Praline Turtle Cake

Praline Turtle Cake

1/2 C Butter
1 C brown sugar
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 C chopped pecans
2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa
2 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 C sour cream
1/2 C canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 C fudge topping
1/2 C chocolate chips, melted
*Your favorite chocolate frosting

To make the cake:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter the bottoms of two 9" round cake pans and fit a circle of parchment paper large enough to cover 1 inch up the side of each cake pan.  Heat the butter, brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar is dissolved.  Do not boil. 

Divided the sugar mixture between the prepared pans.  Sprinkle 3/4 cup pecans over sugar mixture and set aside to cool. 

Combine the flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking sofa and salt together in a large bowl.  Add the eggs, sour cream, oil, vanilla and vinegar and 1 cup hot water and mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.  Pour the batter into the cake pans---over sugar mixture---and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. 

Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn cakes out onto a cooling rack.  Remove the paper and cool completely.

Assemble the cake:

Spread the fudge topping over the sugar mixture side of one cake layer.  Place the second layer over the first and drizzle with the melted chocolate and the remaining 1/4 cup pecans.  Frost the cake sides with your favorite chocolate icing.