Mississippi Mud Cake

Southerners Love this earthy cake—the way it Looks, the way it tastes, and especially its wacky name. You don’t have to be from Mississippi—or even Southern—to come under its spell. The main requirement, judging from the response during a help-us-eat-all-these-cakes party we hosted a while back, is that you be in the room with it and be able to reach the cake plate. How its components transform themselves into such a tasty cake is a mystery to me, since it’s ready for the oven after only tw