Mud Turtle Cake

My birthday is exactly one week before Valentine's Day.  Raymond's idea of making Mud Turtle Cupcakes as a whole cake seemed like a great idea.

It took a good long while to bake as a single layer; domed and cracked a bit but settled down nicely.  I sliced it in half and layered with the ganache.  I wish I had put the caramel between the layers as well.  Good to note for next time.  Instead I frosted the top, swirled the caramel via a nipped zip lock bag and dusted it with chopped toasted pecans.

The caramel took two tries.  The first batch was a bit too amber, though not completely ruined.  The second batch turned out better.  My eldest granddaughter got the idea to sprinkle it with a bit of sea salt and it was fantastic.  Sea salt really does go well with caramel.  We played with the "burnt" batch, turning it into candies that  tasted like a pecan version of Almond Roca.

Stuffed with candles and lit ablaze, Rose's Mud Turtle cake was delicious.