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Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake

This irresistible Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake is a made-from-scratch chocolate caramel pecan delight. It’s drizzled with a buttery pecan-caramel sauce and a healthy drizzle of silky chocolate ganache. It’s a cake that’s dressed to impress even the pickiest of dessert eaters.

Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake


Easy Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake Recipe from Scratch

I love baking and have since I was a little girl. The very first recipe I ever recall making was peanut butter cookies from scratch. That was my very first real baking experience apart from my easy bake oven. While I love the convenient baking products that are available and use them myself from time to time, my true passion is building a dessert from the ground up when I have time. This scrumptious chocolate cake begins with my chocolate buttermilk cake. In this instance, I’m baking the batter in a bundt pan because I love having the gooey drizzle cascade down both sides of each slice, it’s just heavenly. How to make caramel and chocolate drizzled Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Chocolate Cake – Prepare the chocolate buttermilk cake per the directions in the recipe. Bake in a buttered and floured bundt pan for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack.
  • Pecans – Spread the pecan pieces in a single layer on a sheet pan. Toast in a 350°F oven for 6-8 minute then set aside to cool.
  • Caramel-Pecan Sauce – Melt together the brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly.Remove the caramel sauce from the heat then add the vanilla and toasted pecans. Stir until the pecans are coated. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Ganache – In the microwave melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream in 20 second increments stopping to stir each time. Repeat until completely smooth.
  • Drizzle Cooled Cake – Place the bundt cake on a cake pedestal or platter. Drizzle with 1/3 of the chocolate ganache and 1/3 of the caramel pecan sauce. Repeat drizzling the cake on all sides until both of the sauces are used.
  • Store chilled bringing to room temperature for serving.
Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake

How to Make the Best Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake Recipe

This chocolate bundt cake is one of my favorite original recipe creations and I hope you’ll love it, too.

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake: Chocolate Buttermilk Cake starts with all purpose flour, cocona powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, large eggs and buttermilk.
  • For the Chocolate Pecan Sauce you’ll need: Chopped pecans, toasted in the oven. You’ll also need light brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, heavy cream and vanilla extract.
  • For the Chocolate Ganache you’ll need: Milk chocolate chips and heavy cream.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: A stand mixer or a hand mixer, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a Bundt pan for baking the cake, a saucepan to make the caramel sauce and a microwave safe bowl for making the chocolate ganache. You’ll need spoons and silicone spatulas for mixing and scraping the bowls and saucepan.
  • I prefer milk chocolate for the ganache but you can use semi sweet or dark chocolate if that’s your preference in the same amount.
  • This turtle bundt cake can be made in advance and stored chilled then brought to room temperature for serving. I also love serving it while the topping is still slightly warm and gooey with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. When it comes to a dessert like this one why not gild the lily?
  • If making it in advance, store the cake chilled in the refrigerator but allow it to come to room temperature so the gooey toppings can soften a bit.
  • Store leftover cake chilled for up to one week.
Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake

More Southern Style Bundt Cakes to Make

I really love make big beautiful layer cakes. From time to time, it’s nice to make a full bundt cake or pound cake in an angel food pan skipping the layers and icing. More delicious bundt cake recipes you might also like to try:

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake

Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Cooling Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 55 minutes
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: chocolate-turtle-bundt-cake, turtle-cake-recipe
Servings: 16 servings (may vary)
Calories: 520kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe Chocolate Buttermilk Cake made in a bundt pan
  • 1 cup roughly chopped pecan pieces toasted
  • Caramel-pecan sauce:
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup butter 1/2 stick or 4 Tbsp
  • 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Chocolate ganache:
  • 1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  • Chocolate Cake: Prepare the chocolate buttermilk cake per the directions. Bake in a buttered and floured bundt pan for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes then remove from the pan and cool completely.
  • Spread the pecan pieces in a single layer on a sheet pan. Toast in a 350°F oven for 6-8 minutes then set aside to cool.
  • Make the Caramel-Pecan Sauce: In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat melt together the brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
  • Remove the caramel sauce from the heat then add the vanilla and toasted pecans. Stir until the pecans are coated. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Make the Ganache: in a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream in 20 second increments stopping to stir each time. Repeat until completely smooth.
  • Drizzle: Place the bundt cake on a cake pedestal or platter. Drizzle with 1/3 of the chocolate ganache and 1/3 of the caramel pecan sauce. Repeat drizzling the cake on all sides until both of the sauces are used.
  • Store chilled bringing to room temperature for serving.

Notes

The caramel-pecan sauce and chocolate ganache should still be warm but still pourable before drizzling onto the cake.
Chocolate Buttermilk Recipe and Nutrition Information here

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 349IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

63 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My 8 year old son and I just made this as a test run for his baking competition entry for the county fair. It tastes AMAZING so we are definitely going to use this recipe. The only problem…I am TERRIBLE at the drizzle. It went everywhere and filled up the center of my Bundt cake. The cake was completely cool and I did let the caramel and ganache cool some. Any tips? Thank you for a great recipe!

    1. Hi Stacy, there’s no exact science with the glaze. It’s important to let it cool some as you said you did, but perhaps just a few more minutes would do the trick. Drizzle it slowly, but inevitably it will pool some that’s the nature of this cake. I hope you love it.

  2. There is a conflict with your recipe. As the recipe is printed, there are 29 g carbs, but reading the buttermilk cake’s actual recipe, it is 55 g carbs. Which is it? 29? Or 55?

    1. There’s no conflict. Nutrition information is given as a courtesy and should always be considered an estimate. Should you choose to use the chocolate buttermilk cake recipe as suggested you should reference the stats on each recipe or run the combination of the two through your own nutrition calculator of choice for the information.

  3. 5 stars
    This was a hit! Made for my moms birthday and everyone loved it. The cake itself was amazing, and then you get the toppings! We used semi- sweet instead of milk chocolate chips for the ganache, sprinkled the toasted pecans on top and used a premade caramel sauce we had bought for another recipe and still had 2/3 left so it worked well to drizzle over the top. Decorate with turtles and you have a winner! Will definitely make this again, can’t wait to try more of your recipes 🙂

  4. 5 stars
    I researched several recipes to make 5 bundt cakes and this recipe was one of them and so so good, everyone raved on all but this one got top 5…I am just home baker and had a bday cookout…loved it, and trying to share the recipes to many…thanks so much for the recipe….:)

  5. 5 stars
    I made this using my Nordicware mini bundt pan, and a small bundt cake. I then posted photos of the minibundts, which were scrumptious and oh so good. I immediately got 80 requests for your receipt. I referred everyone to your Pinterest site for the recipe. Thank you again Melissa. Your cakes are the best and this is the fifth recipe I have made with rave reviews, including from the guys!

  6. 5 stars
    I made this cake and it is surely a winner hands down! Everyone, and I mean everyone loved this cake when I make it.

  7. Hi Melissa,
    I’m so excited! I made your Chocolate Turtle Bundt cake! It turned out perfect! Moist and the chocolate ganache and caramel pecan sauce were to die for! Your recipe was easy, step by step and concise! Thank you, it was for a birthday and it was a huge hit!!!

  8. Thinking about making this for a cake walk at school but I’m worried that it can’t be refrigerated overnight before the cake walk. Thoughts?

  9. 5 stars
    Just found your recipes by chance and will make this next week for a retirement/birthday party at our office. Already know that it will be a mega hit.

    Thank you for posting both the recipe for the cake and for the finished product.

    Carolyn Penrod

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