Caramel for cake recipe

Caramel for cake recipe

Caramel is a sweet syrup heated over high heat.
The precision of making caramel is very important, the difference between a narrow and sweetish taste and one that burns in a few seconds. It is better to start cooking the caramel on high heat and after a minute reduce the heat to low, stirring from time to time. It is important to prepare all auxiliary tools in advance. Because the caramel quickly cools down, it is necessary to have time to transform it into the required forms. If the caramel has already hardened, you can gently heat it up and it will return to the desired state. Very important : Because caramel can reach a temperature of about 160C, you must work in such a way as not to cause burns to yourself or others.

Caramel. Main recipe .

Ingredients:

½ tbsp.
(100 g) sugar 2 tbsp. l. water (the amount of water should slightly cover the sugar)

It is better to use a pan with a thick bottom, which ensures uniform and not sharp heating. As mentioned above, we start heating for a minute on high heat, then reduce it to less than medium. Before boiling, it is necessary to stir one hundred percent sugar. There is no need to interfere after this. It will take about 7-10 minutes for a golden mass to begin to form on the sides of the pan, which evenly fills the entire pan. You can rock the pan from side to side to improve the process. When the golden mass covers the entire pan and all the sugar has dissolved, the caramel is ready. We wait until all the bubbles disperse (we shake the pan) and the caramel becomes transparent.

Remove the pan from the heat and lower (carefully) into a large pan filled with cool water to stop the caramel heating process.
From time to time it is recommended to take a brush, dip it in cool water and run it from the inside along the sides of the pan during production (do it very carefully). We prepare the decorations, thought out in advance, so that the caramel does not have time to harden. The taste depends on the color of the caramel. When it is light, the taste is simply sweet; the darker the caramel, the more fascinating and narrow the taste.

Difficulties that may arise during the cooking process:

If crystallization of sugar begins and it evenly transforms into a solid mass, you will have to redo it at first or it will be easier to heat it up (the main thing is not to burn it).

To remove the hardened mass from the pan, you will have to pour boiling water over it all and scrape it with a rubber whisk or something else without damaging the coating of the pan.

Strawberries in caramel

Grease the surface where the caramelized strawberries will be placed. Thread the strawberries onto a wooden toothpick or skewer. Carefully dip into the caramel and place on the prepared surface.

Caramel braid

Turn the silicone mold upside down. If you don’t have a suitable one, you can use a plate of a similar shape, covered with aluminum (foil) or just a metal plate of a suitable shape and oiled (some people use a ladle upside down). We scoop the caramel into a spoon and first make a thick strip of caramel at the base of the mold or plate. Then we make longitudinal and then transverse stripes, trying to achieve a design like a prison bars. We wait for the caramel to cool a little, but remove it while still warm. Carefully remove the braid from the foil or silicone.

The amount of caramel purchased from the main recipe should be enough for 8 molds.

Caramel ball

To do this, you will need a device in the form of two skewers (skewers) at a distance of 20 cm from each other, fixed motionless. Take a fork and drizzle caramel over the skewers. We collect the purchased threads from the skewers into one ball.

Caramel tube

A small glass jar will come in handy.

Caramel spiral

Lubricate the musat with oil. While rotating the mousse, pour in the caramel. Let it cool and remove from the mousse.

Figures on parchment paper

Naturally, we rub the parchment paper with oil and write out the pretzel or shapes as we wish.

Homemade caramel

Homemade caramel

Homemade caramel

• Sugar – 225 g
• Water – 60 g
• Cream 33-35% – 150 g
• Butter – 70 g
• Large sea salt

I have written more than once about how much I love caramel and everything caramel! When I first learned how to cook it, I tried to use it everywhere: as the inside of cupcakes, as a layer for a cake, in dough and creams. I even mastered caramel frosting! I just haven’t gotten around to making caramel decorations yet, and so far it seems that it’s quite difficult. And quite often I make caramel just like that: when I want something sweet, but at the same time I don’t want to or don’t have time to bother with something long, labor-intensive and multi-ingredient. Therefore, at the moment I will tell and show how to make homemade caramel using the most common and fast method, practically without dancing with a tambourine over a ladle.

