Cafe Latte's Famous Turtle Cake

Cafe Latte's Famous Turtle Cake

Cafe Latte is located in the Studebaker Building in St. Paul MN and well known for their picture perfect desserts.  The owners agreed to share the recipe with a publication and today you can create this work of art.

Ingredients:
Cake
1 egg
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup good quality cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup hot coffee
Frosting:

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter

2 cups good quality chocolate chips

3/4 cup caramel

1 1/2 cups toasted pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F  Grease three 9" cake pans covering the base with a disk of parchment paper.

In a bowl combine milk, egg, and vegetable oil, mix well.  In another bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.  Gradually add wet ingredients to dry ingredients until well mixed.    Gradually add hot coffee.  Scrape batter into prepared pans.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cakes rest in pans 10 minutes.  Turn out on wire racks to cool. 

Frosting:

Mix milk and sugar in saucepan.  Add butter and bring to a boil.  Add chocolate chips to pan and bring to a boil.  Using a wire whisk, mix until smooth.  If mixture is to grainy add 1 to 2 teaspoons hot coffee.

To assemble cake:

Place one layer, topside down.  Spread 1/3 of frosting over cake gently pushing out to the edges in a petal effect.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of toasted pecans.  Drizzle with 1/4 cup caramel.  Add next layer top side down and repeat adding frosting, caramel, and pecans.  Add third layer top side down and repeat frosting with petal effect adding caramel and pecans.