Chocolate Turtle Cake with Cream Cheese

This cake has got to be hands down a recipe I found and ran with it, and never stopped running! A great holiday favourite, and truly there are no turtles in it. So if you happened to be one of those kids (like me) and a couple others I have met online, who witnessed the Galloping Gourmet, Graham Kerr make turtle soup with a live turtle,  and then murder your brothers innocent turtle, all in the name of the art of cooking, well then this will make you grin for sure!

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• 1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
• 1 18.25-ounce box chocolate cake mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into pieces, room temperature

Frosting

• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup purchased caramel-flavored topping or dulce de leche topping

Preparation

Cake

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 13x9x2-inch metal cake pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup pecans over bottom of pan. Combine cake mix, 1 1/4 cups water, oil, and eggs in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat at low speed until mixture is moistened, about 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Pour batter into pan.
• Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Gradually stir in powdered sugar (mixture will form clumps); stir in cream cheese. Whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour cream cheese mixture in large ribbons atop cake batter in pan. Using knife, swirl mixture into batter (do not overmix).
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center (in cake part only) comes out clean, about 50 minutes (bottom of cake will be very moist). Cool cake in pan on rack. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup pecans over cake.

Frosting

• Mix sugar and cocoa in medium bowl. Bring milk and butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; add powdered sugar mixture and whisk until melted. Add chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Mix in vanilla.
• Drizzle warm icing over cake. Let stand until set, about 2 hours. Drizzle caramel topping over. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.