Texas turtle sheet cake – it’s definitely decadent and we absolutely love it for that. It seems impossible to think that some people haven’t tasted the glory that is the Texas turtle, but if you had to do an iteration on this classic, let it be this delicious Texas turtle sheet cake. A rich, chocolate- and coffee-flavored cake topped with buttermilk chocolate icing (YUM), then topped with caramel sauce, chocolate chips and pecans (or walnuts, if that’s what you have on hand). Holy guacamole, guys, this stuff is good.
If you want to save money, you can use a store-bought cake mix, but if you have the time… this take-out cake is really something. We use a cup of coffee to add a special depth of flavor, then we use buttermilk to add a little bit of flavor and keep things very moist – no dry cake here! You may find the cake is a little lighter in color than a regular chocolate cake, but don’t worry, there’s just as much flavor – if not more – to shake your taste buds. And that’s just the cake, we haven’t even gotten to the icing and topping of this bad boy yet!
Not only do we use buttermilk in the cake, but it also plays a role in the icing, and let us tell you that it’s addictive and probably our favorite chocolate icing. Buttermilk wouldn’t be our first star ingredient idea, but it really balances the flavors here in this cake. We mentioned that it adds spice, but it also balances all the sweetness in the recipe and keeps this cake from being too sweet or too clownish. Once you’ve added the caramel sauce, chocolate chips and nuts, buttermilk and coffee help keep this cake on track – in short: you need this cake and you need it now!
INGREDIENTS :
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup strong black coffee
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
chocolate frosting:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 4 tablespoons buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
turtle topping:
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup caramel sauce, to drizzle
DIRECTIONS :
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the pan or use parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine self-rising flour and granulated sugar. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup butter, 1 cup coffee, and 1/3 cup cocoa. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour into the prepared dry ingredients. Using a hand-held mixer, mix on medium speed until wet and dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add eggs and the 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Mix on medium speed for another minute or so, until well combined.
3. Pour into baking pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes. When cake is done baking, a toothpick or fork inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean.
4. Prepare the frosting. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/4 cup butter, 4 tablespoons buttermilk, and 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
5. Remove from heat and use a wire whisk to gradually mix in powdered sugar, a 1/2 cup at a time.
6. Spread or pour the warm frosting over the cake. While the cake is still warm, sprinkle with chopped pecans, and chocolate chips. Drizzle with caramel sauce.