Chocolate Caramel Copia Bundt Cake

• 1 1/ 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/ 2 cup Dutch Process Unsweetened Cocoa
• 1/ 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 4 ounces Melted Bittersweet Chocolate
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 2/ 3 cups Sugar
• 3/ 4 cup Unsalted Softened Butter
• 4 Room Temperature Eggs
• 1/ 2 cup Buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons Buttermilk
• 1/ 8 cup Whole Milk Yogurt
• 15 Caramels
• 6 ounces Cream Cheese
• 1 Room Temperature Egg
• 1/ 3 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/ 2 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/ 3 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Caramel Candies
• 1/ 2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans

Whole or coarsely chopped pecans for serving

Instructions:
1) Make filling.  Beat softened cream cheese and egg until well blended.  Add powdered sugar and beat thoroughly.  Add vanilla.  Set aside.
2) Make cake.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a Nordic Ware Bavaria Bundt pan with cooking spray.  Use a pastry brush to spread cooking spray to coat every surface of the Bundt pan.  Invert onto paper towel to let excess cooking spray drip off pan.
3) In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa and baking soda.  Set aside.
4) In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time.  Beat thoroughly after each addition.  Scrape the sides of the bowl.  Beat in melted chocolate.  Beat in vanilla and yogurt.
5) Add flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with buttermilk. Beat thoroughly after each addition.
6) Pour half of the batter into prepared Bundt pan. Pour cream cheese filling over the batter.  Do not let the filling touch the outer sides of the Bundt pan.  Pour the rest of the batter into Bundt pan so the pan is three quarters of the way full.  Drop coarsely chopped caramels into batter.

Baking instructions:
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into cake.  Remove cake from oven and let cool on a rack for ten minutes.  Invert cake onto platter.
 
Serving recommendations:
Make sauce right before serving.  In the top unit of a double boiler, melt caramels with heavy cream.  After caramels are melted, remove from heat and stir finely chipped pecans into caramel sauce.  Serve immediately and top with whole or coarsely chopped pecans.