Three years ago, my friend Sarah brought these knock you naked bars to our book club potluck, and I swear the room went silent when people took their first bite. The name might make you blush, but one taste and you'll understand why they're called that - these bars literally knock you off your feet with layers of chocolate cake, gooey caramel, and crunchy pecans that create the most ridiculously good dessert you've ever put in your mouth. After begging Sarah for the recipe and making them at least fifty times since, I've messed around with a few things to make them even better.
Why You'll Love This Knock You Naked Bars
These knock you naked bars have become my go-to dessert when I need to wow people without spending all day in the kitchen. They look way harder to make than they actually are, which is great when you want to show off but don't have time for complicated stuff. I brought them to my husband's work party last year, and his boss still asks me about them every time we run into each other at the grocery store.
What really gets me about these Knock You Naked Bars is how they hit every single craving at once - you get that rich chocolate cake base, then this layer of gooey caramel that stretches when you bite into it, plus the crunch from the pecans that keeps it from being too sweet. liam can only handle about half a bar before he's bouncing off the walls from sugar, but he always comes back for the other half an hour later. They're messy to eat, impossible to cut into neat squares, and guaranteed to make everyone at your party completely forget about whatever diet they were on.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Knock You Naked Bars
- Ingredients For Knock You Naked Bars
- How To Make Knock You Naked Bars Step By Step
- Smart Swaps for Knock You Naked Bars
- Equipment
- Tasty Twists on Knock You Naked Bars
- Storing Your Knock You Naked Bars
- Top Tip
- My Sister's Secret Worth Sharing
- FAQ
- Time to Get Your Hands Dirty!
- Related
- Pairing
- Knock You Naked Bars
Ingredients For Knock You Naked Bars
The Chocolate Base:
- German chocolate cake mix
- Butter
- Evaporated milk
- Large eggs
The Gooey Middle:
- Caramel candies
- More evaporated milk
- Chocolate chips
- Chopped pecans
Optional Extras:
- Sea salt flakes for sprinkling
- Vanilla extract
- Extra chocolate chips for the top
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Knock You Naked Bars Step By Step
Prep Your Pan:
- Grease 9x13 pan really well
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Line with parchment if you're smart
- Have everything measured out
Make the Base:
- Mix cake mix, melted butter, eggs, and some evaporated milk
- Press half the mixture into prepared pan
- Bake 8-10 minutes until just set
- Don't overbake or it gets tough
Create the Caramel:
- Unwrap all those caramels (get liam to help)
- Melt with remaining evaporated milk in microwave
- Stir every 30 seconds until smooth
- Don't let it get too thick
Layer It Up:
- Pour caramel over warm crust
- Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans
- Drop remaining cake mixture on top in chunks
- Don't worry about covering completely
Final Bake:
- Back in oven for 18-22 minutes
- Top should be golden but still soft
- Cool completely before cutting
- Seriously, wait or they'll fall apart
Smart Swaps for Knock You Naked Bars
Cake Mix Options:
- German chocolate → Regular chocolate cake mix
- Boxed mix → Homemade chocolate cake batter
- Regular → Gluten-free cake mix
- Standard → Sugar-free cake mix
Caramel Alternatives:
- Wrapped caramels → Caramel sauce from jar
- Regular → Sugar-free caramels
- Store-bought → Homemade caramel (if you're brave)
- Standard → Dulce de leche
Nut Choices:
- Pecans → Walnuts
- Tree nuts → Sunflower seeds
- Regular → Toasted almonds
- Standard → Skip nuts entirely
Chocolate Swaps:
- Semi-sweet chips → Milk chocolate chips
- Regular → Dark chocolate chunks
- Standard → White chocolate chips
- Chocolate → Butterscotch chips
Equipment
- 9x13 inch baking pan
- Large mixing bowls
- Microwave-safe bowl for caramel
- Rubber spatula for mixing
- Sharp knife for cutting
- Measuring cups
Tasty Twists on Knock You Naked Bars
Peanut Butter Paradise:
- Add peanut butter to cake mix
- Use peanut butter chips instead of chocolate
- Swap pecans for crushed peanuts
- Drizzle with melted peanut butter
Salted Caramel Deluxe:
- Add sea salt to caramel layer
- Sprinkle flaky salt on top
- Use salted caramel candies
- Extra gooey and sophisticated
Coconut Lover's Dream:
- Add shredded coconut to base
- Mix coconut into caramel
- Top with toasted coconut flakes
- Like German chocolate cake in bar form
S'mores Style:
- Crush graham crackers into base
- Add mini marshmallows to caramel
- Use milk chocolate chips
- Campfire vibes indoors
Storing Your Knock You Naked Bars
Counter Storage (3-4 days):
- Cover tightly with foil
- Room temperature is fine
- Cut as needed, don't pre-cut
- Keep away from heat
Refrigerator (1 week):
- Wrap individual pieces
- Bring to room temp before serving
- Caramel gets firmer when cold
- Still taste amazing chilled
Freezer Storage (3 months):
- Wrap bars individually in plastic
- Store in freezer bags
- Label with date
- Thaw at room temperature
Gift Giving:
- Pack in sturdy containers
- Include napkins (they're messy)
- Warn people they're addictive
- Double wrap for transport
Top Tip
- From making these bars countless times and learning from my mistakes, here's what makes the biggest difference - patience is everything, especially when it comes to cooling time. Most people screw this up because they can't wait to cut into these gooey beauties, but if you try to cut them too early, you'll end up with a caramel disaster that falls apart and gets all over your knife.