As you know, caramel can be prepared using “dry” and “wet” methods. In the first case, you just need to melt the sugar in a thick-bottomed saucepan or frying pan, and then stop the caramelization process with hot cream, stir and add butter. In the 2nd stage, the sugar melts together with water, and then everything is the same: cream, butter, and, if you like, salt. May the great masters of confectionery art forgive me for all these simplifications; I write as I understand it myself, and based on my own experience. The first method, in my opinion, is by far the longest, so it’s not allowed to immediately dump out all the sugar and wait for it to melt: the sugar at the bottom will burn while the top one catches up with it, and the finished caramel will turn out to be bitter. You need to add sugar one teaspoon at a time, carefully swirl the pan, moving the caramel mass. But if I need a little caramel (no more than 100 g of sugar), I use this method. It’s not bad because crystallization occurs less frequently (when the finished product seems to be candied, and microscopic sugar crystals are felt in it, it looks like you’re eating caramel with sweet powder). But if I need a lot of caramel (for the inside of cakes, for example), I make it with water. It’s much faster this way and you don’t have to work magic on the saucepan. Moreover, in fact, the only rule so that the caramel does not turn into grains is not to stir the sugar while it is on the stove, do not touch it at all! And everything will work out!

Take a saucepan with a thick bottom (or better yet, the walls should be thick). Pour 225 g of sugar into it, pour 60 g of water.

Place over medium heat, bring to a boil and the sugar is completely dissolved. There will be huge bubbles and the water will become clear. Do not interfere under any circumstances, otherwise the sugar will immediately crystallize!

Increase the heat, leaving the contents of the saucepan as before. If you see small crystals of sugar that have fallen on the walls, take a brush, moisten it with water and very carefully, without touching the future caramel, remove them. It is because of these dangerous crystals that the caramel may turn out “with grains”: once they get into the finished product, they will cause crystallization.

Cook the caramel until it has a rich amber color. For me, it first gets dark at the edges and after another minute - in the middle. Do not over-expose it - very dark caramel is bitter. I like it lighter.

While the caramel is cooking, you need to heat the cream. For homemade caramel, we use high-fat cream (33-35%). Their quantity can be different: the more cream, the more watery the finished product will be. My version for a given amount of sugar and water is 150 g. This way I get a fluid consistency that sets in the refrigerator, but when bitten, it doesn’t stretch much. If you put up to 100 g, and later add nuts and put them in the refrigerator, you will get a real sorbet! :) So, the caramel has reached the right color, remove it from the stove. And immediately pour in very warm cream.

Carefully! The mass will boil very quickly, and if the saucepan is low, it may even overflow, keep this in mind!

Stir with a silicone spatula.

Add 70 g of good, tasty butter.

Mix thoroughly. Cool to room temperature and, if desired, add 1-2 pinches of large sea salt. Mix.

Our caramel is ready! Pour it into a glass jar. Store in the refrigerator. There it will thicken, don’t be alarmed, just heat it a little in the microwave or in a water bath.

This caramel, as I already said, can be added to cream, to dough, you can fill cupcakes with it, and you can also create a layer from it in a mousse cake if you add gelatin. You can even pour it over the finished cake, like icing, although in this case I would play it safe and add a little gelatin.

And a few more words about crystallization. To be honest, I don’t see this as a task on a universal scale; several times I myself have sugared the caramel according to this recipe a little, but it was still perfectly eaten; in dough, for example, it’s not at all tangible. Unless, of course, you are preparing a cake for an exhibition, but for yourself and your own family. However, it is least clear that it does not have to crystallize properly, and if this happens to you all the time, and you do everything correctly: you have a good saucepan with a thick bottom and walls, you do not interfere or disturb the sugar in any way on the stove, look for the crystals on the walls and carefully remove them with a damp brush, then either change the recipe, cook “dry”, or try a different brand of sugar, they say, the insufficient degree of its purification can also affect the properties of the finished caramel.

According to Andrey Rudkov's recipe with my additions.

