Chocolate turtle cake with melted caramels, nuts, and chocolate chips in the middle.

Turtles Cake

(18.25 chocolate cake mix

individually wrapped caramels

(5 ounce) can evaporated milk

butter

pecans

chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.


Make cake mix according to package directions. Pour a little less than 1/2 of the batter into the prepared dish.


Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove cake from the oven.


Place caramels, milk, and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, about 10 minutes. Pour melted caramel mixture over cake and sprinkle with pecans and chocolate chips. Pour remaining cake batter over the top.


Bake in the preheated oven until the center of cake bounces back when gently pressed, 20 to 35 minutes.


YUMMY!!!! This cake was really easy to make and tasted SO good! I used 2/3 cup evaporated milk and 1/4 cup butter and I got a great consistency with the caramel. Also, I would recommend after baking the first layer to trim the top off, so that the cake remains even because once you pour the caramel on, it tends to pool at the edges. Next time I will definitely do that!

I've made this exact recipe for, I hate to say it but, 20 years.  The cake is always a hit.  The second baking does need to be 25-30 min, to get the center done.  This is not a cake to serve hot.  It tastes better cooled and then the filling is solidified.  A great cake to make the evening before you serve it.  My kids love to help unwrap the caramels...of course a few never make it to the cake, but that doesn't matter.  Enjoy!!

Yummy!  If you have an Air Bake cake pan, use it for this recipe.  It will help keep the first cake layer from forming a raised center...as one other review pointed out, if the cake is raised in the center, the caramel pools into the corners and edges, leaving the center without much of the good stuff.  I also used only 1/4 c. butter in the caramel mixture, in fact I wonder if the 3/4 c. is a typo.  There's just no reason for that much butter.  I also substituted 1/2 c. milk instead of the 2/3 c. evaporated milk.  The caramel mixture seemed alarmingly thin when I first spread it on the cake, but it worked out just fine.  Next time I'll try baking it just a little longer for the second cake layer.  It is hard to tell when it's done, and I don't think 20 minutes was enough.  Regardless, it was a HUGE it at my most recent family gathering!  I'm going to make it again this weekend.

Wonderful cake!  It was a bit hard to tell when it was done because the toothpick test doesn't work well with caramel.  Thanks for the recipe!

Wow, this is great!  I took suggestions from the reviews for Turtle Cake II and adjusted the butter/milk mixture to the following:  1/4C. butter, 2/3C. milk and the caramel mixture was thick and delicious. This couldn't be easier. The only thing that took any time was unwrapping the caramels.  Great recipe!!

This sounded like a great recipes but truthfully I wasn't all that impressed with it.   It wasn't horrible, but I wouldn't rave about it either.  We could barely taste the carmel or the chocolate.  It just tasted like cake.  Maybe with a little trinkering it would be better, but as is I'd say so-so.

Very good.  I used devils food cake mix as I didn't have german chocolate.  I also used one or two tablespoons less butter than it asked for in the caramel mixture.  Delicious.
Some people wondered where the icing on top went.  It looks unfinished without something so I sprinkling just a bit of powdered sugar on top.
I was asked to make this again.  It's a hit.

This was one of the best cakes I have ever made!  A little time consuming, but very worth it.  It is good with icing, but just as good without. If you put it in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving the caramel thickens and becomes more gooey.  Very yummy!  I used devils food cake mix instead of german chocolate, just my preference.

This cake was yummy! I used a triple chocolate cake mix, that already had chocolate chips in it, and cooked it in two 9in round cake pans, then after the cake cooled I poured the caramel/pecan mixture over the bottom layer, put the top layer on, topped it with the chocolate buttercream frosting on this site, and drizzled some caramel over the top and sprinkled with chopped pecans and chocolate! VERY tasty!!

While this cake does not make a beautiful presentation to the eyes, one taste was enough to ensure that it was afeast for the mouth. Delicious!!!

