turtle cake

Turtle Chocolate Layer Cake is a moist chocolate cake filled with caramel buttercream, pecans &amp; chocolate ganache. It’s delicious and the perfect celebration cake!

Turtle Chocolate Layer Cake

(414 grams) granulated sugar

(240 milliliters) water

unsalted butter

(240 milliliters) heavy whipping cream

tbsp vanilla extract

salt

(260 grams) all purpose flour

(414 grams) sugar

(85 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder

tsp baking soda

eggs

(240 milliliters) milk

(240 milliliters) vegetable oil

vanilla

(240 milliliters) hot water

(560 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

(1150 grams) powdered sugar

– 3/4 cup caramel sauce, above

Salt,

pecans,

oz (1 cup | 169 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips

(180 milliliters) heavy whipping cream

Combine the granulated sugar and water in a medium to large saucier pan. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the butter and let it melt

2. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Stop whisking and don’t whisk at all during this part to help avoid crystallization. Allow to boil until the mixture turns a deep golden copper color, about 15-20 minutes, maybe longer depending on your stove. Keep an eye on it, but do not stir. If needed, you can occasionally tip the pan from side to side to help things cook evenly.

. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add in the heavy whipping cream in a slow, steady stream. The caramel will bubbly up quite a bit, so be careful with this step. Whisk quickly and well as you add the cream, whisking until well combined.

. Add the vanilla extract and half a teaspoon of salt and whisk to combine. Add additional salt to your desired saltiness.

. Set the caramel sauce in the fridge to cool. It will be fairly thin, but will thicken as it cools. You can make this caramel sauce up to a week or so head, if you like.
To make the chocolate cake layers:

p id=&#8221;instruction-step-7&#8243;>6. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C).
7.

Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together.
8.

Add eggs, milk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.
9.

Add boiling water and vanilla extract and mix well.
10

Divide batter evenly between cakes pans and bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
11

Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
To make the caramel buttercream:

id=&#8221;instruction-step-13&#8243;>12. Make the buttercream while cakes cool. Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
13

Slowly add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
14

Add about 1/2 a cup of caramel sauce and mix until well combined and smooth.
15

Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
16

Add additional caramel sauce to achieve the right flavor and consistency of frosting. You don&#8217;t want to thin out the frosting too much or it won&#8217;t hold your cake together well.
17

id=&#8221;instruction-step-19&#8243;>18. Once the cakes are cool and the frosting is ready, remove the cake domes from the tops of the cakes with a large serrated knife. See my tips on how to level a cake and how to stack a cake.
19

Place first layer of cake on cake plate. Spread about 2/3 cup of frosting on top in an even layer.
20

Pipe a dam around the edge of the cake, on top of the frosting. This is help hold your caramel sauce in place (and is why you don&#8217;t want your frosting to be too thin &#8211; you want it to hold in place well).
21

Add about 1/2 cup of caramel sauce and gently spread into an even layer. The caramel sauce is easiest to work with when at room temperature, but should be workable when cold as well.
22

Spread about 1/4 cup of chopped pecans evenly over the caramel sauce and level out the frosting dam, if needed, so that everything is level.
23

Add the second layer of cake and add another layer of frosting, caramel and chopped pecans.
24

Add the final layer of cake on top and then add a thin crumb coat to the cake.
25

Refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes to an hour so that everything firms up a bit, which will help keep everything in place while you frost the cake.
26

Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining caramel frosting. Feel free to use my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake.
To decorate the cake:

id=&#8221;instruction-step-28&#8243;>22. To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl (see my tips on making chocolate ganache).
23

Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
24

Drizzle the chocolate ganache around the edge of the cake, then pour the remainder of the ganache on top of the cake and spread evenly. I like to use a squeeze bottle for drizzling around the edges. See my tips on making a chocolate drip cake.
25

Allow the ganache to firm up a bit, then pipe the remainder of the frosting around the top edge of the cake. You can also finish it off with a drizzle of caramel sauce and some chopped pecans.
26

Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Cake is best when stored well covered and eaten within 3-4 days.

I made your turtle chocolate layer cake,it turned out amazing and tastes so good.
Your video was so easy to follow.
Well done xx

A Happy New Year from Bonnie Scotland.

It takes awhile to make but so worth it. I make my own birthday cakes since I know they'll be good. And this was a great choice! Thank you for sharing!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/P0tTN9OK.mp4

This Turtle Chocolate Cake is made with super moist chocolate cake, caramel sauce, chopped pecans and caramel buttercream! It’s like turtle candies in cake form and it’s heavenly!

Turtle Chocolate Cake

Wow, this was the first time I have had a from scratch cake that was actually deliciously moist! It was a fun cake to make and I got lots of compliments on it! Thank you so much for sharing!

I made this cake for my daughter's Sweet Sixteen Birthday last year and she loved it! She is requesting it again this year and I have one question- would I be able to cut a wee corner and use dulce de leche as a substitute for the caramel sauce in the buttercream? Thank you for this delicious cake recipe!

This decadent poke cake is topped with whipped topping, salted caramel sauce, mini chocolate chips, and chopped pecans. It's so easy to make, and a huge hit at parties!

Chocolate Turtle Cake

15.25-ounce box devil’s food chocolate cake mix*

sweetened condensed milk

jar caramel sundae topping

topping,

Chopped Fisher Pecans

mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (full-size okay)

salted caramel sauce, or

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan...

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.

Make cake according to package directions (likely adding...

Make cake according to package directions (likely adding 3 eggs, water, and oil) and bake as directed (I find my cakes are done about 3 to 5 minutes faster than the box directions and if baked as long as indicated, I find the cake is too dry but bake as necessary).

While the cake bakes add the sweetened condensed...

While the cake bakes add the sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping to a medium bowl and stir to combine; set aside.

Remove cake from the oven when it’s done...

Remove cake from the oven when it’s done and using the blunt end of a wooden spoon, poke holes over the surface of the cake. I didn’t count but I estimate I poked about 60 holes, evenly spaced over the surface.

Slowly pour the sweetened condensed milk and caramel mixture...

Slowly pour the sweetened condensed milk and caramel mixture over the holes, taking your time to evenly distribute it so that all the holes receive some. 

Place cake in the fridge for about 10...

Place cake in the fridge for about 10 minutes to cool slightly before adding the whipped topping so it doesn’t melt.

Remove cake from the fridge, evenly spread the...

Remove cake from the fridge, evenly spread the whipped topping over the surface, evenly sprinkle the pecans and chocolate chips, cover cake, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).

Evenly drizzle the salted caramel sauce before slicing...

Evenly drizzle the salted caramel sauce before slicing and serving.

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The most viewed turtle cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine