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This irresistible Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake is a made-from-scratch chocolate caramel pecan delight. It’s full of chopped pecans, drizzled with a caramel & chocolate topping and a healthy garnish of toasted pecans.
This post is sponsored by JOHNSON & JOHNSON CONSUMER, Inc., McNeil Nutritionals, LLC Subsidiary the makers of LACTAID®. All opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for continuing to support the brands that help make ‘Mike Bakes NYC’ possible!
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Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake
This Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake starts with a chocolate cake base (which is AMAZING) with little pops of chopped toasted pecans hidden throughout. It's then topped with a caramel drizzle AND a chocolate drizzle, then garnished with additional toasted pecans. Each and every bite is sheer perfection!
I partnered with my friends over at LACTAID® to bring you guys this insanely delicious chocolate turtle bundt cake. The cake itself uses LACTAID® Chocolate Milk in the batter; there's also LACTAID® Whole Milk in the caramel topping and LACTAID® Chocolate Milk in the chocolate topping! LACTAID® is 100% real milk, just without the lactose. This means that using this milk in baking still yields the same moist and creamy results, and it allows anyone who suffers from lactose intolerance or dairy sensitivity to enjoy their favorite foods. Talk about a serious win-win! You can find LACTAID® Chocolate Milk at most retailers, however, here’s a nifty little store locator tool!
This cake has so much going for it. Not only is it made with my new favorite chocolate cake recipe as the base, but it’s full of caramel, chocolate, and pecans. What’s not to love?!
If you aren’t familiar with turtle candies, then you might be wondering what in the world a chocolate turtle bundt cake is. Turtles are a candy made with pecans and caramel dipped in chocolate, with a shape resembling a turtle. Pecans are used to kind of look like the legs and caramel sauce and chocolate make up the body of the turtle. It’s a delicious candy and even better in this chocolate turtle bundt cake form.
Key Components for this Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake
When you break it down, this chocolate turtle bundt cake is actually pretty simple.
- Chocolate Bundt Cake: You’ll need a damn good chocolate cake and the one I use is SUCH a delicious and simple recipe. It comes together super quickly!
- Pecans: The key textural component of any turtle dessert are crunchy, toasted pecans. I like to use chopped pecans inside the cake and whole pecans on top.
- Caramel Glaze: While a traditional salted caramel is a bit too overpowering for this cake, this caramel glaze still gives that much-needed caramel-y flavor!
- Chocolate Glaze: Chocolate on chocolate is a classic combo. And thanks to the melted dark chocolate, it’s decadent, delicious, and not too sweet.
Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake Recipe Troubleshooting & FAQ
HELP! MY CAKE IS DRY! WHAT DID I DO WRONG?
This cake is anything but dry! If yours turns out as such, you likely either added too much flour or you overbaked it! It could also be a combination of the two!
HELP! MY BUNDT CAKES ALWAYS STICK TO THE PAN! ANY SUGGESTIONS?
Bundt pans generally have nooks and crannies that can cause problems when it comes time to remove your cake from the pan. There are a couple of ways to grease your pan to prevent this, however. You can use melted butter or even solid shortening for coating the pan. Use a pastry brush to cover the entire inner surface, being sure to get into tight spaces. Next, sprinkle flour into the pan. Hold the pan over your sink, and tilt and turn the pan to spread out the flour. Then, with the pan upside down, tap the sides to remove any excess flour.
My preferred way of greasing Bundt pans is to use a cooking spray that contains flour, like Baker’s Joy or Pam Baking. Spray the pan generously, making sure to coat every inner surface of the pan. Then use a pastry brush to distribute the cooking spray evenly onto every surface of the pan. It’s possible that the spray can drip and settle into the bottom of the pan. To keep that from happening, wait to spray the pan until just before you add the batter!
HELP! I CAN NEVER GET MY BUNDT CAKES OUT OF THE PAN AFTER BAKING! ANY SUGGESTIONS?
Well for starters, see above re: greasing your pan!
Assuming you greased your pan well, then it sounds like you're either letting the cake cool too long in the pan after baking (or not long enough). As the cake cools, it will slowly start to release itself from the sides of the pan. Resist the urge to pull it out immediately and give it time to rest; I find 10 minutes to be the sweet spot.
After allowing the cake to sit for 10 minutes, place a wire cooling rack on top of the cake pan. Using both hands, flip the rack and pan simultaneously and set it on your counter. Tap the pan a few times to loosen the cake. Gently shaking the pan should cause the cake to move freely in the pan. If you can’t easily tell that the cake has loosened, flip it back over and gently run a thin knife or spatula around the edges of the cake. Your cake should come out easily as you lift the pan!
LOVE THIS CHOCOLATE TURTLE BUNDT CAKE?
YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE CAKE RECIPES TOO!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Snack Cake
Red Velvet Snack Cake
Funfetti Cake for Two
Peanut Butter Brown Sugar Layer Cake w/ Chocolate Fudge Buttercream
Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Bundt Cake:
- 227 g unsalted butter softened
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 220 g light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 345 g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 50 g unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 360 g LACTAID® Chocolate Milk
- 80 g chopped toasted pecans
For the Caramel Topping:
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 55 g dark brown sugar
- 30 g LACTAID® Whole Milk
- 60 g powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the Chocolate Topping:
- 85 g 70% cacao dark chocolate melted
- 15 g unsalted butter melted
- 120 g powdered sugar
- 45 g LACTAID® Chocolate Milk
- garnish: toasted pecans optional
Instructions
To Make the Chocolate Bundt Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325˚F (170˚C).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars at medium speed until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the LACTAID® Chocolate Milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until combined after each addition.
- Spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Carefully transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter a few times to settle the batter and release any air bubbles.
- Bake until a wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 45-50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for exactly 10 minutes, then invert cake onto a wire rack and let cool completely outside of the pan.
To Make the Caramel Glaze:
- Heat the butter, brown sugar, and LACTAID® Whole Milk over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste and whisk until smooth.
- Immediately pour or spoon glaze over cooled cake, letting the glaze run down the sides.
To Make the Chocolate Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted chocolate, melted butter, and powdered sugar. Add the LACTAID® Chocolate Milk 1 tablespoon (15 grams) at a time, whisking until smooth.
- Immediately pour or spoon glaze over cooled cake, letting the glaze run down the sides. Top with chopped toasted pecans, if desired.
Nutrition
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Terrie Daybell
I really love the look of this cake, but have no idea what standard measurements are as everything is in grams. Please convert for us so I can make it.
Mike Johnson
Hi Terrie! I post my recipes in grams as it’s the most accurate way to bake and it’s how I develop them; cups are not only inaccurate, but they vary in volume worldwide! In any event, if you look at the recipe card underneath the ingredients list, you can click “US Customary” and it’ll convert to the volume measures!