Double Caramel Turtle Cake - May 02

[Denise]

Yum! The cake part turned out perfect! Very moist and chocolately. The frosting was very sweet so I added most of a block of cream cheese and a little extra milk. I think that really improved it. I love the nuts on top. In the end my cake is a sort of chocolatey, gooey, caramel cake with a little crunch from the nuts. I'll definately be making this again!

[funnybone]

Thanks for the review - can't wait for my issue!

[cherylopal]

ooohhhhhh that sounds sooooo gooood! (drooly smiley here!!)
thanks for the review! i hope my issue comes today.
cheryl

[krhm]

This sounds fantastic! I probably won't get my issue until Thursday or Friday (coincides so conveniently with payday so I can run out to the grocery and buy all kinds of stuff), but I'm interested in serving it for a get-together I'm having Saturday night. Do you serve it warm, and would vanilla ice cream go well with it?

[Denise]

Krhm - Vanilla ice cream would go very well with it. I wouldn't serve it warm, it needs to cool before you can frost it (its a layer cake).

[JLS]

Please??? For the Double Caramel Turtle Cake???

TIA!! Yum!

[Jewel]

I'm definitely making this cake over the weekend! I saw the photo in the magazine and fell instantly in lust! ;)

[ClaraB]

Originally posted by JLS
Please??? For the Double Caramel Turtle Cake???

TIA!! Yum!
Here it is:

Double-Caramel Turtle Cake

It's hard to believe this decadent cake, which plays off the poular Turtle candies, is light. Butter and eggs keep the cake layers moist.
CAKE:
cooking spray
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c boiling water
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 c all-purpose flour (7 1/2 oz)
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

FROSTING:
2 tbsp butter
1/4 c packed dark brown sugar
2 to 3 tbsp fat-free milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c sifted powdered sugar

TOPPING:
2/3 c fat-free caramel apple dip (such as T. Marzetti's)
1/4 c finely chopped pecans, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. To prepare cake, coat bottoms of 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans); line bottoms with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust with 1 tbsp flour.

3. Combine boiling water and cocoa, stirring well with a whisk. Cool completely.

4. Place granulated sugar, 6 tbsp butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon 1 2/3 c flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 2/3 c flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

5. Pour batter into prepared pans; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

6. To prepare frosting, melt 2 tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and 2 tbsp milk; cook 1 minute or until sugar melts. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine butter mixture and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add additional milk, 1 tsp at a time, beating until spreading consistency.

7. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread top with half of frosting. Place caramel dip in a small zip-top plastic bag. Snip a small hole in 1 corner of bag; drizzle half of caramel dip over frosting. Top with other cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top of cake; drizzle with remaining caramel dip. Sprinkle with pecans. Yield: 16 servings.
Nutrition info (per serving): 309 calories, 8.4 g fat, 3.7g protein, 56.7 g carb, 1.9 g fiber, 42 mg chol, 1.5 mg iron, 249 mg sodium, 41 mg calc.

[krhm]

I made this over the weekend, and it was really good. I overbaked it slightly by accident, and I think it would have been moister if it were slightly undercooked. A gooey-er cake would have been better. I also thought the frosting was very sweet, and I would follow Denise's advice about the cream cheese (maybe even less sugar as well?). Also, do not use light brown sugar as I tried to! I don't think the full caramel taste came through.

I served this to some friends and they all loved it as it was. I tend to be much more critical of my own cooking!

[Jewel]

Well naturally, since I'm the 'Cake Tanker' my cake didn't turn out as planned. It tasted wonderful. It looked like a 5 year old strung out on cough syrup made it. :rolleyes:

I made the cake exactly as the recipe stated. The only difference is that I didn't have wax paper so I cut my 8" circles out of parchment paper. That seemed to work fine. The cake rose nicely and came out of the pans perfectly. MY problems were with the frosting. I made it with the 2 TBS of milk specified at first, but found it way too thick after it set for a few minutes. I added one more tsp of milk (as the recipe stated) and the frosting seemed to be a better consistency for spreading...or so I thought.

I put half of the frosting on the cooled bottom layer as directed, then drizzled the caramel topping on. I gently laid the top layer onto the frosted bottom layer, then turned my back on the cake for about 30 seconds to stir the pecans that were gently toasting on the stove. When I turned back to the cake, nearly ALL of the frosting and caramel had oozed out of the center and coated the sides of the bottom layer...and the top layer had slid 2/3 off the bottom layer! :eek: I pushed the top back on, then turned back to my nuts. Again, when I turned back around, the cake had migrated. :mad: I could NOT keep that top layer on. It oozed, it spread, it slid, it made the biggest mess. :confused: I frosted the top layer and drizzled the caramel, and sprinkled the pecans, and kept tugging the top layer back onto the bottom layer every few minutes. Finally, I think enough of the frosting/caramel oozed out from between the layers that the top layer stayed put. 90% of the between-layers frosting/caramel was all over the sides of the bottom layer and puddled on the cake plate. The top layer didn't look so bad.

