Gooey Tortoise Cake

Julie, I figured it out! I was grinning from ear to ear when she came in. I finally got the chocolate to stop sticking to the pans! I just put the pans in water on a cookie sheet and then bake them. It seems to have done the trick.

This was a battle I had been losing for quite some time with the up-side-down, brownie-like morsels. Julie was an enterprising young chef whose specialty was pastries and treats.

Yes. That's how it's done. I learned that in school. she said and nonchalantly and went to pour herself some tea.

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 large eggs
• 1-1/3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of chocolate or caramel sauce
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

1. Coat bunt pan, individual bunt pans or large muffin tins with cooking spray.
2. Pour enough chocolate sauce in the bottom of the pan to cover liberally.
3. Sprinkle chopped pecans into the chocolate sauce and set pan aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar together in free-standing mixer or a hand mixer.
5. Add vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time.
6. Add cocoa powder.
7. Mix in salt, soda and baking powder.
8. Alternately add milk and flour, finishing with flour. The batter should be slightly thicker than basic cake batter.
9. Pour or spoon cake batter over chocolate sauce evenly being careful to keep as much of the chocolate sauce on the bottom of the pan as possible.
10. Place cake pan on a cookie sheet that has a 1-inch lip pouring just enough water into the pan as to not spill while putting in the oven.
11. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes in small pans or 40 minutes for large pans.
12. Cool slightly and remove by loosening sides of the cake first.
13. This cake should be presented upside down and smothered in caramel or chocolate sauce and whipped cream.