Cream Cheese Turtle Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• 1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) box german chocolate cake mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into pieces,room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup caramel topping

Recipe

• 1 for cake: preheat oven to 350.
• 2 butter and flour 13x9x2-inch metal cake pan.
• 3 sprinkle 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup pecans over bottom of pan.
• 4 combine cake mix, 1 1/4 cups water, oil, and eggs in large bowl.
• 5 using electic mixer, beat at low speed until mixture is moistened, about 30 seconds.
• 6 beat at medium speed 2 minutes.
• 7 pour batter into pan.
• 8 melt buttter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
• 9 gradually stir in powdered sugar (mixture will form clumps); stir in cream cheese.
• 10 whisk until smooth, about 1 miute.
• 11 pour cream cheese mixture in large ribbons atop cake batter in pan.
• 12 using knife, swirl mixture into batter (do not overmix).
• 13 bake cake until tester inserted into center (in cake part only) comes out clean, about 50 minutes (bottom of cake will be very moist).
• 14 cool cake in pan on rack.
• 15 sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup pecans over cake.
• 16 for icing: mix sugar and cocoa in medium bowl.
• 17 bring milk and buter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan.
• 18 reduce heat to medium-low; add powdered sugar mixture and whisk until melted.
• 19 add chocolate chips and whisk until smooth.
• 20 mix in vailla.
• 21 drizzle warm icing over cake.
• 22 let stand until set, about 2 hours.
• 23 drizzle caramel topping over.