In Cindy's Kitchen: Chocolate Turtle Pudding Poke Cake: My 100th Post!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Chocolate Turtle Pudding Poke Cake: My 100th Post!

Hi everybody :)

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Today is my 100th post! YES! From the time when I posted Red Velvet Cake, my very first post to now. WOW! I didn't know NOTHING about blogging back then, I'm still learning now. I started out because I just wanted to share my joy of baking with the world.

During the few months I been blogging, I notice my most popular post is the Red Velvet Poke Cake. So to celebrate, for days, I been thinking of a way to make an out-of-this-world-amazing chocolate poke cake. I think I accomplish my mission, Chocolate Turtle Pudding Poke Cake. Here's what I did...

Chocolate Turtle Pudding Poke Cake inspired My Recipes America's Favorite Food
or online here.

The Cake:

1 (18.25-oz.) package devil's food cake mix
3 large eggs
1 cup milk, buttermilk , sour cream, or water
1/2 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon cocoa + more for sprinkling pan

The Filling:

2 (3.9-oz.) package chocolate instant pudding mix (prepare as directed on the box)
1/2 cup Dulce de Leche (I used homemade following this recipe)
2 Tablespoon Kahlua, optional

The Topping:

1 (16-oz.) can ready-to-spread chocolate fudge frosting (save about 3 tablespoons for drizzling)
4 oz. (1/2 8 oz. container) Cool Whip, thawed
5 (1.76-oz.) packages turtle candies (2 packages for garnishing) 3 turtles per pack or 15 turtles
Dulce de leche for garnish

DIRECTIONS

For the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 13 by 9 inches pan sprinkle with cocoa. Set aside.

Beat cake mix and remaining ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute; beat at medium speed 2 minutes.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 30 to 32 minutes

Remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes. Then, with a wooden spoon handle, large fork or skewer poke holes in the warm cake at 1/2-inch intervals. Be sure to poke right down to the bottom of the cake. You want holes big enough so that the pudding has plenty of room to get to the bottom.

For the Pudding Filling:
Whisk together prepared pudding, Dulce de Leche, and Kahlua, if desired, in a bowl until well blended.

Pour pudding over cake. (There will be some pudding mixture left over, so enjoy :). Making sure to get right into the holes as much pudding as possible. Cover and put in the refrigerator to set for about 2 hours.

For the Topping:
Cut 6 turtle candies in half, and set aside for garnish. Dice remaining 9 turtle candies In a large bowl, fold cool whip into chocolate fudge frosting and diced candies. Spread over top of cake.

Drizzle with Dulce de Leche and fudge frosting over top; place turtle candies halves on top of each servings.

What I Think:
Although I made the Dulce de Leche, it can be purchase at your local supermarket. It's very simple to make using the link provided, just make ahead and refrigerate the day before.

The Taste: The cake was DELICIOUS! It also best to serve this cake well chilled, so plan ahead or a day before serving. The chocolate flavors intensify overnight! This chocolaty sensation is definitely a GREAT REPEAT!

For a more caramel taste, I think this would also be great, just only using the Dulce de Leche for the filling. I think I'll try it that way next :)