October 7, 2026
 Hello Friends,
I have a soft spot for any dessert with "dump" in the name. It tells you exactly what you're in for, and what you're in for is very little effort.
This one leans hard into caramel and pecans, which around here counts as a personality trait.
The first turtle dump cake I ever made, I got impatient and cut into it about twenty minutes too early. Total lava situation. Worth it, but let this one cool properly if you want clean slices.
Today's Turtle Dump Cake layers pecans, chocolate cake mix, caramel, and chocolate chips right in the pan, no mixing bowl needed. It comes out gooey in the middle and just set enough to slice.
Happy Cooking,
Anisa
 Photo: I always taste test the corner piece first.
Today's Recipe
Turtle Dump Cake
Serves 12 | Prep 10 min | Bake 45 min
|
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup caramel sauce
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- Flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Scatter the chopped pecans evenly over the bottom of the dish.
- Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pecans. Do not stir it in.
- Stir the caramel sauce and sweetened condensed milk together, then drizzle it evenly over the cake mix.
- Scatter the chocolate chips over the top, then drizzle the melted butter evenly over everything, covering as much of the dry mix as you can.
- Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is set and just slightly gooey in the center. Let it cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
- Finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt if you like the contrast, and serve warm.
|
|
Today's Pick
|
Set of 3 Wooden Trivets
$7.91 $19.99
Pull that bubbling cake from a 350 degree oven and set it down without a worry. These beechwood trivets unfold flat instantly, then fold away onto their own wooden display tree when you're done.
|
|
Kitchen Hack
Set your caramel sauce jar in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before you use it. It pours smooth instead of clumping in the cold.
Run a butter knife under hot water before slicing a gooey cake. It glides through instead of dragging.
|