Thick Caramel Filling for Cakes

June 20, 2024 · In: Featured, Filling, Recipes

When I was recipe testing for my Twix cake, I knew I needed a caramel filling that was reminiscent of the candy bar. It had to be extra thick (but not too thick), creamy and spreadable, irresistibly gooey, with just the right vanilla-caramel flavor. So, I researched a lot and tested so many recipes, tweaking things until the caramel was exactly what I was imagining. If you’re looking for a thick caramel filling for cakes and cupcakes, this is it!

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The Recipe Tests

I was originally planning on using my easy salted caramel recipe for my Twix cake. However, after making it I realized, while it was absolutely delicious and does make a great cake filling, it didn’t have the vanilla-based flavor profile I was looking for, nor the thick and gooey consistency. So I played around with a lot of different variables: brown sugar vs. white sugar, different amounts of heavy whipping cream, the temperature the caramel reached in the cooking process, so many combinations that I had to run back to the grocery store multiple times to get more ingredients and try again.

But after testing, tweaking, and lots of waiting for the experiments to come to room temperature so I could really see the consistency, I finally ended up with this recipe. In the end, this is so easy to make, thick and gooey, perfectly sweet, and ideal for filling cakes.

Perfectly Thick Caramel Filling

This caramel filling recipe couldn’t be easier to make. You essentially add all of the ingredients (except for the vanilla) into a large saucepan, melt them together, and cook them until the mixture boils and thickens. It helps to have a thermometer so that you can ensure the caramel reaches 225ºF/107ºC, but it’s not totally necessary so long as you follow the recipe timing in the instructions. It turns out that temperature matters a lot when it comes to the final outcome of the caramel – the higher the temperature reached in the cooking process, the firmer the caramel will set at room temperature.

easy caramel recipe by sugar and sparrow

After all my testing, I think that 225ºF/107ºC makes the perfect spreadable filling consistency for this caramel. It will seem pretty thin right after you make it, but will thicken perfectly as it cools.

This recipe makes a little more than enough to fill a triple 6-inch or 8-inch layer cake, and as a bonus, you can also use it as a drip! At room temperature, it’s the perfect consistency to spread between cake layers, but it can also be heated slightly to make a beautiful (extra thick) caramel drip.

Tips for Caramel Success

This recipe is extremely easy to make, but I do have a few tips that will make it fail proof:

Use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients by weight. This will yield the most accurate measurements.
Stir the ingredients continuously with a silicone spatula throughout the entire recipe. My first attempts were done with a whisk and I wasn’t able to properly scrape the bottom of the bowl, which resulted in brown sugar getting trapped in the edges of the saucepan and burning.
Use a thermometer to check that the temperature of the caramel reaches 225ºF/107ºC. Any cooler and the caramel won’t be as thick when it sets, and hotter and the caramel will be too thick and chewy when it sets.
To make sure your caramel filling doesn’t bulge out from between cake layers, follow the soft fillings portion of this filling and stacking tutorial. It will help you add structure to your layer cake and keep all that glorious filling where it belongs.

millionaire's cake recipe inspired by disney world

Cake Recipes Featuring Thick Caramel Filling

I’ve used this thick caramel filling in the following cake recipes, but you can truly pair it with anything that could use some caramel flavor:

snickers cake recipe with peanut caramel and nougat filling

Thick Caramel Recipe Video

Here’s a full video tutorial that walks you through the recipe:

If you love recipe videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube channel! I’ve got a growing collection of cake recipes, decorating tutorials, and Cake Basics over there. Hit the subscribe button on my page so you never miss a new video.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter
1 Cup (200g) packed brown sugar light or dark
2/3 Cup (210g, 160ml) sweetened condensed milk
1/3 Cup (80ml) light corn syrup or golden syrup
5 Tbsp (75ml) heavy whipping cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the sweetened condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy whipping cream, and salt. Stir with a rubber spatula constantly until the mixture is fully combined and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.
Turn the heat to medium-low and continue stirring until the caramel begins to thicken, 6-7 minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, you’ll want to cook this until it reaches 225F/107C. That is the temperature that will thicken the caramel while keeping it nice and soft at room temperature.
Remove the caramel from the heat and mix in the vanilla extract. Pour into a separate container and let the caramel cool completely to room temperature before using it to fill the cake. You can either leave the container on the counter for about 2 hours or speed the cooling process slightly by placing the container in the refrigerator. It will thicken significantly as it cools.
Pro Tip: since this filling recipe is so soft, be sure to follow the soft fillings tutorial in this blog post to add structure to your layer cake in the filling and stacking process. This way you'll never have to worry about filling bulging out from between cake layers

Notes

To Make Ahead: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring the caramel back to room temperature by setting it out on the counter for an hour or so, or heating it in the microwave in 10-second increments until it’s spreadable.

Yield: this recipe makes enough to fill and stack a triple layer 8-inch, with enough left over to add a drip to the cake as well.

I hope you love this thick caramel filling as much as I do! If you do end up making it, let me know how it went in the comments below + be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create!

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