When Leah turned 2, we celebrated her birthday, a small gathering of family & close friends at the house. After playing & presents it was time for cake & ice cream. Situated in her high chair, I gave her a small piece of this cake. Using her chubby fingers she delivered bits of cake hand to mouth. After only one or two bites, her eyes lit up, & she declared, “I luuuuuv cake! Chocolate cake!” We laughed & laughed until our sides hurt as she said it repeatedly. By the time she had finished her cake, there were crumbs all over the tray & smears of chocolate adorned the corners of her mouth. It’s a cherished memory.

The recipe remained in my binder for years, but for some reason, I never made it again. This past school year, Leah was going through the binder & when she found it, informed me she didn’t remember the cake or the story – of course not, she was only 2. She decided to make it for her art club & when she came home that afternoon, proceeded to tell me how the cake was so good! Nevertheless, I made it for her birthday this year & though gone are the chubby fingers & chocolate smeared cheeks, this cake remains a winner!

Ingredients:

• 1 German chocolate cake mix
• 1 14oz. bag of caramels
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9×13 pan with nonstick spray; set aside. Prepare cake according to package directions. Pour half of the mix into the pan & bake for 15 minutes. While baking, combine the caramels, butter, & evaporated milk together & melt, stirring to incorporate. Pour melted mixture over cake, sprinkle chocolate chips, & pour remaining batter over mixture. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top while still warm.

Note: I’m fairly certain the original recipe included pecans as it was likely intended to be a turtle cake, but I omitted them. I think 1 cup of toasted chopped pecans would make a great addition now.