I was ashamed to serve it to DH, but once we tasted it all shame was put aside! That was the most tender chocolate cake I've ever made! The cake itself was not as sweet as most chocolate cakes and we loved that. More cocoa/chocolate taste, and the extra sweetness of the frosting/caramel complimented it wonderfully! :) DH kept going on and on about that cake being the best chocolate cake I've ever made. I WILL make this cake again, but I might coward out and make it a sheet cake. :D If not, I will make SURE that I don't add more milk to that @#$% frosting. I think that was my problem! :( Maybe chill the caramel too so it doesn't spread so much?

We can't wait to dig into that cake again after dinner tonight. I tell DH not to look at it, just eat it! :D

[lisas3575]

Murray, our (*#&$ dog that likes to eat off the counter :mad: . I did catch her early into her snack and was able to salvage most of the cake, and she got to it before it was frosted, so that was a bonus too.

Anywho, I read the article posted a couple weeks ago (I forget by who) about reducing the leavening for better cakes and thought I'd give it a shot here. The only problem was the flour wasn't an even cup amount (1 2/3 C.) so I had trouble with the math. I ended up with the 3/4 t. baking powder and reduced the baking soda to 1/4 t. I also used the tips about wrapping wet newspaper around the sides of the pans for even rising and dusting the pans with cocoa instead of flour. Great tips!! My cakes looked beautiful, until Murray butted in.

Jewel, my frosting was too runny also. If you stop the mixer and the ridges ooze back together in the bowl, it's too soft. I added more powdered sugar until it was stiff.

I forgot to put carmel on the bottom layer before I put the top layer on, but we didn't miss it nor the calories. The cake had a wonderful flavor, wasn't chewy, and rose nicely, however, I found it a bit on the dry /crumbly side. Was that because I reduced the leavening??? Or is it because it's light, and has less butter?

I'll probably make this again, though I prefer the Died and Gone to Heaven chocolate cake to this one.

[Jewel]

Originally posted by lisas3575
The cake had a wonderful flavor, wasn't chewy, and rose nicely, however, I found it a bit on the dry /crumbly side. Was that because I reduced the leavening??? Or is it because it's light, and has less butter?

I don't have the answer to that question, but I did want to say that I followed the leavening to the letter, and my cake was so tender and moist! :cool: I forgot about the wet newspaper trick, but considering my problems with the Lemonade Layer Cake not rising at all, I considered any leavening a success! :D I had to cut the cake with a serrated knife it was so tender...not sure if that's what CL was after or not, but it was definitely a 'plus' to us! I'm used to a more coarse texture in chocolate cakes, and this one was fragile! :D

[lisas3575]

I wonder if we got the same results, and what you're calling tender, I'm calling crumbly! :p

[aggie94]

I made this tonight and it came out BEAUTIFULLY!! It's so pretty to look at, and it tastes fabulous too. I had the same stiff frosting problems. I was adding powdered sugar in 1/2 cups, and after the first 2, the frosting looked perfect. After the third and fourth, it balled up and became really crumbly. Even with the addition of an extra tablespoon of milk, it still looked like cookie batter, so I added another 2 teaspoons and it was perfect again.

The frosting WAS really sweet, almost sickeningly sweet. I didn't use quite the whole batch of frosting on the layers (and I was SO happy to see that I only had to frost the tops - am I the only one who hates frosting the sides of cakes??) and I didn't use near the whole amount of caramel either. The toasted pecans are a really nice addition.

The cake is very chocolatey but not too sweet, so it balances well with the caramel and frosting. Like Lisa and Jewel, my cake did come out a little crumbly. It was very light, but not quite what I would describe as "moist" if that makes any sense. This cake really would go great with vanila ice cream. I'm very impressed with how well it turned out.

[Molli526]

I made this cake Saturday for Mother's Day dinner. It turned out fabulous! WOW! I also had the Peanut Butter Mousse Cake from Epicurious and my family thought this cake was better!

I followed the directions exactly and had a nice rising cake. I would say mine was definitely moist. It was just the right texture. You would have never guessed it was light.

I made the frosting while the layers baked. It was perfect spreading consitency with 2C Powdered Sugar and 2 Tbsp Milk. After it sat, at room temp for about an hour, it did stiffen but was able to spread after being stirred. My caramel was chilled (just I forgot to take it out of the fridge).

This cake turned out so well. It was a real hit and I would definitely make this again.

[lisas3575]

Eva, your description sounds exactly like my results. It wasn't dry, but just kind of crumbly, like it needed more binder (eggs? fat?). It still tasted really good though!

