Caramel sauce that is super creamy and easy to make at home using only four ingredients!
Caramel sauce is one of those things that everyone should make at home. The taste is un-matched by any store-bought version and is really simple to make! It only takes a few minutes and can be mixed into buttercream, used as a filling, over ice-cream, even in drinks! It lasts pretty much forever in the fridge and makes an excellent gift or favor.
How do you make caramel sauce?
- Place sugar and water in a small saucepan with a heavy bottom
- Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Keep covered for five minutes to ensure all the granules of sugar around the edges are dissolved (to prevent crystallization)
- Remove lid and attach your candy thermometer (Optional)
- Reduce heat to medium and watch your sugar closely. At first steam will be evaporating and your temperature will hover around 225ºF without raising. Once all the water evaporates, your sugar will start to cook rapidly. Once the sugar is a deep caramel color, remove from the heat (around 350ºF)
- Remove the pan from heat and add in your butter in small pieces. It will bubble! Use caution. Whisk to combine.
- Add in your cream and your salt.
- Let cool before use.
A few tips for success. Get all your ingredients ready before you start so you can move to the next step right when you need to. The sugar will be too pale one minute and too dark the next so keep your eyes on it! Don’t be tempted to add your ingredients too soon. You want a nice dark color but not burned. A darker color means richer flavor. A candy thermometer is your friend.
I always have a batch of salted caramel in my fridge ready to go. It’s a decadent flavor that is well-loved by pretty much everyone and a little bit goes a long way.
Can you use caramel sauce as a cake filling?
Tip: If you want your caramel to be thicker, add more butter.
Salted Caramel Recipe
Delicious, creamy and rich salted caramel. Great for adding to buttercream or using as a filling for cake decorating. Drizzle over the top of your cake for added decadence.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 14 oz granulated sugar
- 4 oz water
- 6 oz unsalted butter
- 8 oz heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Instructions
Bring sugar water to a boil on medium high. Cover with a lid for 5 minutes
Remove lid and continue cooking sugar until thermometer reads 350º (hard crack stage) or it's a deep golden brown color
Remove from heat and whisk in butter then carefully mix in cream.
Add in some sea salt and let set at room temperature overnight. Store leftover caramel in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
Store in refrigerator covered for up to a month.
August 27, 2019
Love this caramel recipe! So delicious…
Thanks denise!
I’m not sure why anyone had problems with the recipe. This recipe turned out exactly the way yours came out in your video. I also had my heat on medium high heat and never had an issue. I absolutely love this recipe and I’m in love with caramel sauce. Thank you again for all of your amazing recipes, tutorials and all the help you give us all the the time Lizzo. You rock my friend.
So glad you liked it!
Great recipe! I didn’t watch the video and missed the part about putting the lid on the pan for the first 5 minutes. I don’t know if that will make a difference but so far so good!
The lid just insures that all the grains of sugar are dissolved so that your caramel does not crystalize. I hope yours turned out 🙂
One reason people may have had issues with sugar not desolving is from using utensils or pans that may have oil or grease on them. Make sure that all utensils and pans are oil free to start the carmilization process.
Thanks for the exact recipes and the professional explanation I have tried a number of caramel recipes that are accurate and successful and thanks again
It taste delicious but my caramel never got thick it was to runny I put on top of a cake with some frosting decoration and they slided down it never got hard enough. I follow the directions to a t I even used a candy thermometer so not sured what happened.
did you let it cool?
Can I mix this caramel sauce with your easy buttercream to make “caramel buttercream “ ?
Yes! And it’s so tasty!
Thank you so much For sharing these wonderful recipes ! I’ll try it !
Thank you so much for this recipe ands tutorial. I’ve tried several times to make caramel and always failed. This time, with your help, it came out perfect and delicious!
Could you fill cupcakes with this or would that be too runny?
It would be pretty runny, I would add more butter to thicken it up
Can you add more butter later? If you have a batch in the refrigerator and decide you want to fill a cake with it can you reheat it enough to melt more butter into it and allow it to cool again and then use it to fill your cake?
Absolutely, just warm in the microwave then add in your butter and let it cool to room temperature again