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.
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.
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.
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:
- Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake is a riff on the vintage cake we all love.
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Bundt Cake is delicious for brunch, tea time or dessert.
- Delicious made from scratch Caramel Bundt Cake.
- Lemon Butter Bundt Cake can be served dusted with powdered sugar alongside coffee or tea.
- Buttered Rum Cake is a holiday must make.
- You’ll enjoy a punch of citrus in every bite of this homemade Orange Pound Cake.
- Lemon Rhubarb Bundt Cake from Affair From the Heart.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake
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.
Yes, please delicious chocolate cake!!!
I don’t see chocolate bundt cakes too often, but this one is incredible!
I can’t stop staring at this beautiful cake! I have to bake this ASAP!
Wow, wow, wow. Looks great and will try it next weekend 🙂
I hate using cake mixes so I love that this is a from scratch recipe that WORKS
I made this cake last night for a birthday celebration today, and it was a HIT! Everyone raved about how delicious it was! Thanks so much for posting this recipe – I will be making this again for sure!
Wonderful Lynn, thank you
Hi Melissa. I just want to say, your cake is DELIGHTFUL! My son, Robert, and his pals from soccer were having a little get-together. They had also won a soccer game, so I thought, “Why not make them a treat, for their excellent win!” My son LOVES pecans, and so do his friends! It was quite messy, but just because I’m a messy person! Lol! Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. Love, Sharon. <3
Hi Sharon, being the mother of sons myself that makes my heart sing. This cake is actually a bit messy by design so have fun with it! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know how much you enjoyed it.
Made cake tonight. Only day off I have between now and when my Christmas company shows up on Wednesday. I’m freezing the cake till then. Will thaw and add toppings on Christmas eve. I’ll let you know if it doesn’t work out.
Hi Angela, it will work out! Drizzling with the glaze before serving is the right call, well done. Enjoy!
Made this cake for my husband today. It’s his 56th birthday. Lots of Carmel and chocolate left. The frosting was as cool as it was going to get and still be able to drizzle it. Next time I’ll make two cakes. What a waist of extra frosting. But its super rich. Yum
Dear MELISSA,
Thank you sooo very much for your turtle Bundt cake from scratch. It was difficult to find this recipe from scratch but it’s especially nice that you included all the recipes needed to complete this gem! Thank you????????
It’s my pleasure, you’re welcome.
I’m in Colorado. Any changes I should make for high altitude?
It may take a bit longer to bake so watch it carefully, otherwise follow the recipe as directed.
Will let you know how it turns out. Making the cake tonight and then doing the glaze tomorrow before meeting friends.
Please do and if you had to make any changes due to high altitude. I think it will do fine, though.
Is the Chocolate Buttermilk Cake a store bought cake. If so, they are not available in Ireland, so I would have to bake another type of cake. Would this matter to the final result?
No, it’s a from scratch cake recipe here on my blog. It’s up to you if you’d like to use another cake recipe and yes that would, of course change things.
Your recipes look delicious.
Thanks so much!
I just finished making this yummy looking cake for my dad tomorrow, for father’s day! It looks absolutely delicious, I’m sure it will be a big hit!
The only thing is I think I drizzled my ganache when it was still too warm, the consistency seemed right but it oozed down the sides, off my cake board and onto my counter, the Carmel also. The middle hole filled up and I knew if I left it like that it would end up mushy so I transferred it to another cake board and it looks great. I would suggest drizzling sauces on while still on cooling rack with foil underneath to catch the excess. But like I said, maybe my sauces were a bit too warm yet. There was still a ton of sauce, even with the run off. Also, I didn’t mix my pecans into the Carmel and instead just sprinkled them on after the sauces were on. Only because we have some non nut eaters, not allergies, they just don’t like them, so I figured they can easily remove the nuts from their slice if they chose.
I’ll have to confess, I got a new bundt pan, went browsing for recipes, made a lemon blueberry one but when I saw this cake, I had to make it! So now we’ll have 2 cakes at our dad’s day bbq!!!!
Thank you so much!
Yes, with this cakes the sauces must be warm enough to drizzle yet cooled enough to adhere. Unfortunately, leaving the pecans out of the caramel will change it completely. It’s not a bad thing to have extra cake though, there will be some happy dessert eaters at your house.
This looks wonderful, will try for sure!!
Thanks so much Donna!
I made this a few minutes ago! Looks good enough to eat! (sorry, bad pun)
Funny! Hope you enjoy. ☺
Talk about decadence! This has to be divine. It looks beautiful too! I can’t wait to try it…thanks so much for sharing!
xo
Pat
Thanks Pat!
where is recipe for the butttermilk chocolate cake. It’s not included in the chocolate turtle bundt cak recipe.
Please click on the highlighted words in the recipe template for the recipe. Alternately, all recipes are listed in the Recipe Index.