Turtle Cake Recipe

A slice of chocolate turtle cake being lifted

5 from 13 votes

Easy chocolate turtle cake recipe! It doesn't require any fancy icing skills. Just drizzle the chocolate and caramel ganache over top and sprinkle with pecans!

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 901kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

Ingredients

For Cake

2 large eggs room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 cup hot water
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For Caramel

½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

For Chocolate Ganache

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 ½ cups pecans to garnish, chopped, toasted

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350F. Liberally spray three 9-inch round pans with nonstick baking spray.
Add eggs and sugar to bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle. Mix on high speed for about 3 minutes.
Combine cocoa powder, instant coffee, and hot water in small bowl and mix until smooth. Decrease speed to medium and add chocolate mixture to eggs and sugar.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Decrease speed to low and add to stand mixer.
Add in buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla and beat until just combined. Batter will be thin; this is normal.
Evenly add cake batter to prepared pans and bake until toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 22-25 minutes.
Remove cakes from oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then gently remove cakes from the pans and place on a wire rack and allow to cool fully, an additional 20 minutes.

Caramel

Melt butter in heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Add brown sugar and heavy cream. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Don’t go over that time.
Remove from heat, add vanilla and salt, and allow to cool, about 25 minutes.

Ganache

In a medium microwave safe bowl, add chocolate and heavy cream
Microwave in 15 second increments on low power until most of the chocolate has melted.
Whisk together until completely smooth. Let set for about 5 minutes.

To Assemble

Use four strips of parchment paper to form a square and line your serving platter.
Place the first layer of cake on the strips of parchment. (The cake should sit in the center, with about an inch of parchment showing around the base of the cake to catch any spills while pouring.)
Pour 1/3 ganache over first layer spreading to the edges and allowing to pour over the sides. Then drizzle with 1/3 of caramel. Sprinkle layer of pecans over top.
Repeat with remaining layers.
Allow cake to set up for about 30 minutes. Remove parchment strips and serve.

Notes

How To Store & Reheat

Store it at room temperature in an airtight container or cover it tightly with plastic wrap. It will last at room temp for up to 2 days. You can also use a cake carrier if you have one. You can also place the cake in the fridge and it will last for up to 5 days.

Can I Freeze?

Before freezing, it's a good idea to cut your cake into individual slices. Wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and then place them in an airtight container or a freezer-safe bag. They will stay fresh for up to 3 months.

Nutrition