I got excited one Saturday after weigh-in. So excited about my 4-pound weight loss that I made TWO desserts to celebrate. Not to be eaten until after a nutrient-full dinner, of course. 😉 To be honest, I don’t even remember dinner that night. But I damn well remember these desserts.
The first one I got elbow deep in was a Double-Caramel Turtle Cake. Okay, I did not get “elbow deep” in it literally. That would’ve been sticky. But I would’ve enjoyed every second of this chocolate, caramel goodness. Anyway. I got the idea from Pinterest. (Of course.) And the awesome original recipe came from a website called My Recipes. Their recipe calls for a cake from scratch. I’ve been known to be a bit lazy from time to time, though, so I did not make my own cake. Unfortunately.
WHAT I USED:
The Cake–
2 8” Round Cake Pans, greased (I used butter then sprinkled with flour.)
1 Box Devil’s Food Cake (I used Duncan Hines. It’s my favorite store-bought brand.)
The Frosting– This is the part I didn’t change up at all, and it turned out AMAZING. That is if you like extremely sweet frosting.
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
2-3 Tablespoons Fat-Free Milk
2 Cups Sifted Powdered Sugar (I sifted the powdered sugar then measured out 2 cups. Some people may read this as measuring out 2 cups of powdered sugar then sifting it. Not me.)
The Topping–
2/3 Cup Low-Fat Caramel Apple Dip (I used T. Marzetti’s brand.)
1/4 Cup Finally Chopped Pecans (I used raw, but the original recipe calls for toasted. It’s really whatever your taste preference is!)
HOW I DID IT:
The Cake–
Easy. I followed the package directions for 2 8” round cakes. Cool them completely on a wire cooling rack after they bake.
The Frosting–
1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons milk. Cook it until sugar melts (about 1 minute).
3. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
4. Combine butter mixture and 2 teaspoons vanilla in a large bowl.
5. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until it’s smooth.
6. Add additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time beating until consistency is such that it would be easy to spread.
The Topping & Assembly–
1. Place 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread the top of the cake with half of the frosting.
2. Place caramel dip in a small zip-top plastic bag, and snip a small hole in one corner of the bag.
3. Drizzle half of caramel dip over frosting then top with other cake layer.
4. Spread remaining frosting over top of cake, and drizzle with remaining caramel dip.
5. Finish off by sprinkling the top of the cake with the chopped pecans!
6. Dig. In.
The 2nd dessert of this magical night-Pecan Balls courtesy of Key Ingredient.