Three layers of caramel-soaked chocolate cake with caramel pecan frosting sandwiched in between, then frosted all over with silky smooth chocolate frosting. This Turtle Cake is literally what dreams are made of.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray with baking spray, set aside.
In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, eggs, buttermilk, melted chocolate, and vanilla.
Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry until thoroughly mixed in, scrape down the sides often.
Pour in the boiling water slowly until thoroughly mix it in. Evenly divide the batter among the cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool completely on a wired rack.
While the cakes cool, make the caramel frosting first. Add the butter and brown sugar to the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat together for 3 minutes to incorporate the sugar well.
Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully combined. Add the milk, vanilla, and salt, stir it in until combined, then whip on medium-high heat for 3 minutes until fluffy.
Fold in the pecans and set aside.
For the chocolate frosting, in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter and melted chocolate and stir to combine.
Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully mixed in. Add the milk, vanilla, and salt, and stir until just combined. Place the mixer on medium-high and whip for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Take out one of the cakes and discard the parchment paper. Place it on your workstation or serving plater. Cut off any doming on the cakes if necessary.
Take a fork and gently poke holes into the cake. Add ⅓ of the caramel sauce and spread it over the cake. The cake will absorb the caramel.
Add ½ of the caramel pecan frosting and smooth it out to the edge.
Add another cake on top, again poke with holes and add another ⅓ of the caramel, smooth it out. Add the remaining caramel pecan frosting, and smooth it out to the edge.
Add the last cake on top, poke with holes and add the last of the caramel, smooth it out.
Crumb coat the entire cake with about half of the chocolate frosting. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to overnight to set.
Add the remaining chocolate frosting all over the outside of the cake. Decorate with more chopped pecans and add a drizzle of caramel if desired. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Notes
This makes a large cake to feed a crowd, but can be made into a 2-layer cake instead, see above on how to do that.
Add mix-ins like chopped pecans and chocolate chips to the cake batter if desired.
It can be frozen, see my tips above on how to store it.
The caramel soak is optional but highly recommended.
Best enjoyed at room temperature.
The chocolate frosting makes enough to crumb coat and add an even layer to the outside of the cake, if you want to decorate with chocolate frosting, I suggest 1.5x the recipe.
I use these baking strips to keep cake doming to a minimum.