I love turtle anything. Gooey caramel contrasted with crunchy pecans and decadent chocolate is a combination I can’t resist! Put that in poke cake form and you’ve got yourself a mega hit. This turtle chocolate poke cake is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made and we absolutely loved it. Poke cakes get their name because after baking you poke holes in the cake and drizzle in a sweetly satisfying mixture usually consisting of sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce, but it can vary. The sauce seeps into the holes, which renders poke cakes incredibly soft and moist and this turtle cake is no exception. When you put a slice of the cake on a plate, you can literally see the caramel mixture oozing out of the bottom of the cake. I topped this chocolate turtle cake with whipped topping (you can use whipped cream, but whipped topping holds up better at room or warmer temps and doesn’t deflate like whipped cream), salted caramel sauce (which is a great salty-sweet contrast to the sweet elements in the cake), chocolate chips, and Chopped Fisher Pecans. So many textures and flavors in every bite! I love the sensation of taking a bite of chilled cake on warm days. It just hits the spot. This turtle cake will be a guaranteed party favorite and I highly recommend putting it on your summer party menu — or any party menu, for that matter.
Recipe Ingredients
This chocolate caramel turtle cake recipe couldn’t be simpler to make! You’ll need just seven ingredients to make this cake, most of which are pantry staples. To make this cake, you’ll require:
Devil’s Food chocolate cake mix Sweetened condensed milk Caramel sundae topping Whipped topping Chopped Fisher pecans Mini chocolate chips Salted caramel sauce
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Turtle Cake
This turtle cake is quick and easy to make, thanks to the baking shortcuts I used! Here’s a look at how the turtle caramel cake comes together: Just remember that when poking holes into the cake, you want to go to the edges of the cake! You don’t want a single bite of poke cake to be missing that delicious gooey filling.
Storage Instructions
You’ll want to store this chocolate turtle cake in the fridge after you’ve served it. It’ll last up to five days in the fridge, and I personally think it gets better with age. The caramel-condensed milk filling may settle into the bottom of the cake, but that’s normal!
More Poke Cake Recipes:
All of my poke cake recipes! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Chocolate Poke Cake — A FAST and EASY cake that’s perfect for all the chocaholics! Moist and tender chocolate cake, filled with chocolate syrup, and topped with whipped chocolate frosting! Better-Than-Anything Chocolate Cake — Worthy of its name and one of the BEST cakes you will ever eat! Doesn’t get any better than chocolate, caramel, whipped topping, and candy in an easy, no-mixer cake! S’mores Cake — Chocolate cake gets poked all over and soaked in a marshmallow creme mixture before being topped with crushed graham crackers, toasted marshmallows, and hot fudge sauce. Better-Than-Anything Peanut Butter Cake — A peanut butter lovers dream: PB, PB chips, and PB cups! An easy, no-mixer poke cake that’s drenched with caramel to keep it super moist! Lives up to it’s name and tastes amazing! Strawberries and Cream Poke Cake — This Strawberry Poke Cake uses just four ingredients and is a hit at parties and potlucks! It’s a moist, refreshing dessert you’ll definitely want seconds of! Caramel Poke Cake — Poke cakes are always supremely moist and this one reminds me of a cheater’s version of Tres Leches Cake because it’s sweet and creamy. Caramel Coconut Poke Cake — An incredibly EASY super moist cake thanks to a creamy caramel mixture that’s poked into the cake. Topped with crispy toasted coconut, this cake is a DELISH winner! The BEST Tres Leches Cake— This easy tres leches cake melts in your mouth and requires just 15 minutes of hands-on prep!! This is an authentic three milk cake your family will love! This post is brought to you by Fisher Nuts. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #fisherunshelled Originally posted August 19, 2016 and reposted with updated text February 4, 2022.
