Thick Caramel Filling
A thick yet soft and spreadable caramel that's the perfect consistency for using as a cake filling
Servings 3 Cups
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.