How to Make a Fine Chocolate Caramel Turtle Cake

St. Paul’s Best Chocolate Cake

We never make a trip to Saint Paul without stopping—or several— at Café Latte. The pastries are exquisite; the soups, sandwiches, and salads are incredible.

“What’s your best chocolate cake?” I asked the server.  Without hesitation, she answered, “The Turtle Cake.”  It was very good… and simple enough that I can talk you through making it. Keep reading for all the sweet details.

Merri Ann, my wife, is gluten-free, so she had the flourless chocolate cake. It too was good.  We have a mix for that, the Legendary Flourless Chocolate Cake Mix. Dusted with a little powdered sugar, it was exactly like we make at home.

Ingredients for Chocolate Caramel Turtle Cake:

To make the Turtle Cake, you will need:

• A rich, very fudgy cake mix  (or recipe)
• A thick, fudgy frosting
• A thick caramel sauce or frosting
• Pecans (for garnish)

If you buy the frostings from us, they are absolutely superb — rich, creamy, and every bit as good as those at Café Latte.  They come in two-pound tubs so that you will have enough for several cakes.

Steps to make your Chocolate Caramel Turtle Cake:

1. Bake the cake according to package directions in three eight-inch layers.
2. Spread a generous quarter-inch of fudge frosting on the first layer. Sprinkle it with pecan pieces. (The pecans help hold up the next layer so that frosting does not squish out.) Repeat with the other layers, including the top layer, stacking one layer on top of another.
3. Melt about a cup of caramel frosting just to a drizzling consistency. Do not overheat. It should be thick and barely pourable. Pour the caramel frosting over the cake allowing the caramel frosting to drizzle down the sides. (The sides of the cake are not frosted but there are caramel drizzles down the sides.)

This is a wonderful chocolate cake that your family will enjoy.