This cake was delicious and SO easy to make!  I added Caramel frosting to the top of the cake once it cooled down.  I let it cool overnight, and the caramel was very gooey.  So delicious!  I will definitely make this again!

DO NOT USE A BUNDT  PAN!  My son requests this ever year for his birthday.  In order to change it up, I decided to make it in a bundt pan. Do not, I repeat do not, attempt this.  When I tried to remove it from the pan, the lower portion of the cake slid right out.  So I had that portion and the gooey middle on the plate and the top half, the portion in the bottom of the pan, stuck.  I tried to use a steamy towel to no avail.  Fortunately I reserved some of the caramel sauce and used it and some pecans and chocolate chips as well to hide the boondoggle.  Thank goodness this was for a family event!  That said, as always, this is a family favorite and the mess was totally my fault for trying to be creative!

This was good! I did it in a Bundt pan, and followed the instructions, however I toasted and salted the pecans first (that's just a personal preference). I also drizzled caramel on the top and sprinkled more pecans on the top -- presented really nicely!

Absolutely DO NOT try this in a bundt pan!  The cake is awesome but the bundt pan was a total disaster.

This was a huge hit! I made it for my Aunt's 65th birthday bash.  There was a large crowd and a whole dessert table. By the end of the night only a couple cuts left over from the 9x13 pan! I will definately make this again :)
 For the icing:
1 C. chocolate milk
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 C. cool whip
1 tsp cocoa powder
(Tastes like the icing on the mcCaine deep &amp; delicious cakes!)

Did not meet my satisfaction level.  The recipe was easy to make, but it tasted bland.  I would not recommend heating the caramel mixture in the microwave!!  I also think the tast factor would improve by adding more caramels.  The filling was more soupy, than gooey.

I got so many compliments on this cake. I used devils food cake instead of german chocolate cake. I frosted the cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and topped it with another cup of pecans. It was an ugly cake, but yummy.

the cake is quite great and very easily put together. I used a round 9 inch pan, and think I shuold use a 13x9 next time: the pan seemed too full and I was afraid to have a mess in my oven (I even lined it with aluminium foil to get caramel sauce drippings... which Honestly was not necessary after all).
I omitted the butter entirely in the sauce, as it seemed so rich: I must say nobody even realized that butter was missing... if you want to eat it warm, you'll have a cake with caramel sauce. If you wait and have it cold, I guess it would be less saucy and more like a real filling. Maybe cutting a little on the evaporated milk is worth a try.

It is important to note that the top layer of cake should have a more "runny" consistency than the bottom. I keep on baking trying to get it to set and then realized this after. I have not tried it yet as the party is tonight but I have a feeling the bottom os going to be burnt.

I made this for my 7th grade class.  If you have ever been around junior high students,then you know that don't like anything even when they really love it!  However this recipe is so good,even they verbalized they "loved it".  One girl said, "If you were my mom, I would be fat!", the ultimate compliment. 

I have been making this cake longer than I can remember.  I am always asked for the recipe.  I only use 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/2 cup margarine.   I also make a topping of 1 small package of white chocolate pudding, made with 1 1/2 cups milk.  Beat until just starting to thicken.  Mix with an 8 oz container of Cool Whip and spread on cooled cake.  Wonderful !!

Seriously good cake.  I followed suggestions to put pecans and chocolate chips down before pouring caramel and let the caramel cool a little first, and I had no problems with the caramel pooling.  I wanted to top it somehow, but thought frosting would have been too much.  I ended up stirring coconut into some Cool Whip, spread that on top and then drizzled some chocolate syrup and caramel over the top.  It looked pretty and I think the coconut made it THAT much better!

This turned out awesome.  Only changes I made to the recipe was I used regular chocolate cake mix and then I topped the cake with milk chocolate icing.  I will make this again many times I'm sure.

The flavor in this cake is great.  The first layer that bakes first was actually floating in the caramel sauce when I added it to the pan.  The two cakes baked together and the caramel soaked into the bottom of the cake.  Maybe the caramel level is supposed to sit a little while before adding it to the first layer.  I will make this again.  Thanks!

