Monday, June 18, 2012

Turtle Cake

I love baking and eating cake, but I wanted to make something I had never made before.  I came across this Turtle Cake in  an old cookbook from church.  The ingredients sounded delicious--German chocolate cake, chocolate chips, caramels, nuts.  I had to try it and it was a winner!  I've already made it several times.
WARNING:  This cake can be addictive!

Turtle Cake

1 box German chocolate cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1 cup milk
1 (14 oz) package caramels

In a sauce pan, melt caramels with milk over low heat, stirring occasionally. Takes about 10 - 12 minutes. 
In the meantime, mix cake according to directions, adding vanilla.  Pour 1/2 of cake mixture in a greased and floured 13 x 9 pan (I use Baker's Joy).  Bake about 10 - 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
When cake has baked for the 10 or more minutes and the sauce is ready, pour sauce over the cake.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts.  Pour remaining batter over sauce.  Bake about 20 - 30 minutes more, until done.

Icing:
1 stick butter
3 1/2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 box confectioners sugar
1/3 cup milk
Dash of salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Bring butter, milk, cocoa and salt to a boil over medium heat.  Add sifted confectioners sugar (I never sift mine).  Pour over cake while both are hot.  Sprinkle with nuts. (You can mix the nuts in when you add the confectioners sugar if you'd like.)

**This cake is so moist and delicious.  You can't eat just one piece!

13 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your blog with me. It was a pleasure meeting you this weekend! I'm excited to try out some of your recipes. :)

    ~Rachael White

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    1. It was great meeting you and your beautiful family. Hope you will enjoy the recipes.

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  2. Thank you for your Turtle Cake recipe. It was delicious and addictive.

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  3. how much of confectioners sugar do i use?? I know it says one box... however i've purchased a bag.... I'm making this for my husbands birthday. and it happens to be last minute of course. thanks!!!

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  4. You will need 4 cups of the confectioners sugar. Man, your husband is going to live you! Let me know how it turns out.

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    1. Oops! Meant to say love you. And he will after tasting your cake :-)

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  5. I made this cake for my family yesterday so they could try it and let me know if my co-workers would love it. It was a big hit. So here I today..... baking another one for my co-workers bday tomorrow. Highly recommend. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. :)

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  6. It's a hit with my family and friends too! Glad you like it!

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  7. Great Cake!! I didn't follow the recipe exact due to the fact I am a new mom to a 3 week old baby and needed to make it easier. Instead of melting caramel, I used jarred caramel topping which worked great! Instead of making the frosting, I melted a can of chocolate frosting in the microwave and stirred in finely chopped pecans. It worked great!! It is chocolatey and moist! If you don't want a rich chocolate flavor, omit the chocolate chips. I will make this cake again and possibly try different variations...butterscotch instead of caramel, a yellow cake version, a white chocolate and macadamia nut version?? Skies the limit!!! Thanks for the recipe!

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  8. All your variations sound delicious! Glad you liked the cake. It's a family favorite.

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  9. How long do you cook the carmal? Mine is still runny.

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    1. Until melted--about 10-12 minutes. It's not suppose to get hard. It will thicken as it cools. Pour it on cake slowly

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