When I bake a cake it’s pretty rare that I turn to a mix to do the job.
Although, some of you might remember from the Easter Basket Cupcakes post, that when a mix is used, I have a few tricks to make the cake extra delicious.
While Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines don’t end up as a cake in my kitchen very often, I do love using a mix to make all kinds of other sweet creations. It can be a serious time saver with delicious results.
This recipe starts with a German chocolate cake mix and then just gets better and better with all of the additions. It’s hard to go wrong with chocolate, caramel, pecans, and a little more chocolate!
Chocolate Caramel Bars
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
- 1 package German chocolate cake mix
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 ounces (2/3 cup) evaporated milk, divided into 1/3 cup portions
- 14 ounces caramels
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.
Combine cake mix, melted butter, vanilla and 1/3 cup of evaporated milk in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until smooth. Spread half of the dough in baking pan. Set aside remainder of dough.
In a large saucepan, combine caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Pour evenly over dough in pan. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate chips. Drop remaining dough over the nuts and chocolate.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack and then cut into bars.