We are having an argument in my house about this recipe - I think it it PERFECT just the way it is. My roommate thinks it needs chocolate fudge sauce on top, and my boyfriend thinks it needs chocolate frosting.... Well, we will all just have to agree to disagree about that, but one thing we all agree about is that I need to make it again soon! :)

O.M.G. this was good.  I did change it based on what I had on hand, but I am sure as written it would have been a 5 also.  I only had almonds, so I toasted them.  Rather than the caramels and all the ingredients to go with it, I just used Caramel syrup for Ice cream.  And my chips were choc &amp; peanut butter chips.  I used the whole bag.  I served with vanilla ice cream.  It was sinfully delicious.

Simply fabulous!  we've made it for a couple of family gatherings and everyone loved it!!!!

This was a great cake.I made it for a party I was having and everyone loved it.Everyone always askes me if I'm making this cake when thay come over now.The only thing I did diffrent is I made it in a bunt pan.Then I put it in the ice box over night. I took it out of the pan the next day put it on a cake plate.I melted the frosting just a little in the microwave and drizzled it on the top.It looked nice and was very good.Thanks again for this recipe.

I won't be making this cake again any time soon.  I thought it was much too sweet.  However, the group I was with absolutely loved it.

This is delicious! However, only add 1/2 of the melted caramels, margarine and pecans in the middle before adding the rest of the batter.  When the cake is done, pour the remaining caramel sauce and nuts over the finished cake.  It really looks like a turtle cake then.

This was a fantastic cake.  Very RICH.  I did use yellow cake mix as this was all I had on hand and it still turned out lovely.  I only had about 9 or 10 ounces of caramels so I used about a half cup of butter and only 3 oz of evaporated milk.  Other than that I followed the recipe exactly.  I did cook the second time about 25-27 minutes.  I think it needed it.

Rich and delicious! I used walnuts instead of pecans (had those on hand) and they fit right in.

I made this according to the directions and it turned out great (I substituted dark chocolate cake mix for German chocolate; I don't think what kind of chocolate cake mix you use makes much of a difference).  I cooked for 33 minutes and it was jiggly when I removed from the oven; however, I thought that ended up being a bit too long since the cake was a tad too dark around the edges, so I would recommend 30 minutes and remove from the oven.  What's jiggly is the caramel center, not the cake part.    Also, when I added on all the caramel, nuts, chips and remaining cake batter, it seems awfully full in the pan.  I was concerned it might make a mess of my oven, but thankfully it didn't!  Perhaps it was because I took the time to evenly spread the remaining cake batter over all the caramel mixture so it couldn't bubble up and out.

I allowed the cake to set on the counter for 1.5 hours, then popped into the fridge to finish setting (in a hurry, so I needed to speed along the "setting" process!)  It ended up being room temperature when we served it to friends, but the caramel had "solidified" to a gooey consistency, and it was easy enough to cut out pieces to serve (i.e., the caramel mixture wasn't running all over the place, but stayed in the square shape it was cut and served in)!  It received great reviews from all who ate it. 

The only deviation I made from this recipe is that I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top; I can't even imagine putting frosting on top of this dessert

Made this from a scratch cake recipe instead of using a boxed cake mix to avoid the dyes/preservatives, and that worked very well- the recipe seems quite adaptable. Increased milk to 1 1/4 C. which made for a deliciously moist cake. It's not a bad idea to put the cake batter in a large mixing cup or graduated bowl so you can pour "a little less than half" in at first, since it can be tough to eyeball the first time through. The caramel sauce is yummy but keep an eye on it in the microwave, as it really wants to boil over - mine didn't need anywhere near 10 minutes. Will probably try it with less butter next time - it seemed like a bit of overkill. Served with ice cream and sundae toppings and it was a smash hit! 

This is pretty good turtle cake.  Just make sure not to over heat your caramel mixture.  If it is really hot it will just make the cake mushy.

