Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake

This past weekend I was assigned the responsibility of making a dessert for my family's Mother's day dinner.

Now those of you who know me personally, also know that this is a job that I take seriously.

Dessert making is no joke people.

Therefore on Saturday night I took to my kitchen in hope of whipping up a delicious creation that my whole family would enjoy.

Seeing as how my parents and grandparents kept talking about how good this cake was while simultaneously shoving big bites in their mouths, I guess we can consider this recipe a keeper!

The best part... I half cheated and used a boxed cake mix to speed the baking process along.

But, we can keep that fact our little secret!

Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake



Ingredients:

1 Box Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Cake Mix

1 Box Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Butter, Melted

4 Eggs

1 Cup White Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Caramel, Melted

1/2 Cup Pecans, Chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*; grease a bundt pan heavily with vegetable shortening or butter.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, instant pudding mix, water, sour cream, melted butter, and eggs until all ingredients are incorporated and a thick cake batter is formed.

3. Next, mix in the white chocolate chips before pouring your batter into the greased bundt pan; spread the batter to make sure it sits level in the pan.

4.  Bake the cake for 45 minutes, let cool for 10 minutes, and invert your bundt pan on to a flat serving dish (it is important to do this while the cake is still warm, but not too hot, to ensure the cake does not stick to the pan!).

5. Let your cake cool 100% (preferably overnight and covered in saran wrap).

6. Top your completely cooled cake with caramel drizzle and chopped pecans.

Serves 16.

This cake should serve 16, however it is so delicious that my family of 10 just about devoured the whole thing in one sitting.

Truthfully, I also made a lemon raspberry version of this cake for Mother's Day and it tasted great, but it was not 100% blog worthy. I'll keep working on that  recipe and try to post it soon.... I PROMISE!

What Do You Prefer... Chocolate or Vanilla Cake?

Strawberry Cheesecake Baked Oatmeal

Happy start to another week BlogLoves....

One of my all time favorite brunch or make-ahead breakfasts is my Baked Blueberry Cheesecake Oatmeal. When I saw strawberries on sale at the supermarket this weekend I knew I simple HAD to whip up some baked oatmeal but this time with strawberries!

I must say, the end results did not disappoint!

Strawberry Cheesecake Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats (Not Instant)1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Cup Light Cream
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Cinnamon Applesauce
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Quart Fresh Strawberries, Sliced
2 Ounces Fat Free Cream Cheese, Softened

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except the cream cheese and strawberries in a mixing bowl and mix well.

2. Add softened cream cheese and gently incorporate it into the oatmeal mixture; add fresh strawberries and stir to combine.

3. Transfer the oatmeal to a greased baking dish and bake at 375* for 45 minutes.

Now I have a deliciously hearty and healthy breakfast to last me all week!

Yum.Yum.Yum!

How Do You Prefer Your Oats? .... Hot or Cold?