Turtle Cake
Yield: 1 Cake
This turtle cake is gorgeously lofty, with three layers of dark chocolate cake, smothered with rich fudgy frosting, creamy caramel, and crispy salted pecans.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup whole fat buttermilk (do not substitute homemade buttermilk)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Fudge Frosting
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into tablespoon-sized portions
- 12 ounces (2 cups) good quality semisweet chocolate chips
Caramel and Pecans
- ¾ cup (purchased) thick, rich caramel sauce or ice cream topping (Use a bit more if you like.)
- 1½ cups toasted, salted whole pecans (I like the ones from Trader Joe’s!)
Instructions
- Cake: Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease three 9″ round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, then grease the paper. Set pans aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together egg, oil, and buttermilk.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Gradually add wet ingredients to dry, until well mixed. Slowly add the hot coffee. Divide batter evenly into prepared pans.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cakes rest in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
- Fudge Frosting: Once the cakes are cool, make the fudge frosting. In a saucepan, mix milk and sugar. Add butter. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and whisk until completely smooth. If frosting is too thick or grainy, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons hot coffee. Let stand until thickened a bit, yet smoothly spreadable - refrigerate for a bit, if needed.
- Assemble: Place one cooled cake layer, top side down, on a cake plate. Spread with one-third of the fudge frosting, pushing it out gently from the edges to make a petal effect. Sprinkle with ½ cup pecans, drizzle with ¼ cup caramel. Add next cake layer, again top side down. Repeat with the same measurements of fudge frosting, pecans, and caramel. Add final cake layer, top side up, and frost with petal effect. Finish with remaining pecans and caramel.
- Chill cake 1 to 2 hours before serving.
Notes
adapted from the famous Turtle Cake found at Cafe Latté in St. Paul, MN
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 630kcal Carbohydrates: 96g Protein: 6g Fat: 28g Saturated Fat: 10g Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g Cholesterol: 32mg Sodium: 634mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 75g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.