Welcome back, Geeky Gluttons, to another episode of Munchies & Minis!
For those just joining us, Munchies & Minis is a live Twitch cooking show where I make a tabletop or Dungeons & Dragons-inspired snack and then paint a miniature. To kick the first season off, I decided to start @RaineRysa‘s #52WeeksofDnD fanart challenge. Far too long ago, we made some Circle of Spores-inspired lettuce cups for the challenge word “Wisdom.” The following week’s challenge word was “Difficult Terrain.”
Well, technically, it wasn’t. I had to push religion back a week due to my special guest’s availability. No worries, though! The last-minute change was the big push I needed to come up with this Menzoberranzan-inspired take on the Mississippi Mud Cake.
For those not familiar with Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms campaign setting, Menzoberranzan is the dark elves’ underground capital city. Found in the Underdark, this city is surrounded by miles of cavern systems, wild rivers and gorges, stalagmite-filled caverns, and trails of magma fissures. This entire region just oozes the definition of “difficult terrain.”
So why Mississippi Mud Cake? This dense chocolate cake gets its name from its crumbly nut and marshmallow topping held together by brittle chocolate frosting drizzles — said to resemble the banks of the Mississippi River. So how am I making this common confection fitting to Menzoberranzan? By making it darker, of course. Dark chocolate, that is!
Menzoberranzan’s main exports include mushrooms and ulaver wine— a sweet dessert wine. So to add some Underdark-inspired flavor, I used port wine and cherry yogurt in my cake batter (though you are welcome to substitute with red wine), then topped each cake with pocky mushrooms.
Sing for your supper!
Since I stupidly didn’t export my Twitch video before it expired, there is no video this post. HOWEVER, you can find this recipe by just scrolling down. If you hate scrolling and reloading, though, I do have a printable PDF recipe card available for my Ko-Fi and Patreon supporters.
This week both my blog post and Munchies & Minis recipe cards are available in exchange for a $2 donation on my Ko-fi page.
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A Taste of Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan Mud Cakes
Equipment: Oven, mixing bowl, wire whisk, two cupcake tins, cupcake liners, microwave, refrigerator.
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 1 box devil’s food cake mix
- 3.9-oz. package dark chocolate pudding mix
- 5.3-oz. container cherry yogurt
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 c. red wine
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 stick butter, melted
Topping:
- 10.5 oz bag mini marshmallows
- 1 and 1/4 cup chocolate frosting
- 1 cup crushed walnuts
- 1 package of chocolate mushrooms
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Combine all the cake’s dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Stir in the wet ingredients with a spatula until smooth.
- Line the cupcake tray with liners then scoop in batter until each cup is three-quarter’s full.
- Bake the 20 minutes in the oven. Arrange a layer of marshmallows on top of each cake then bake another 5 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Microwave the frosting on high for 10 seconds, then drizzle it over the marshmallows.
- Sprinkle the walnuts on top and refrigerate for 10 minutes to set the glaze.
- Dot the top of the cupcakes with chocolate mushrooms before serving.