Awesome cake! Made this for my husband's birthday and he can't stop talking about it! He says it's the best cake he has ever had, and that is saying a lot since he has a very big sweet tooth. The only changes I made were to use 3 Rolo chocolate bars and a box of real turtles instead of the caramels (couldn't find any at my local grocery store) also I only used 1/4 cup butter and 4 oz of evaporated milk. Will definitely be making this again! Thanks

Oh Boy is that EVER a rich cake!!!!  My mom loves Turtles so I made this for her birthday.  The only change I made was in the caramel sauce...I used roughly half the amount of evaporated milk and butter and increased the caramels by roughly half.  The sauce was nice and thick and unbelievably sweet and buttery.   I made a glaze of 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 3 tbsp of strong coffee, 1 tbsp of brandy and 1 tbsp of butter, melted it all gently in a double boiler and poured it over the top of the cake.  It was just like a real turtle.  The only thing I found was lacking was that the cake (Devil's food) was too fluffy and not dense enough.  If I make this again, I think I'm going to use the "Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake" found on this site instead.  That's why it only got 4 stars.

After making some modifications this rating would be a 5.  As other reviewers mentioned I cut the butter (I did 1/2 c.), also I wish the time could be a little bit more specific.  The cake looked the same at 20 minutes and then at 30 minutes.  For what it is worth I have a gas oven and it turned out perfect (even though it still looked a little wobbly) at 30 minutes.  So to make it short and sweet, less butter, 30 minutes and a 5 star rating.

I have been making this cake for potlucks at work for several years now.  It is always a hit and requested by EVERYONE.  I would recommend on cutting back on the butter just a little to make the caramel just a little thicker.  Either way, it's delicious!!!

Everyone loved this cake! I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I took the advice of other reviewers and used 2/3 cup evaporated milk &amp; 1/4 cup butter, and iced the top with a chocolate buttercream. With these changes this is definately a 5 star recipe. A keeper!

I made this cake last year for supper bowl....It was a Touchdown!! Everyone loved it...and so easy to make!!

This is a really good cake.  I made as is and took to a party.  It's very gooey and rich.  I will probable make again.

This cake is the ultimate in chocolate decadence.  It's my husband's favorite cake and I've been making a version of it for his birthday for years.  I make a few minor changes:  I use Devil's Food cake mix, only 1/4 cup butter and leave out the pecans.  Sometimes I use chocolate chunks instead of chips.  I frost it with a can of chocolate frosting (hey, I'm not a snob, I love canned frosting as much as the next person!).  A glass of milk MUST accompany a slice of this cake!

In a word...FABULOUS!!! Easy, quick.  The only change i made was i frosted the cake with milk chocolate frosting, which was delish!  Very rich.  Oh, and when caramel came out of the micro, it was separated, so i took a whisk (egg beater) and whisked the caramel for about 2-3 minutes and it was PERFECT!  So YUMMY!  THANKS!!!

Made this for my dad because he loves turtle candies and he equally loved this cake.  Other than hating unwrapping the caramels, which is always a pain, this was an easy cake.  I also sprinkled some toffee bits on top of the choc. chips.  I'm so glad everyone wanted to take some home otherwise I would of eaten the whole thing.  Thanks Debbie - good cake mmmmmmm!

Ridicously amazing cake! Every bite melts in your mouth! 

Super easy to make, and I am not a baker. I followed the directions as listed. I did end making a 3 layered cake because I used the 9 inch round pans.

This was great.  The filling was fantastic!  My bottom layer was a little thicker then my top, which led to some burned/thicker caramel which I really enjoyed.  The caramel/butter mix was slow to thicken up, just make sure you give it the recommended amount of time in the microwave, even though it is actually melted in half of that time...the rest of the time is to remove some of the moisture.

This is one of my kids favorites,so simple to make.

Very rich and a fun twist on chocolate cake.  I wasn't impressed with the icing when I made it so I threw it out and made a chocolate buttercream instead.  The cake was delicious!

