Deconstructed Mississippi Mud Pie

June 5, 2019
|
Created by Harmons
3 hours 30 minutes
Serves 10-12
INGREDIENTS:
  • Cake
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp instant espresso powder
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup strong coffee, at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • Pudding
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 3 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 3 oz dark chocolate
  • Whipped Cream
  • 4 cups heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 (9 oz) box chocolate wafer cookies
DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a 9”x13” pan with nonstick cooking spray.  

To make the cake, place butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a simmering pan of water. Let melt, stir to combine. Remove from heat and allow to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Add eggs, coffee, vanilla, and cooled chocolate mixture. Stir until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake until cake is set, about 35-40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, cut into 1” cubes.

To make the pudding, in a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. Add egg yolks and whisk until combined. The mixture will look like a thick paste. Slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Let boil for 30 seconds and transfer to a medium bowl. 

Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate and whisk until combined. Continue whisking until mixture is cooled slightly. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer to refrigerator until chilled, at least 2 hours. 

To make the whipped cream, in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Sprinkle sugar over cream and continue whisking until stiff peaks form. 

Transfer wafers to a zip top bag and crush into small chunks. Set aside. 

Using a trifle bowl, layer half of the cake cubes, half of the pudding, half of the whipped cream and sprinkle cream with half of the crumbled wafers. Repeat, to create layers. Keep chilled until ready to serve.