Description

Indulgent, rich, and irresistibly gooey, this Chocolate Turtle Cake combines fudgy chocolate cake with layers of melted caramel, crunchy pecans, and sweet chocolate chips. Whether made from scratch or with a mix, it’s an easy, bakery-worthy dessert perfect for birthdays, potlucks, or cozy nights in. One bite and you’ll be hooked!

Ingredients

Scale

Chocolate Cake Base (from scratch or box mix)
- 1 box chocolate cake mix or
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup water or milk
Caramel Layer
- 1 cup caramel sauce or
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup butter

Toppings
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Prepare Cake Batter: Mix chocolate cake batter from scratch or prepare boxed cake mix as directed.
First Bake: Pour half of the batter into a greased 9×13″ pan. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes.
Make Caramel Layer: In a saucepan, melt butter and mix with sweetened condensed milk and caramel. Stir until smooth.
Layer It Up: Pour caramel over the partially baked cake. Sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips evenly.
Top & Finish Baking: Gently spread remaining cake batter on top. Bake for an additional 20–25 minutes until mostly set.

Cool & Serve: Allow to cool slightly before slicing for clean layers. Serve warm or room temp.

Notes

For extra decadence, top with more caramel or chocolate drizzle before serving.

Customize with different nuts (or no nuts), dark chocolate, or a pinch of sea salt.

Use parchment paper for easy removal.

Cake may appear slightly gooey when done—that’s perfect!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American / Southern-inspired

Keywords: Chocolate Turtle Cake, caramel chocolate pecan cake, gooey chocolate cake, turtle dessert, Southern cake