I worked at a wonderful little restaurant called Cafe Latté one summer when I was in college. It was in a fun, trendy neighborhood in St. Paul and had lots of great salads, soups, breads, and desserts. The best part was the coffee drinks. This was before coffee shops became popular, so things like espresso and cappuccino seemed very exotic.

One of my favorite desserts was the Turtle Cake. Layers of rich, dark, coffee-infused chocolate cake with gobs of chocolate frosting between, caramel oozing down the sides, and crushed pecans sprinkled on top. I made the cake yesterday for our Easter gathering and thought I’d share the recipe with you today. It’s really easy to make, but feels special—my favorite combination!

Cafe Latté is still going strong. It’s doubled in size and has a pizza and wine bar now. We don’t get up there very often nowadays, but when we do it’s always worth the trip.

Cafe Latté Turtle Cake

Ingredients:
1 egg
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1-3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup hot coffee

For the frosting:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup caramel topping
1 cup toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 8-inch pans. Combine the egg, oil, and buttermilk. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Combine the egg mixture and the flour mixture, mixing well. Slowly mix in the hot coffee. Turn into the prepared pans and bake for about 20 minutes. Check often to make sure the cakes don’t overcook, using the toothpick method. Frost when cooled.

For the frosting, mix sugar and milk in a saucepan, then add butter and bring to a boil. Put chocolate chips in a bowl, pour the hot mixture over them, and mix until smooth. Spread frosting between each layer and on top of the cake. Drizzle caramel topping over the frosting on the top layer and crunch toasted pecans over the caramel with your hand.