Did anyone do the caramel in the baggie like CL suggests? I couldn't be bothered with that, so I just dripped it off a spoon. Definitely not as pretty though.

[aggie94]

Lisa - that sounds exactly like mine. Not dry, but not moist. Crumbly, like it needed something wet to stick it all together. But still yummy.

I did do the caramel in the baggie (just dumped it into a Ziploc sandwich baggie and snipped off a corner), and it came out SO pretty. :D Didn't the spoon leave you with globs??

[lisas3575]

Originally posted by aggie94
Lisa - that sounds exactly like mine. Not dry, but not moist. Crumbly, like it needed something wet to stick it all together. But still yummy.

I did do the caramel in the baggie (just dumped it into a Ziploc sandwich baggie and snipped off a corner), and it came out SO pretty. :D Didn't the spoon leave you with globs??

Oh yeah. Big, ooey, gooey, luscious, lazy globs. :p

[RUSTYSMOM]

This was fabulous- a 9. While I did not eat it myself (don't eat chocolate) my dh and our guests loved it. It looked just like the picture in teh magazine (except mine didn't rise quite as much) and was pretty easy to make. I was pretty proud of this cake. I have to say I was very careful not to turn my back on it for a second while frosting it - I could'nt help thinking about Jewel's adventure with this cake! Thanks Jewel - you had me smiling the whole time I was frosting it (I had images of thsi woman turning slightly and the second she turned the cake would tip - like a cartoon. DOn't get me wrong - I was disappointed for your experience - but you do tell a great story!!)

[Denise]

Jewel - Until the post by Rustysmom I didn't notice yours.
I had the exact same problem you did - the top layer kept oozing
away! To fix it I stuck toothpicks in the bottom layer around
the outside to "fence in" the top layer. Then I put the whole cake,
frosted, in the fridge for an hour. It worked really well! You might give it a try next time.

[funnybone]

I finally got around to making this this weekend and do I ever wish I didn't wait so long!!! IT WAS DELICIOUS!!

My frosting was hard, but I added some milk and it was good. I didn't put as much caramel on it as the recipe suggested - I just drizzled some in the center and on top. It was plenty, and not too much. I didn't add pecans because DH would have picked them off, but I topped the cake with some Skor Toffee Bits and it was great! I WILL make this cake again - definitely. The actual cake base was great too, and would make a great all around chocolate cake. Mine rose really well too.:)

[Terrytx]

I made this for the weekend too! It was a hit. Very delicious and pretty.

[helene]

Calling Canadians what did you use to replace the

fat-free caramel apple dip (such as T. Marzetti's)

cannot find this in NB.

Thanks

[lisas3575]

Hélène, I'm not Canadian, but I read on one of these threads that someone subbed fat-free caramel ice cream topping with good results. :cool:

[funnybone]

Originally posted by lisas3575
Hélène, I'm not Canadian, but I read on one of these threads that someone subbed fat-free caramel ice cream topping with good results. :cool:

I think any caramel flavor syrup would work. The T. Marzetti brand is thick, so anything that is not runny will work.

ENJOY!

[NJHunt]

I used to have this problem with my cakes - you frost the layers, but the layers slide off. I find this happens because I have a slight dome on the layers and slight crust on the top. This tends to happen with me and chocolate cakes. So what I do now is cut the top off the cake with a serrated knife. I get to taste the cake scraps so I know what I am serving and no one is the wiser. The layers stick together and the cakes are beautiful.

Good luck.

[helene]

Thanks for your responses. I'll see what I can find at the grocery store.

Cannot wait to try this recipe.

[lisas3575]

Originally posted by NJHunt
I used to have this problem with my cakes - you frost the layers, but the layers slide off. I find this happens because I have a slight dome on the layers and slight crust on the top. This tends to happen with me and chocolate cakes. So what I do now is cut the top off the cake with a serrated knife. I get to taste the cake scraps so I know what I am serving and no one is the wiser. The layers stick together and the cakes are beautiful.

Good luck.

NJHunt, there was tip on this board a month or two back about wrapping the sides of your cake pan with strips of wet newspaper. It cools down the sides of the pan so the cake cooks evenly throughout. No more domed tops!! Try it, it works great. :cool:

[JulieAnn]

Just wanted to post my 2 cents. My husband and I both that the cake itself tasted just a cake mix. This seems to go along with earlier reviews that it would have been better a little more moist. The frosting and toasted (in my case, almost burned!)pecans were incredible. Next time I think I'm going to use a cake mix and cook it in a jelly roll pan and just cover it with the frosting, caramel and nuts. And I really suggest almost burning the nuts. We really liked the super toasty flavor. The cake batter was delicious, but the homemade cake was just not worth the effort.