Pour the batter into a bunt cake pan that has been greased with butter. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes (the recipe says 45 but our oven doesn't need that much time and we didn't want to overcook it). Once a toothpick comes out with a tiny bit of moisture on it, it's probably time to take the cake out.
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Step 7 Cool for 10 minutes, then flip the cake face down onto a plate to sit until you're ready to drizzle it with glaze and serve.
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Glaze/Frosting StepsStep 1 In a saucepan, combine… 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 6 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1/2 cup espresso
Bourbon Sauce 1
Step 2 Add 6 tablespoons heavy cream
Bourbon Sauce 2
Step 3 Remove from the heat and stir in… 1.5 - 2 cups powdered sugar 2-4 tablespoons bourbon
Bourbon Sauce 4
We stored the glaze in a mason jar since we were transporting the cake to our mom and dad's house, and covered the cake in tin foil. It traveled perfectly well and we suffered no fear of it caving in or toppling over during the 20-minute car trip. That would have been disaster!
Now it's time to put to complete the cake. Drizzle as much glaze as you'd like over the mud pie and couple it with ice cream. If you're serving this dessert at night, you might want to alert your guests to the amount of espresso and chocolate in the recipe. Some people are sensitive caffeine in baking and we don't want you to get any angry emails at two in the morning. We only want you to hear how absolutely amazing your Mississippi bourbon mud pie recipe tastes. Enjoy!
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Bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until done (ours baked faster!)
Cake Ingredients
1 cup butter
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup strong coffee (decaf is fine)
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups sugar
1/2 cup bourbon
4 large eggs
2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Sauce Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup espresso (decaf is fine)
6 tablespoons heavy cream