Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce.

Homemade salted Caramel is just one of those sauces that can transform a simple and easy dessert into a whole new dessert. It’s like the cherry to your black forest, the chocolate to your cookies, and the equation to most dessert lovers!

Caramel is made from well-cooked sugar deglazed with water, milk, heavy cream, condensed milk, or butter. It can be challenging, as observed in caramel candies, soft and syrupy for fillings or whipped and later used as a frosting. All in all, salted Caramel comes with a wide array of advantages when making desserts.

However, do not be limited when and if you decide to make this delicious sauce. It comes with a vast collection of flavours such as cherry, coconut, pineapple, honey, and passion. Mastering the main ingredients will enhance caramel flavour variation optimization. In other words, knowing each ingredient’s role during the caramelization process will guide the substitutions for a different caramel flavour and texture.

Types of sweeteners Used to make Caramel.

Although in the definition, Caramel is defined as slowly cooking sugar to a soft brown syrup, different kinds of sweeteners can be used irrespective of sugar.

For instance, using honey in place of sugar to make honey caramel. A good alternative when you want to go the healthier route.

Other sweeteners used to make Caramel are coconut sugar, white chocolate, date paste, maple syrup and jaggery.

Homemade Salted caramel desserts are always a hit, ranging from treats to toppings. Examples of easy homemade caramel desserts are:

• Caramel chocolate shortbread bars
• Homemade vanilla caramel ice cream
• Cinnamon swirl loaf cake with salted caramel drizzle
• Salted Caramel Cheesecake
• Chocolate and salted Caramel Cake
• Salted caramel brownie bites
• Cinnamon Salted Caramel cupcakes

Salted Caramel ingredient notes.

Every ingredient used in the making of Caramel plays a crucial role. Wrong ratios, poor quality, overcooking, undercooking or skipping an ingredient will affect the final taste and texture of the Caramel. The main ingredients in this recipe are;

• Sugar. Castor sugar has smaller granules hence dissolving and melting faster than regular sugar. Note that the final colour will have a lighter brown shade when using castor sugar in Caramel. Brown sugar, on the other hand, has molasses and will add more flavour to the Caramel. I prefer using natural brown sugar/turbinado sugar; partially refined sugar mimics brown sugar due to its light brown colour.
• Heavy Cream. Heavy cream is used to deglaze the caramelized sugar making the final texture of the Caramel creamy. However, some recipes substitute this with fresh, coconut, or Almond milk, which is okay. This will, however, affect the final taste and consistency of the Caramel.
• Butter. Unsalted butter adds to the final lusciousness of the Caramel. Substitutes would be coconut oil or shortening. However, these substitutes can affect the flavour and taste of the Caramel, and I do not recommend using shortening unless it is vital.
• Salt. Remember, without the salt; it’s not salted Caramel.
• Vanilla. Enhances the flavour.

Salted Caramel Recipe Tips

• The Ingredients you use matter. Pay attention to each ingredient used when making Caramel, and always use good quality. The sweetener, kind of butter and liquid used to deglaze can affect the taste of Caramel immensely.
• Use a broad non-stick pan. The non-stick pan will reduce the likelihood of the sugar sticking on its sides hence burning that would otherwise make the Caramel taste bitter or burnt.
• Do not stir the pan when the sugar is caramelizing. Swirl the sugar evenly around the pan when it’s melting to avoid clumping. Be careful not to burn the sugar; therefore, use low to medium flame, which you can control.
• Use Unsalted Butter. I recommend using unsalted butter since you can control the amount of salt that goes into the Caramel.
• BE CAUTIOUS! Burning sugar needs skill and care as it can easily lead to unfortunate accidents in the kitchen. Use heavy gloves, low heat and a big, deep pan with good handles.

Uses of Salted Caramel Sauce.

• It is used as a filling in Cakes and Cupcakes.
• It is used as a topping in Ice cream and dessert Cups.
• Caramel Granola bars can be made with Caramel as the combining ingredient.
• Salted Caramel pairs well with most desserts and it can be used as a topping.
• It is used to make Chocolate Caramel pudding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Caramel taste bitter?

Homemade Salted caramel will taste bitter if the sugar is burnt during caramelization. Try cooking over low heat, adding the sugar gradually, and swirling continuously in a non-stick pan to avoid this. Another way to avoid burning the sugar is by making a wt caramel. Mix two parts sugar and one part water, then let it cook until amber in colour before adding in the heavy cream.

Why is my Salted Caramel too Sweet?

If you find that the Sweetness of the Caramel is overwhelming, try cooking the sugar longer to a deep brown colour and balance it out with the right proportions of heavy cream and butter.

My Homemade Salted caramel does not taste like actual Caramelwhy?

This could be due to undercooking, which will make it taste blunt and syrupy. On the other hand, overcooking will make it bitter. Always ensure to use good quality and the right proportion of sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt.

How do I make My Salted Caramel Stretchy?

For a stretchy Salted caramel Sauce, use equal amounts of granulated sugar and glucose syrup.