Turtle Surprise

Since school has been back in session here for a few weeks, I have been trying to get into some sort of routine. I am an avid baker and I have recently let my stash of baked goodies and other treats get surprisingly low.

Well, in the past two weeks, this has changed. I have made 3 kinds of crunchy granola, 7 loaves of pumpkin cranberry bread, and 3 loaves of banana pecan bread. I also made this:

Now, those of you that are familiar with the process of turning condensed milk into caramel might be trying to think of new ways to use up these little babies?  Well, let me introduce you to these.

Turtle Cupcakes!

I took my Triple Chocolate Cake recipe, baked them as cupcakes, filled them with the caramel, topped them with chocolate ganache, then frosted them with homemade cream cheese frosting. I added a few toasted pecans, and finally, drizzled them with more caramel. Whew! All of this for a little dessert you ask? Yes. And, oh my, so worth it!

I know that they may sound sweet, but they are not. The cake and ganache are rich in chocolate flavor. The sweetness comes from the frosting and the caramel. It is the perfect balance in every bite. And my mouth is watering just typing about them. Good thing I had my hubby take them all to work. After I had one, of course!