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Chocolate, caramel and pecans. What’s not to love?
When I spotted this 4-Ingredient Chocolate Turtle Cake in the Fall 2021 issue of Hungry Girl Magazine (affiliate link), I knew I wanted to try it.
I’m so glad I did!
It’s a wonderfully easy chocolate cake that starts with a box of devil’s food cake mix and plain Greek yogurt. Once baked, it’s finished with a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkling of chopped pecans.
The result is a moist, chocolatey cake that looks and tastes like something much more complicated.
And with just four ingredients, it’s a dessert you can put together with very little effort.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Turtle Cake
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Low Calorie Chocolate Turtle Cake, Step-by-Step
- My Tips for Making Chocolate Turtle Cake
- Easy Substitutions and Variations
- What to Serve with Chocolate Turtle Cake
- How Many Calories and WW Points?
- Easy 4-Ingredient Chocolate Turtle Cake Recipe
- More Easy Chocolate Desserts You’ll Love
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Turtle Cake
- Just four ingredients. Cake mix, Greek yogurt, caramel and pecans.
- Quick to prepare. The batter takes only a few minutes to stir together.
- No eggs or oil required. Greek yogurt and water provide the moisture.
- Rich chocolate flavor. Devil’s food cake mix makes a delicious base.
- Easy but impressive. The caramel and pecans make it look special.
- Perfect for sharing. Baked in a 9-by-13-inch pan and cut into 12 servings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You need just four ingredients to make this easy cake.
- Devil’s food cake mix: The original recipe uses a 15.25-ounce box. Any chocolate cake mix should work, although the flavor and nutrition may vary.
- Plain fat-free Greek yogurt: Adds moisture and helps create a tender cake without adding eggs or oil.
- Chopped pecans: Give the cake its classic turtle candy flavor and a little crunch.
- Light caramel dip: Adds the sweet caramel finish. I used caramel ice cream topping.
You’ll also need a little water to prepare the batter.
How to Make Low Calorie Chocolate Turtle Cake, Step-by-Step
Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2: Mix the Cake Batter
In a large bowl, combine the dry chocolate cake mix, Greek yogurt and ¾ cup water.
Stir until well blended.
Gently fold in half the chopped pecans.
The batter will be quite thick.
Step 3: Spread in the Pan
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.
Use a spatula to spread it evenly. Because the batter is thick, this may take a little patience.
Step 4: Bake
Bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack.
Allow the cake to cool completely, about 1 hour.
Step 5: Add the Caramel and Pecans
Warm the caramel topping in a microwave (affiliate link)-safe bowl for about 30 seconds, or until it’s easy to drizzle.
Drizzle the caramel over the cooled cake.
Sprinkle with the remaining chopped pecans.
Step 6: Slice and Serve
Cut the cake into 12 pieces and enjoy.
My Tips for Making Chocolate Turtle Cake
Expect a thick batter. This isn’t a traditional cake batter made with eggs and oil. It will be thick and take a little extra effort to spread in the pan.
Use your favorite chocolate cake mix. Devil’s food gives the cake a rich chocolate flavor, but another chocolate variety will work.
Let the cake cool before adding the caramel. This helps keep the topping on the cake instead of soaking into a warm surface.
Warm the caramel briefly. It will be much easier to drizzle evenly over the cake.
Don’t skip the nuts if you love turtle candy. The combination of chocolate, caramel and pecans is what makes this dessert special.
Easy Substitutions and Variations
No pecans? Use chopped walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts or peanuts instead.
No devil’s food cake mix? Substitute another chocolate cake mix of similar weight.
No light caramel dip? Use regular caramel sauce or caramel ice cream topping. That’s what I used when I made the recipe.
Want smaller servings? Cut the cake into 16 pieces instead of 12 for a smaller treat. Remember to recalculate the nutrition and WW Points if you’re tracking.
Want to dress it up? Add a few fresh berries or a small spoonful of whipped topping.
Any ingredient substitutions may change the calories and WW Points.
What to Serve with Chocolate Turtle Cake
This cake is delicious all by itself, with its caramel topping and crunchy pecans.
Rod likes his with a scoop of ice cream alongside, which makes it an especially nice dessert.
I think a small square with a cup of coffee would be just about perfect, too.
How Many Calories and WW Points?
According to my calculations, each serving of cake has 193 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
If you’ve made this Low Fat Chocolate Turtle Cake, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Easy 4-Ingredient Chocolate Turtle Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) Devil's food cake mix
- 1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans (1.5 ounces)
- 1/4 cup light caramel dip
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl stir together the dry cake mix, yogurt, 3/4 cup water until well blended. Gently stir in half the chopped pecans.
- Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan. It will be very thick and take some work to spread it out. Smooth out the top.
- Bake until a thin knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- In a microwave safe bowl (affiliate link), heat the caramel for about 30 seconds or until hot. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Cut into 12 even pieces
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 5 PointsPlus (Old plan) No pecans? Use whatever chopped nuts you prefer—walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts or peanuts would all be great. No devil’s food cake mix? Any chocolate cake mix will work. No light caramel dip? Any caramel syrup will work. I used caramel ice cream topping. Just adjust calories and WW Points accordingly if that’s a concern.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe source: Fall 2021 Hungry Girl Magazine (affiliate link)
More Easy Chocolate Desserts You’ll Love
If you enjoy this easy chocolate turtle cake, here are a few more simple chocolate treats from Simple Nourished Living:
- Easy Chocolate Chip Snack Cake – Another easy chocolate cake made with cake mix, pudding, Greek yogurt and mini chocolate chips.
- Low-Fat Chocolate Cake Recipes – Easy ideas for making lighter chocolate cakes, including cake mix shortcuts.
- Chocolate Coconut Cake Mix Cookie Bars – Chocolatey cookie bars that start with a boxed cake mix.
- Sugar-Free Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies – An easy cookie recipe from Brenda using chocolate cake mix.
- Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake – A warm, comforting chocolate dessert made in the slow cooker.
- Depression Cake (Wacky Cake) – An old-fashioned chocolate cake made without eggs, butter or milk.
I love discovering recipes like this that make dessert feel easy.
A box of cake mix, a little yogurt, caramel and nuts are all it takes to turn an ordinary chocolate cake into something special.
If you make this 4-Ingredient Chocolate Turtle Cake, I’d love to hear how you liked it.
It would have been helpful if you posted the names of the ingredients and amounts. The photo is NOT enlargeable…So we were not able to try this recipe…thumbs down.
If you scroll down, you’ll find the recipe card complete with ingredients, amounts and instructions. ~Martha
Hi Martha
We really loved the chocolate turtle cake. So simple to make that it would have been hard for me to ruin it. It was moist and delicious. I didn’t change any of the ingredients. It was nice straight out of the oven with ice-cream. In Australia, we have the devil’s food cake mix so it was a no-brainer to make an easy 4-ingredient cake. Looking for the recipe after my daughter left, I realised she had sneaked the recipe into her bag.
Simply made and taste good! Can change ingredients if needed.