This delicious chocolate, caramel, and nut cake can be made completely out of purchased ingredients for a quick, simple version. Or it can be upscaled with your favorite chocolate cake recipe, homemade caramel sauce, and homemade whipped cream. Either way, the pecans sitting on a sea of cream and caramel remind me of the turtles lined up on a log at Radnor Lake!
Ingredients
1 chocolate cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can dulce de leche
1 bottle Ghirardelli Sea Salt Caramel Sauce
¾ cup pecans
1 ¼ cup Ghirardelli Bittersweet Baking Chips
1 recipe of whipped cream (or a tub of whipped topping)
Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon cream of tartar (this stabilizes the whipped cream and helps the cake last longer)
Instructions
Mix the cake batter according to package directions and stir in 3/4 cup baking chips. Pour into a rectangular cake pan that has a cover and bake according to the directions. Remove from oven to cool.
Poke holes in the cake using the end of a wooden spoon or butter knife, about 3/4 inch apart, covering cake.
In a microwave-safe bowl mix the sweetened condensed milk, dulce de leche, and half the bottle of caramel sauce together. If it’s too thick, warm for about 30-60 seconds in the microwave. Pour over cake. Use a spatula or spoon to push caramel into holes. Let soak into cake completely.
Whip the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high just until it begins to thicken. With the mixer running, adding the sugar, cream of tartar, and the vanilla. Continue beating until the cream stands up in stiff peaks. Do not overbeat.
When the cake is at room temp, carefully top with whipped cream, then drizzle with the remaining salted caramel sauce (about ¼ of the bottle), and the remaining ½ cup baking chips. Top with pecans.
Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Enjoy!
