A Cake and the Casino

This morning, I made a cake for Ashley. She helped me out earlier this week, and I wanted to say thank you with something other than a bottle of wine, since she's pregnant. I decided on a Turtle Fudge Cake with Caramel Drizzle. I've made it in the past, and it usually turns out well.

Turtle Fudge Cake with Caramel Drizzle

Turtle fudge cake:
One 18.25-ounce box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix
One 3.9-ounce box Jell-O Chocolate Fudge Instant Pudding and Pie Filling mix
½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
25 caramels, such as Hershey's Classic Caramels

Caramel drizzle:
15 caramels, such as Hershey's Classic Caramels
2 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Make Cake: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly spray 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs and sour cream in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until ingredients are just combined, about 1½ minutes, stopping mixer once to scrape beater and sides of bowl. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in pecans with rubber spatula, mixing just until nuts are thoroughly distributed. Batter will be thick.
3. Scrape batter into prepared Bundt pan, smoothing and levelling top with rubber spatula. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove cake from oven and place caramels on top of cake in ring, pressing them down gently just into top crust of cake. Do not push caramels entirely into cake. Place cake back in oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes (total of 50-55 minutes), or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn cake out of pan onto wire rack and let cool completely.
5. Make caramel drizzle: In small saucepan over low heat, melt caramels and heavy cream together until completely smooth. Place sheet of waxed paper under wire rack holding cake and pour caramel over top of cake, allowing it to drizzle down sides and center.

Ashley enjoyed the cake.
After work, Amie and I went to the casino. She'd asked me last night if I'd go with her, since this was the last night she'd have a chance to go - she's been having a hard time finding a babysitter for her daughter. We had a good time and I left with $32 more than I walked in with. Much better than the $16 loss on Tuesday night.