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Turtle Dump Cake in a white pan with a wooden spoon scooped into the soft, pudding like dump cake.
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Caramel Chocolate Turtle Dump Cake

Caramel Chocolate Turtle Dump Cake is an easy, 6 ingredient dessert recipe that mixes in one bowl and then bakes in one pan. Caramel, dark chocolate, chocolate cake mix, and pecans make this turtle dessert amazing.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword caramel chocolate turtle dump cake, dump cake, turtle dessert, turtle dump cake
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 32 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 453kcal
Author Jessica

Ingredients

  • 1 box (3.4 oz) chocolate instant pudding
  • cups whole milk
  • 1 box (15.25 oz) chocolate cake mix can also use chocolate fudge
  • 1/2 cup caramel sauce or syrup
  • 1 bag (10 oz) dark chocolate chips divided
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350°. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the instant chocolate pudding mix (the dry powder from the box) and the whole milk. Stir with a whisk until pudding dissolved and it's thicker. About 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the dry cake mix (DO NOT prepare the cake mix before, just add the dry cake mix), caramel sauce, and 1 cup of the dark chocolate chips. Stir together until combined.
  • Evenly spread into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top and then the remaining dark chocolate chips.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes.
    * Use a toothpick to check for doneness. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out with some moist crumbs. The sides of the cake will be puffy and slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan.
  • Serve the cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup drizzle.

Notes

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. 
This recipe was originally publish in 2017 and has been updated in 2020. Recipe is the same except for the optional chocolate drizzle on top. I never seemed to use it and I thought it made the cake way too sweet. But if you knew the original version or want the chocolate drizzle on top I will put it here. 
** Melt 1 cup milk chocolate chips + 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil in a microwave-safe dish. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and melted. Drizzle over the top of the cake after it comes out of the oven. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 573mg | Potassium: 414mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 69IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 3mg