Homemade caramel for cake

Kefir caramel, easy to prepare without a temperature indicator! A caramel recipe accessible to everyone, for the production of which a drink is used, and not cream, which is expensive in our time. It’s easy and quick to prepare; you just need to set the time on the timer.

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3. Homemade caramel for cake

Ingredients and how to cook

ingredients for 8 servings or - the number of products for servings suitable for you will be calculated automatically!'>

Total:

Production time: 12 hours 15 minutes

Step-by-step production

Step 1:

How to cook caramel for a cake? You will be surprised how simple it is! Measure and weigh all ingredients according to the list.

Step 2:

Place all the ingredients in a thick-bottomed, large-capacity saucepan and place over medium heat.

Step 3:

Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Please note that the mass will increase greatly (for this we needed dishes with a huge volume).

Step 4:

After boiling, reduce the heat and cook the mixture for exactly 7 minutes (it is best to set a timer), making sure to always stir. After the time has passed, finish heating, while continuing to stir the mixture with a whisk.

Step 5:

Don't stop stirring. The mass will evenly decrease in volume and acquire a caramel color. A small foam remains on the surface, don’t let it bother you; it will disappear when the caramel cools.

Step 6:

Pour the caramel that has cooled to room temperature into a container with a lid and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

I liked this caramel recipe because it is simple and convenient: you don’t need to use a temperature indicator, so it’s easier to cook this caramel, and expensive cream is replaced with economical kefir. The result with all this does not suffer at all. Caramel, in my opinion, turns out delicious! I suggest you try making this homemade caramel for you, and later try it and treat it to your loved ones.

Ready-made caramel can be used for the inside of cakes, as well as for creating prestigious smudges when decorating; the cost of the cake is significantly reduced. You can also use it as a sauce for baked goods, pancakes, cheesecakes, desserts, ice cream, pour berries on top, or just eat caramel with a spoon from the jar! Delicious!

A few more words about the features of this particular caramel:

Freshly prepared caramel is quite watery, but after overnight in the refrigerator it will thicken. The mixture will be a little thicker on top, so after settling in the refrigerator it needs to be mixed. When stirring, the caramel will become homogeneous.

Instead of sugar, you can use a sweetener that is not subject to heat treatment.

Caramel: how to create caramel at home

Another basic ingredient in the confectioner’s arsenal, which has a special place in the classification of sweets, is caramel. This product can be found in different forms in different formulations, however, the basis for their production is the process of melting sugar.

Invented several centuries ago, the dessert component has a rich history. Consonant with the Latin word “cannamella”, which is common to our ears, practically translates as “sweet reed”.

A similar caramel product in Old India was obtained from fire-roasted cane stalks. The base ingredient - sugar - was valued quite highly in the Middle Ages and was available only to poor people.

Large-scale production of the product in a number of countries - France, England, America, which consider themselves the founders of caramel practice, began in the 14th - 16th centuries. The favorite caramel sweet of the French and Russians were candy figures on sticks.

In the XVIII century. The era of sugar caramel began in Great Britain. Based on lollipops and pharmaceutical herbs, a German pharmacist made medicinal sweets that replaced bitter mixtures.

At the dawn of the caramel industry, sugar dissolved in water was melted over open fires in copper cauldrons. Manual temperature measurements served as an indicator of the readiness of the caramel mass for pouring into molds.

Types of caramel

The presence of a sweet substance in the composition describes the type of caramel, which can be made from sucrose, glucose, or maltose.

Based on the taste properties, the delicacy can be liqueur, chocolate, berry or fruit. They make healing caramels and lollipops with added vitamins.

The mixture distinguishes between hard and soft caramel and sauce based on the ingredient. Below is a little more detail about each of the conditions.

Hard caramel

This type, also called pouring, is used for making sweets and lollipops, monpensiers. They cannot do without this ingredient when developing grilled meats.

When hardened, the candy caramel becomes glass-like in its finished state. Working with caramel requires extraordinary skill: if the composition hardens (and this happens very quickly), refinement is no longer possible.

