Who invented salted caramel? Whoever it was that worked out that salt makes caramel more caramel than ever, they need to be thanked. Since I made my Banana Split Ice Cream Cupcakes, I’ve had a squeezy bottle of it in the fridge. So perfect for unexpected dessert cravings!
Salted caramel centre in a Banana Split Ice Cream Cupcake
Salted Caramel
This recipe makes about a cup of flowing salted caramel sauce. For variations, see below.
ingredients
140g caster sugar
40 mL water
170mL cream (warm)
about 1/2 tsp salt
mixing
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over high heat, shaking the pan often, until the sugar starts to dissolve and the mixture starts to boil. Let the mixture boil, shaking the pan often, until the sugar syrup starts to caramelise. This will happen quite rapidly. Sugar syrup keeps cooking when you remove it from the heat, so take the pan off the heat as soon as a golden colour starts to form. You can always out it back on the heat for a few seconds to continue to caramelised the syrup.
Let the caramel syrup sit for a few seconds and then carefully add the cream in a thin stream, stirring constantly. The mixture will bubble up ferociously and a lot of steam will be generated so take care not the burn yourself! When all of the cream has been incorporated, return pan to the heat and stir constantly until the mixture is smooth. Add the salt to taste. Let cool.
Making salted caramel (left to right, wet sugar, sugar syrup beginning to boil, caramelisation commencing, cooking the finished caramel)
Variations
Bourbon Salted Caramel sauce
Stir in 2 tbsp bourbon or whisky (yes I know they’re not the same thing!) into the sauce after adding the salt.
Butter Salted Caramel
This is useful when you don’t want so much flow in the caramel, for example in macaron filling. Add 50g salted butter, cut into cubes into the still hot caramel, stirring until well combined.
Enjoy! xx
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