PRALINE TURTLE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans and fit a circle of parchment paper large enough to cover 1 inch up the side of each cake pan.
• Heat the butter, brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil. Divide the sugar mixture between the prepared pans. Sprinkle 3/4 cup pecans over sugar mixture and set aside to cool.
• Combine the flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, oil, vanilla, vinegar and 1 cup hot water and mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the cake pans - over the sugar mixture.
• Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake center comes out clean - 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn cakes out onto a cooling rack. Remove the paper and cool completely.
• 2. Assemble the cake: Spread the fudge topping over the sugar mixture side of one cake layer. Place the second layer over the first and drizzle with the melted chocolate and the remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Frost the cake sides with your favorite chocolate icing.