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Caramel Chocolate Turtle Dump Cake is an easy 6 ingredient dump cake dessert recipe that only uses one bowl, and then it’s ‘dumped’ into one pan. Caramel, dark chocolate, chocolate cake mix, and pecans make for a seriously amazing turtle dessert.

A turtle dessert is a popular combination of flavors including chocolate, caramel, and salty pecans – similar to these Rolo Pretzel Turtles.

A serving plate of a slice of the dump cake with ice cream and caramel sauce on top.

Chocolate Caramel Dump Cake (Turtle Dessert Recipe)

Dump cakes are such an easy dessert that anyone can make! They usually involve mixing up a few ingredients, like a cake mix and pudding, and dumping it into a baking dish and baking.

This turtle version of a dump cake includes gooey sweet caramel, dark chocolate chips, a chocolate cake mix, and salty crunchy pecans.

A pan of the cooked dump cake with dark chocolate chips and pecans on top.

Dump cakes are best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The creamy cold ice cream with the soft pudding-like cake is a must.

Turtle desserts are the perfect combination of flavor and texture – with crunchy salty nuts, rich chocolate, and caramel. Even if you’re not a fan of dark chocolate chips, I think you’ll still love this one because the dark chocolate cuts some sweetness and pairs perfectly with the rich caramel and peans.

A serving the dump cake with caramel and ice cream.

Only 6 Ingredients Needed

  • Instant Chocolate Pudding : Do not prepare before adding it into the mixing bowl. Just dump the dry chocolate pudding powder into the bowl. Make sure you are using ‘instant’ and not the ‘cook & serve’ version of chocolate pudding.
  • Whole Milk
  • Chocolate Cake Mix : Use any variety of chocolate cake mix you want; milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate fudge, Devil’s Food Cake, etc. I use a milk chocolate cake mix.
  • Dark Chocolate Chips
  • Caramel Sauce : This is the ice cream caramel sauce or syrup. I use a jar of caramel sauce from Smucker’s brand or Hershey’s brand, and Ghirardelli makes a really yummy ice cream sundae caramel sauce.
  • Chopped Pecans
Ingredients

How To Make A Turtle Dessert Dump Cake (Printable Recipe Card)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the instant chocolate pudding and whole milk until combined and starts to thicken. About 1 minute.

Add the dry chocolate cake mix, caramel sauce, and 1 cup of the dark chocolate chips into the chocolate pudding mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined.

Evenly spread the dump cake batter into the prepared baking pan.

process images

Sprinkle the chopped pecans and remaining dark chocolate over top.

Bake for 25-35 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with only moist crumbs (not wet batter) and the sides of the cake will be puffy and pulled away from the sides of the pan.

process images

Serve the cake warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top and additional caramel sauce and/or chopped pecans.

process images

How To Store Leftover Dump Cake

This chocolate caramel dump cake is best served warm after making it. However, if you have leftovers that you want to keep, simply cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or a lid, and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for eating.

For longer storage, keep the dump cake inside the fridge, for up to 4-5 days.

A pan of dump cake with chocolate and caramel and pecans.

Serving Suggestions

This dump cake is best served warm, within about 30 minutes of making it. I don’t recommend preparing it ahead of time, as you will want to serve it warm from the oven for the best taste.

My family’s favorite way to eat this dump cake is with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream (or any flavor you want!) on top. The cold and creamy ice cream melts into the warm chocolate caramel cake and it is delicious.

You can also drizzle some extra caramel sauce or chocolate sauce over top, and/or add some additional chopped pecans or dark chocolate chips on top for serving.

Close up image of the pan of dump cake with a serving spoon inside of it.

Tips For Success

  • Even if you normally don’t like dark chocolate, I promise, in this dessert it actually works so well. Dark chocolate is not as sweet and it pairs perfectly with the sweet chocolate pudding and chocolate cake mix, plus the caramel sauce. It all just works really well together. You can substitute with milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips if wanted.
  • Serve the dump cake warm from the oven! Think of this dessert like a warm berry crisp or apple crisp, it is best served warm with a scoop of cold ice cream on top.
  • No need to prepare the chocolate cake mix before adding it into the bowl. Simply dump the dry cake mix from the box into the mixing bowl.
Overhead pic of a piece of the dump cake on a white plate with a fork.

More Dump Cake Recipes You’ll Love

A serving the dump cake with caramel and ice cream.
Together As Family Logo

Caramel Chocolate Dump Cake


Author Jessica
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 10
Caramel Chocolate Dump Cake is an easy 6 ingredient dump cake dessert recipe that only uses one bowl, and then it's 'dumped' into one pan. Caramel, dark chocolate, chocolate cake mix, and pecans make for a seriously amazing turtle dessert.