I make this for friends at work and it is always a hit.  I also cut the butter to 1/2 cup.  I have made it with walnuts and pecans and both turn out well.  Once I added some Heath toffee pieces and that was a hit too.  I dust the top with a little powdered sugar to put a finished look on it.

Delicious, extremely rich. I followed all the directions to a "t"...I don't know if this happened to anyone else, so I thought I would warn. M caramel became like a volcano (lifting the cooked top layer)after putting in the caramel and second layer of cake. So beware, it my be a little messy and don't burn yourself.

Omg!! DELICIOUS CAKE!!! Im usually not a big fan of chocolate cakes out of the box but this one was fantastic! The caramel layer with the pecans was perfect! Will deff. be making it again ;)

This is SO good!

I say it's so good, I say it's a rub it on your butt and thighs to save it the trip!

I have made this for severay office gettogethers and was "the hit" several would have paid me to make for them, but I gave the receipe to them

This cake is outstanding.  My family loved it!  For frosting I used one small box of chocolate instant pudding, 1 cup milk, and 1 small tub cool whip.  Mix the three ingredients together and you get a light frosting that is delicious.  I added pecan chips on top.  I think the frosting made the cake perfect.  I also cut down the butter to 1/2 cup after reading some of the reviews.

Fantastic recipe!  This has become my family's favorite cake.  I prefer to use a dark chocolate cake mix and Ghiradelli chocolate chips.  They really seem to make a difference, although the dark chocolate cake mix and the Ghiradelli chips make this cake extremely rich.  I also like to frost the top of this cake with a chocolate fudge icing and sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Yum!

Been making this for years!  Love it!  I also changed the butter to 1/4 cup.  Thanks for posting

Fixed for Easter and everyone wanted the recipe!! Delish!

My moms friend when I was a kid 30 years ago used to make these! Love this cake!

Everyone at my party raved about this.  I thought it was OK.  I made some changes based on other reviewer's comments.  I cut the amount of butter to 1/4 c and increased milk to 2/3.  I'm used to scratch cake, but used a mix for this.  Next time I think I'll go with my usual chocolate scratch cake I like that much better than any mix.

I made this per instructions on Christmas Eve.  One guest said I was the best baker in the world because of it.  I tried it and it is tooo rich for me.  I sent the rest with the man who calls me best baker.  Probably won't make again. 

I was looking for a cake to make for my husband work.  I choice this one because I didn't have a lot of time and it seemed easy.  Everyone LOVE IT!  Thanks!

I have made this cake several times and it is incredible.  It is easy to make and taste delicious.  Kids and adults both love it.

Didn't change anything, very decadent. Best cake ever

This is delicious. I would give it 5 stars but I made adjustments. I eliminated the evaporated milk and used 2/3 cup milk instead. And for the butter I used 1/4 cup and am considering using less next time. Also, when I made the cake as directed on the box, I used applesauce instead of the oil. Turned out wonderful!

This was a wonderful cake, although it took some time to make... definitely worth it!  We used a regular chocolate cake mix (not german chocolate) but thought it was better anyway.  Thanks for a great recipe!

A disaster.  WAY too much liquid for the caramel.  Just melt the caramels with the slightest amount of milk and butter.  Following the recipe as written results in a molten mess.  Flavor is also very uneven.  I made this for a birthday and now have to find something else to make since this is totally unacceptable.

My husband and I made this cake for Christmas, and it's absolutely delicious!  If you have a super sweet tooth like I do then eat it with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.  The only negative thing I can say about it is that it's mostly responsible for my weight gain during the holidays.  It was so good I might have eaten more than my fair share of it.

I love this recipe.  I have been making this exact recipe since I was in grade school and it's always a big hit.  The only thing I change is I use 4 oz of evaporated milk.

I made this cake with a bundt cake pan. It turned out great! I used a triple chocolate cake mix. I made extra of the caramel sauce and drizzled it over the cake and placed pecans and chocolate chips on top. I can't wait to make this cake again.

