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 baking flour
1 cup of butter
1 cup strong black coffee
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
the chocolate icing :
1/4 cup butter
4 tablespoons of buttermilk
3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
the turtle filling :
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup caramel sauce, to baste
Itinerary :
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the pan or use parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix the baking flour and granulated sugar. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of butter, 1 cup of coffee and 1/3 cup of cocoa. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour into prepared dry ingredients. Using a hand mixer, stir at medium speed until dry and wet ingredients are well blended. Add the eggs and 1/2 cup buttermilk. Blend on medium speed for about one minute longer until well blended.
3. Pour into the pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. When the cake is done, a toothpick or fork inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean.
4. Prepare frosting. In a medium saucepan, mix 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 whisk to gradually stir in the powdered sugar, half a cup at a time.
6. Spread or pour hot icing over the cake. While the cake is still warm, sprinkle with chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Drizzle with caramel sauce.
Source: allrecipes.com
What size pan does this take? It does not state what size to you in the instructions.
It is a sheet cake, so sheet cake pan would be my bet
11 X. 15
Is the coffee dry granules or one cup already made coffe
1cup of strong coffee. That would tell it was liquid
What size pan do you use?
great cake. I had moved and had lost my recipe.
Can other flours be used?
Is it “cake” flour?
what if you have no butter milk
Honestly with a full cup of butter I don’t think it matters. I would use regular milk
Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to the milk to turn it into buttermilk.
Never heard of baking flour. Help?
Put a little vinegar in your reg milk to substitute for butter milk or sour milk
Is Baking flour the same as Self-raising flour?
Is it my imagination or does the picture not have any pecans, chocolate chips or caramel sauce?
That’s what I (don’t) see!
It says turtle filling. Maybe it goes on the cake before the frosting.
The picture doesn’t show any nuts????
Is this dry coffee and cocoa or with liquid in them?
No baking soda or baking powder? Pic and cake don’t appear to be the same?
Should cake be refrigerated?
Looks really good. 👏
Directions are incomplete !!
Size of Pan ???
When do you add nuts and Carmel? The recipe calls it filling and the directions puts it on top of the frosting????
What kind of flour ? Self rising ???
I think baking flour is cake flour which. Your grocery store should have. It on shelf.
This is for a sheet cake pan or cookie sheet that has higher edges than normal. You have to put buttermilk in this cake or it will fall and not be good. I would pour half of cake mix in the pan, then add the nuts and carmel. Pour the rest of the cake over the nuts and carmel and cook @ 325 degrees. If you bake this @ 350 it will burn because of it being thin. Not like a regular cake. I use King Albert flour. It’s light and perfect. The recipe does not call for baking powder, but you need one teaspoon of soda. Combine the buttermilk and soda, then add to cake. If you use regular milk your cake won’t come out perfect. I would go to the grocery store, get the correct ingredients, then go home and make the cake.
I looked on Pinterest and found several recipes the one I found with the same ingredients said self rising flour, and you could use a 9×13 pan or a jelly roll pan but line it with parchment paper, also the temperature to bake it at was 350. To make regular milk buttermilk for half a cup add 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice and let it set a few minutes before you add it to the rest of the ingredients. Hope this helps.
It drives me crazy when the picture does not match the recipe. I’ve been doing this for 60 plus years. ?I can see that before i start but, what about new bakers?
It states to add pecans and caramel sauce last on top of the icing.