This recipe has been in with my family for quite a few years, and I have a few easier methods to making it--right when you pull the cake out of the oven, take the handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes all over the cake (it doesn't matter if you hit the bottom of the pan or not) and then poor the caramel directly into the holes, then do the same with the condensed milk. Once the cake cools, top it with the cool whip and then top that with the toffee bars crunched up (Heath & Skor bars seem to work very well). This is by far the one recipe that I pass along the most--it's awesome!
I read the reviews and made some changes to make a better cake. First I made the devil's food cake and cut the oil in half. It makes a dense cake so it won't get soggy (like everyone complained) and brings out the flavor of the chocolate. After baking I poked holes in the cake with a chopstick (not to the bottom of the pan), poured a jar of caramel over the top at room temperature (I omitted the milk completely because I didn't want it to be soggy)and poured chocolate syrup over the caramel. I broke up two Heath bars and put those on top. Next layer was cool whip and two more candbars. For presentation I added chocolate syrup stripes. It looked great, the cake didn't fall apart and everyone LOVED. Serve immediatley. It wasn't overwhelmingly sweet but sweet enough! I love sweets and this was perfect. I'll make it again and again!
Yummy!...I did make a few changes...this is actually a recipe I saw in a magazine(it was called Better than Homework Cake)....the only difference was that this recipe calls for devils food cake and the other one called for german chocolate cake (which I personally dont care for). The changes I made were poking holes in the cake with the back of a wooden spoon instead of making slits...and I used the whole 14 oz. can of condensed milk and doubled the amount of caramel topping....seems like a lot...but it soaks in and makes like a sauce for this cake. Used lite cool whip and pre-packaged chocolate covered toffee pieces. Great flavor...took this to friends house for dessert and everyone loved it.
I have been making this for years and it has always been a wonderful and dependable standby when I've needed a spur of the moment dessert. My recipe however uses the full can of sweetened condensed milk (not heated) followed by a full 15-16 oz. jar of slightly warmed ice cream topping (I like Mrs. Richardson's butterscotch-caramel) Having raised both a son and a daughter I can tell you that it seems that boys go even more crazy over this dessert than the girls but maybe that's only because the girls were more concerned about their waistlines!:) This is outrageously gooey and good combining two favorite flavors chocolate and caramel.
Great recipe! A huge hit with all that have tried it! I have made this forever, but the way I've always done it seems a bit easier. Also, I use German Chocolate cake. Basically I put little holes in the cake and pour the milk on it (straight from the can. Let it soak, pour the carmel on it (straight from the jar) and let it soak. Then I add the whipped cream and I buy toffee bits already chopped up (Skor). I serve it chilled, it seems to be better that way.
This is one of the best desserts I have made. After making it the first time, I have found that the whipping cream seems to detract from the chocolate/carmamel flavor of the cake, so I don't use it. If you want to cut down on some of the sweetness then the whipping cream is not a bad idea. It adds to the presentation as well, but definitely not necessary. I also have found that it is much easier to microwave the caramel mixture. Try not to use the stove. It can burn easily. Excellent cake!!
This cake is sooo amazing! I have made it 3 times so far. I made it for 2 seperate Christmas parties last year and it was the rave of everyone at the party. This cake went much faster than all the others. If you want to be a big hit make this for dessert. I do have one tip be sure to be careful when cutting the slits on the cake. If you go too deep the cake is gonna fall apart when serving it. Also be sure to put the whip cream on after the cake has cooled or else it will melt right off.
Wonderful very rich cake! I would suggest not making the slits very deep because the caramel goes to the bottom of the cake and it's hard to serve. Thanks for the recipe!
WOW! I did make several changes based on other comments. First, I used Duncan Hines (always the best). I poked the holes with a wooden spoon all the way to the bottom and used a full 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk and a 12 oz. jar of caramel ice cream topping. I poured in half of each and then repeated the process. I also used an 8 oz. bag of Heath bits. I made the cake a day ahead as suggested and added the whipped topping and garnish just prior to serving. I wasn't totally impressed with the cake until my husband had a leftover piece a day later. By that time the liquids had been evenly absorbed into the cake and you could taste the caramel, which we couldn't when it was originally served. So, the secret to developing the best flavor and texture is to make it TWO days in advance. Just cover it tightly and put it in the refrigerator. Trust me, you won't be sorry. It improves with age.
This cake was good but the caramel layer didn't sink down into the cake. I won't keep it as one of my top 10.
