Turtle Chocolate Layer Cake

Why hello there, delicious! I’ve been wanting to make a Turtles flavoured dessert for soooooo so so long now! I made this cake a few weeks ago, but I wanted to get all my Valentines Day desserts out of the way before sharing this beauty.

TURTLE CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE
This Turtle Chocolate Layer Cake features four layers of moist and fudgy chocolate cake layers, filled with salted caramel buttercream frosting and a homemade salted caramel pecan sauce! The outside is covered in more salted caramel frosting with a delicious ganache and salted caramel drip and chopped pecans to finish it all off! If that doesn’t sound absolutely tempting, I don’t know what does!

Today I’m celebrating the life of a blogging friend, Joan from Chocolate, Chocolate and More, who was taken from this world much too soon just last week. It also just happens to be National Chocolate Day, which is a fitting day for a woman who loved chocolate as much as Joan.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. One of my favorite parts about blogging is the wonderful other bloggers I’ve met and become friends with. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes of a blog and having the support of others who understand it and become friends is a blessing.

Joan is one of the wonderful bloggers I had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friend with over the last few years. She lived just 2 hours away from me, with Atlanta right in the middle. The first time I met her was for lunch with another blogger and it was immediately apparent the kind of presence she had. With a much more popular blog than my own, she was humble, super friendly and fun, and always willing to be as helpful as possible. Of course when she left, she got several pieces of cheesecake (we were at The Cheesecake Factory) to take home to her family so they could all try them. I knew right then she was my kind of woman and we were destined to be friends.

Although this is a Turtles cake, there actually aren’t any turtles in this recipe. And by turtles I mean the chocolate candy, not actual turtles. I just couldn’t find anywhere to add them, and if we’re being honest, between all of the incredible layers, they weren’t really needed.

Now I did actually have plans to add turtle chocolates to the cake, so I bought quite a few packs. Since I changed my mind last minute, and didn’t want the chocolates to go to waste (I had to resist eating them all) I decided to create another turtles dessert which I’ll be sharing sometime soon, so look out for more Turtle deliciousness!

INGREDIENTS
Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla

Caramel:

• 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
• 1/4 cup water
• 150 ml heavy whipping cream room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 100g, room temperature

Milk Chocolate Ganache:

• 4.5 oz milk chocolate good quality, finely chopped
• 3 oz heavy whipping cream

Caramel Buttercream:

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
• 1/2 cup caramel cooled

Assembly:

• 1 cup pecans chopped
• 6 Turtles Minis

INSTRUCTIONS
Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 6" round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
2. Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
3. In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour hot water in slowly as not to cook the eggs if very hot).
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
5. Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
6. Bake until a cake tester comes out mostly clean. A total of 30-35mins.

Caramel:

1. Place sugar and water into a medium pot, stir to combine, but to not stir from this point forward. Cook over high heat, washing down the sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in water as needed to prevent crystals.
2. Cook until desired color of caramel is reached and immediately remove from heat. Very slowly, whisk in heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up (a lot) and boil. Add butter, return to heat, and bring back to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes whisking constantly.
3. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container and place in fridge to thicken.*

Milk Chocolate Ganache:

1. Place chopped chocolate and cream into a microwave safe bowl. Stir to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir. Microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth and silky. Set aside to cool completely before using.*

Caramel Buttercream:

1. Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.**
2. Place bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins).
3. Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
4. Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
5. Add cooled caramel and whip until smooth.***

Assembly:

1. Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving dish. Top with about 2/3 cup buttercream, drizzle with caramel and ganache and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Repeat with remaining layers. Crumb coat the outside and chill cake for 15mins. Frost and smooth the outside, chill for 30mins.
2. Using a teaspoon, drip ganache along the edges then fill in the top. Chill for 15mins.
3. Repeat with caramel and chill for 30mins.
4. If desired, top with rosettes and mini Turtles.****

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