Easy Turtle poke cake with Caramel Sauce

 

Ingredients :

Cake:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs
• 1 cup coffee, cooled
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:

• 1 1/2-2 cups caramel sauce (I used my homemade microwave caramel sauce, but any good quality store-bought is fine)

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temperature
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk

Garnish:

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• Caramel sauce to drizzle over slices, optional

Instructions:

Spray 9 x 13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 340º.
In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder.
In a large pyrex measuring cup or medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, coffee, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and beat for a couple minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
When cake is done, let cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Then take a wooden spoon and using the handle end, poke rows of holes across the cake.don’t make huge holes, Pour caramel sauce into the holes. Reserve any leftover sauce to use as a garnish. Cool to room temperature before frosting.
To make the frosting, beat together butter and cocoa. Add vanilla and mix well.Then alternate adding milk and powdered sugar till all is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Frost cake.
Sprinkle cake with pecans, then chocolate chips.
To serve, cut slices and drizzle with caramel sauce.