- Here's the trick that changed everything for me - let them cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours, then stick them in the fridge for another hour before cutting. I know it's torture to wait that long when your kitchen smells like chocolate heaven, but trust me on this one. The caramel needs time to set up properly, and the chocolate needs to firm back up after being melted. When they're properly cooled, you can cut clean squares that hold together instead of gooey messes that stick to everything.
My Sister's Secret Worth Sharing
My sister stumbled onto something great with these knock you naked bars completely by accident during one of her typical kitchen experiments back in 2019. She was making them for her husband's birthday party when she realized she was short on evaporated milk for the caramel. Instead of running to the store, she grabbed the can of sweetened condensed milk from her pantry and hoped for the best. "What's the worst that could happen?" she said, which is basically Sister's life motto.
That swap changed everything. The sweetened condensed milk made the caramel layer even gooier and added this rich, almost candy-like sweetness that took these bars from great to crazy good. But sister being sister, she didn't stop there. She started sprinkling a pinch of instant coffee granules into the caramel mixture before microwaving it, which added this subtle coffee flavor that made the chocolate taste even more intense. Now every time I make these bars, I use her method. The coffee doesn't make them taste like coffee - it just makes everything else taste more like itself, if that makes sense. When people ask what makes my version different, I just smile and tell them it's a family secret.
FAQ
What are Knock You Naked Bars made of?
These bars have three main layers - a chocolate cake base made from German chocolate cake mix, a gooey caramel middle layer made from melted caramel candies, and chocolate chips and pecans mixed throughout. The top gets covered with more cake batter that bakes into a soft, brownie-like layer.
Do Knock You Naked Bars need to be refrigerated?
Not really, but they keep better in the fridge, especially in hot weather. The caramel layer can get really soft at room temperature and make them messy to eat. Refrigerating firms everything up nicely, just bring them to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Can I freeze Knock You Naked Bars?
Yeah, they freeze great for up to 3 months. Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap, then store in freezer bags. They thaw perfectly at room temperature in about an hour. The texture stays just as gooey and delicious as when they were fresh.
Are Knock You Naked Bars gluten-free?
Not with regular cake mix, but you can easily make them gluten-free by using a gluten-free chocolate cake mix instead. Everything else in the recipe is naturally gluten-free, so it's just a matter of swapping that one ingredient. The texture comes out just as good.
Time to Get Your Hands Dirty!
What I love most about this recipe is how it turns regular people into dessert legends. My neighbor Carol, who usually burns toast, made these for her bridge club and suddenly everyone thinks she's some kind of baking goddess. They're foolproof enough for beginners but fancy enough to make experienced bakers jealous. Plus, watching people take that first bite and get that "oh my god" look on their face never gets old. liam still does a little happy dance every time I pull a pan out of the oven.
Ready for more treats that'll cement your reputation as the neighborhood dessert hero? Try our The Best Biscoff Truffles Recipe that combines those spiced cookie flavors with creamy chocolate that melts in your mouth. Want something fun for parties? Our Easy Fried S'mores Bombs Recipe brings carnival magic to your kitchen. Or whip up our Best Cherry Snowball Cookies Ready in 15 minutes! when you need something festive and fast.
Share your Knock You Naked Bars success! We love seeing your caramel-covered masterpieces!
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Related
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Knock You Naked Bars
Knock You Naked Bars
Equipment
- 1 9x13-inch baking pan (Greased well or lined with parchment)
- 2 Large mixing bowls (One for base, one for caramel)
- 1 Microwave-safe bowl (For melting caramel candies)
- 1 Rubber spatula (For spreading layers)
- 1 Measuring cups (For all wet and dry ingredients)
- 1 Sharp knife (For cutting cooled bars)
Ingredients
- 1 box German chocolate cake mix - Or any chocolate cake mix
- ½ cup Butter, melted - Unsalted
- ⅔ cup Evaporated milk - Divided – part for base, part for caramel
- 1 large Egg - Room temperature
- 1 bag Caramel candies - About 11 oz, unwrapped
- 1 cup Chocolate chips - Semi-sweet or milk chocolate
- ¾ cup Chopped pecans - Toasted, optional
- Optional Sea salt flakes - For sprinkling on top
- Optional teaspoon Vanilla extract - Stir into caramel for extra depth
- Optional ¼ tsp Instant coffee granules - Optional, enhances chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine cake mix, melted butter, egg, and ⅓ cup evaporated milk. Press half the mixture into the pan and bake for 8–10 minutes.
- Microwave unwrapped caramels with ⅓ cup evaporated milk until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Add optional vanilla or instant coffee.
- Pour caramel over baked crust. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and pecans. Drop remaining batter on top in chunks.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes until golden. Cool at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate 1 hour before cutting.
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