Bundt Cakes #2 & #3 of Bundt Cake Season 3 - Southern Pecan Praline Cake and Chocolate Fudge Cake

Yay! The first contribution to Bundt Cake Season that's not by me! Thanks to T. Shane for Joining in on the bundting.

A Tale of Two Cakes
I made these two cakes for my buddy Nick's birthday last night. They fall into the "semi-homemade" category, but both were delicious and gobbled up nonetheless.

Southern Pecan Praline Cake

1 box butter pecan flavored cake mix (or butter recipe yellow)
4 eggs
3/4 c. oil
1 c. water
1 can coconut pecan frosting
1 c. chopped pecans

Blend first five ingredients and 1/2 c. pecans with a hand mixer. Spray bundt pan and add remaining 1/2 c. pecans into bottom of pan. Add cake batter and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick tests clean.

While this cake is incredibly moist and delicious, I really felt like it was just missing something, so this is the glaze I'm using next time. It is tried and true:

3 c. brown sugar
2 T. white corn syrup
3/4-1 c. half and half
1 c. chopped pecans
3 t. bourbon whiskey (I suggest something sweet like Southern Comfort)

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan and cook to soft boil stage (235-240 degrees on a candy thermometer). Add whiskey and pour over cake like a loose glaze.

OK, so for cake number two, I wanted to follow the same basic steps, but make something chocolatey and nut-free.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 c. oil
1 c. water
1 can chocolate fudge frosting
3/4 jar caramel ice cream sauce or can dulce de leche

Combine first 5 ingredients by hand mixer and pour into prepared Bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Invert and pour caramel or dulce de leche over warm cake to allow it to soak in. Serve with vanilla ice cream.