I tried it for my husbands birthday and the turtle frosting was not a success.  Using a cake mix also gives it that box taste so I made fresh cake batter and tried that.  It probably was just the baker in this case but if I make it again I won't do layers.

This cake is wonderful! I made it for my birthday and it was a hit.

I made as a 9 by 13 cake using the caramel mixture as a frosting.  It was very good.

Yummy!  Accidently poured more than half of the batter into the pan, so when I did put the caramel filling on top of the first half of the batter, it sank to the bottom.  Still tasted delicious!  Put a little bit of store bought frosting and it was a big hit!

No changes and will definitely make it again!

I've made this before, using the exact same recipe, and its always great!  Moist and sweet! Great after dinner treat :) Thanks

This is an old favorite of my family however we cool the cake and frost it with Coconut Pecan Frosting and use butter instead of margarine.  Excellant....

This is a delicious cake.  I used the german choc. cake mix and had to use my bundt pan.  It turned out great.  I did use less caramels(probably about 9 oz), 1/8 cup butter, 1/2 cup evaporated milk on my stove top for the caramel sauce. turned out great. drizzled chocolate glaze on top followed by some of the caramel sauce.  Very yummy!  definitely agree with other reviewers, trim the cake down after the first baking before adding the caramel.  And by using a little less of the caramel, I had a very pretty bundt cake that stayed together beautifully!  Definitely try this if you like caramel.  Oh, I also did not use any nuts or chocolate.  I used peanut-butter chips and chocolate chips to make the glaze for the top.  sprinkled mini chips on top.  I'll post a photo soon.

Use Too Much Chocolate Cake recipe without choc chips is 9x13 pan.  Spread 1cup milk chocolate on baked layer followed by 14 oz caramel mixed w 5 oz evap milk, then 1 cup pecans.  Bake top layer for 30 min.  No frosting.

I've made this cake for years!! The original recipe that I had did not use the butter or the milk, only 2 tablespoons of water when melting the caramels.  It also called for 2 cups of pecans and 2 cups of chocolate chips.  The german chocolate cake mix remains the same.  To the reviewer Sara, try it this way.  I think we both had the same original recipe!!!

Turned it into cake balls... Mine didn't come out of the pan in one piece and I didn't want to waste my money or time so I improvised. I dumped it all into a bowl added more caramel and rolled it into about 16 cake balls. Put it back in the oven for about 10 minutes, removed, drizzled with caramel, powdered sugar and minced pecans. My mistake tasted like little balls of heaven.

Made this for an office birthday. Topped it with the "Chocolate Butter-Creme Frosting". The entire dessert disappeared within 10 minutes...an office record! :)

My mom has been making this cake for years!  I request it every year for my birthday.  It's mine and my husband's FAVORITE cake!  The best part is the caramel that sticks to the side of the pan.  

Super good cake! Really easy to make, I made it for my little sister's 14th birthday and everyone loved it. Now the only problem is trying not to eat the rest of it myself!

My aunt used to make this and she would make butterscotch instant pudding and mix it with an 8oz tub of whipped cream and use that as frosting, then top with more chocolate chips and pecans. It was awesome!

Very good. I baked the second baking a little longer like other reviewers said, but it turned out great and didn't last long at the church social!

This cake was a HUGE hit for our Cub Scout cake auction.  We made another for home.  :)  Didn't change a single thing in the original recipe, but added a carmel frosting on top.  Perfect!

Perfect, just the recipe that I was looking for. Takes a bit of time but it is sooo worth it.

I have made this cake for years, and yes, it is fabulous. I do like others by cutting back on the butter in the carmel sauce. I never frost it, I find it rich enough already.It is best served cooled with coffee.

This cake was a huge hit! I reduced the amount of butter as suggested by others and added about 8 extra caramels. I also used a chocolate butter cream frosting (recipe from this site). I will definitely be making this cake again. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Not as good as I had hoped.  Maybe my expectations were too high!  It was okay but not something I'd make again.

turtles cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total: 1 hours

Servings: 5

Author : Debbie

Ingredients

Instructions

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