Ingredients
  

Caramel Chocolate Dump Cake

  • 1 box (3.4 oz) instant chocolate pudding
  • cups whole milk
  • 1 box (15.25 oz) chocolate cake mix
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup caramel sauce or syrup

Dump Cake Toppings

  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the instant chocolate pudding and whole milk until combined and starts to thicken. About 1 minute.
    1 box (3.4 oz) instant chocolate pudding, 1½ cups whole milk
  • Add the dry chocolate cake mix, dark chocolate chips, and caramel sauce into the chocolate pudding mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined.
    1 box (15.25 oz) chocolate cake mix, 1/2 cup caramel sauce or syrup, 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • Evenly spread the dump cake batter into the prepared baking pan.
  • Sprinkle the chopped pecans and dark chocolate chips over top.
    1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with only moist crumbs (not wet batter) and the sides of the cake will be puffy and pulled away from the sides of the pan.
  • Serve the cake warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top and additional caramel sauce and/or chopped pecans.

Notes

A 10 ounce bag of dark chocolate chips is enough for the dump cake mixture and the topping. 
Caramel : You can melt caramel from the caramel square candy OR you can use caramel syrup ice cream topping. Whatever you use, just make sure the caramel is melted and in “liquid” form. 
Whole Milk : Higher fat milk is best when baking. But you can substitute if needed. 
Serving Size : This cake safely feeds 10 people. It is a rich dessert so I have found that each person’s serving is always smaller. You could probably even get more like 12 servings from this. 
Optional Chocolate Drizzle : Place 1 cup chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, dark chocolate, or white chocolate) plus 1 teaspoon shortening or oil into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth and melted. Drizzle the chocolate glaze over top the warm cake when it comes out of the oven. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 451kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 576mg | Potassium: 421mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 77IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 3mg

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4.54 from 28 votes (25 ratings without comment)

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33 Comments

  1. C an you use a fudge bronie mix, iam am just learning to bake, never had time, now i am retired and can learn

    1. Together As Family says:

      I have never tested this recipe using a brownie mix so I can’t say for sure if it would work out. So sorry but I suppose it’s always worth trying it out 🙂

      1. I tried it with brownie mix. It is very dense and moist, but good.

  2. Michael W Martin says:

    I don’t need any eggs?

    1. Together As Family says:

      Nope. Just the recipe ingredients listed.

  3. Can you substitute chocolate/hot fudge sauce for the caramel sauce? Also can you use devil’s food cake mix instead of chocolate fudge cake mix.

    1. Together As Family says:

      Yes those would work just fine.

  4. I made this for my husband today as a treat. The only thing I changed was I added in some toffee bits. Because I thought that kind of went with the turtle theme. It was absolutely amazing. My husband loved it. Thanks so much!

  5. Could I make this in a springform pan?

    1. Together As Family says:

      I think it would be too much batter for a springform pan. I would suggest just using the 9×13 baking dish that the recipe calls for, for best results. If you really want to use a springform then you would want the largest size and even then I can’t promise the results cause I have never done it. Hope that helps.

  6. Gina D from Texas says:

    So if I don’t want it too gooey (have a thing about anything with a soggy texture) but more moist cake-like just bake longer?

    1. Together As Family says:

      Yes I would bake it for like 5 minutes longer (maybe longer I am not sure). But yes, baking slightly longer will help with that.

  7. Can you use pretzels since we have nut allergies in our home

    1. Together As Family says:

      Yes I think pretzels work great instead of nuts. You would still get that salty crunch factor.

  8. Can this cake be made satisfactorily the night before? I wonder if it would get too soggy.

    1. Together As Family says:

      This cake is best served right after making it. It’s really good warm with ice cream.

  9. Sharon Drover says:

    Can this cake be frozen after baking and then reheated ??

    1. Together As Family says:

      For best taste I would make right before you need to serve it. I have never frozen it and then reheated it so I honestly can’t say for sure if you could do it. Not sure how it would turn out flavor wise and texture if you did that.

  10. Debbie Roberson says:

    I’m not sure what size of pudding. I have one that is 1.4 oz and one that is 2.1 oz. I don’t find the size you call for in your recipe. Please help!

    1. Together As Family says:

      It sounds like you have sugar free pudding sized boxes. The one called for in the recipe is regular instant pudding mix. Not sugar-free.

  11. Naomi Higgins says:

    1 star
    it’s was simple but it was way too rich and the pecans in top wasn’t good. I tried and won’t make that mistake again wasn’t worth the money

    1. Together as Family says:

      So sorry you didn’t enjoy it!

  12. Ramona Johnson says:

    5 stars
    Loved this made it this morning awesome

    1. Together as Family says:

      So glad to hear it, thank you!

  13. Can you substitute milk chocolate chips for the dark chocolate?

    1. Together as Family says:

      Definitely, the flavor will be slightly different but nothing drastic; still delicious and chocolatey!

  14. 4 stars
    This is in the oven right now. It’s a “test drive” for me to take camping. My husband will be the true tester. It was so easy to put together; thank you for sharing this recipe!

  15. Lorna Terry says:

    no doubt about it…I’m gaining weight. so darn good it hurts!

    1. Together as Family says:

      It’s a pretty tasty hurt! 😆 thanks for commenting!

  16. could you do this In a crockpot?

    1. Together as Family says:

      Maybe…I’m not sure how but I would suggest looking up crock pot dump cake recipes and copy their temp and timing. Good luck!

  17. I think you need to put in capital letters must be served hot. If you’re trying to make a cake to serve the next day, it falls.