It is easy to make “cockerels” and “rabbits” on sticks from pouring caramel at home, having the proper shapes. You can bring your guests into ecstasy by covering pieces of fruit and berries with caramel.

By adding nuts to the mixture and passing it through a blender, you get praline, which is appropriate in recipes for cakes or creams. The pouring composition is applicable in the manufacture of caramel decor for decorating confectionery products.

And this is how caramel candies with a pattern on the cut are made:

Soft caramel

By changing the proportions of the components that make up the mass, a plastic caramel is obtained, from which you can sculpt different shapes without burning your fingers when the composition cools.

Multi-colored soft satin caramel is made using food coloring. The ingredient is added to cakes and pastries; it can serve as a food additive. If the recipe contains cream, you get toffee caramels.

The production of caramel of this variety on an industrial scale involves the use of insides with a humidity of 32-35%. The softness of the mixture is maintained due to the penetration of water into the caramel mass during storage of sweets.

Soft caramel is a good layer option for a cake. In terms of fluidity, the French season croissants, toast, and pancakes with a composition close to honey.

Caramel sauce

An amber product with a rich sweet caramel taste belongs to the group of dessert sauces. Freshly prepared watery caramel is similar in fluidity to condensed milk, and when in the refrigerator, it acquires the thickness of boiled condensed milk.

It is a good addition to ice cream desserts, pies and buns. A couple of spoons of caramel sauce can transform yogurt into an unusual delicacy. Oatmeal seasoned with it becomes an immediately tasty and healthy dish.

How to make caramel?

Hard caramel recipe

Making caramel at home is not so difficult, and even a child can make simple candies.

We bring to your attention a recipe for homemade caramel, according to which you should stock up on 250 g of sugar, vanilla sugar or powder in the amount of 1 tablespoon, a third glass of brandy or cognac. A few drops of mint oil and lemon juice will come in handy.

Melt the sweet sand in a saucepan over moderate heat, add vanilla sugar and add cognac. Stirring continuously, keep on the stove for about a minute. After removing from heat, add mint oil and lemon juice to the mixture and stir.

We pour the hot syrup into molds, having previously greased them with oil for the best extraction of the finished caramels, provide each portion with a stick (you can use toothpicks) and send it to the cold to harden. Homemade sugar caramel is ready!

Soft caramel recipe

How to create caramel from a soft sugar mixture? Please be patient and have a set of ingredients:

• 200 g sugar;
• 1 g vanillin;
• a pinch of salt;
• 50 g butter;
• 100 g milk.

Over medium heat, melt the sugar in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Be sure to stir constantly, not allowing the mixture to burn. Set the container with melted sweet sand aside and add milk in small portions, without stopping stirring.

Cook the mixture over medium heat, without bringing it to a boil. During cooking, add vanilla and salt, stir.

After removing the pan from the heat, add the oil and make the mass homogeneous. Soft caramel is ready to eat. Be careful because the product is hot.

Caramel Sauce Recipe

How to create caramel is already clear to you. Now we present to your attention the recipe for caramel sauce.

To make sweets you will need 250 g of sweet sand, 70 g of water. Combine the ingredients and cook over low heat until the mass acquires an amber color.

Bring 220 g to a boil and add to the sugar-water mixture. After mixing until smooth, remove from heat and season with butter (50 g).

It is appropriate to serve cupcakes, strudels, and biscuits with warm caramel sauce, and after cooling it, add a unique taste to ice cream desserts.

And the following video will tell you how to prepare delicious salted caramel:

Caramel lamp: abilities and advantages

The device is a tool that allows you to maintain a temperature suitable for preserving the elasticity of confectionery caramel for the required period of time, warming the composition moderately over the entire size.

The lamp allows you to work with artistic caramel mass to realize the most sophisticated ideas in the form of decor for cakes and other baked goods.

One of the commercially available accessories that can be retrofitted with the unit is a confectionery alcohol lamp. A protective screen allows you to avoid light scattering.

Typically, the devices have several levels of power adjustment. Latex gloves are a necessary gadget to protect the hands of a pastry chef working with caramel from burns.

High-quality infrared emitter lamps are aimed at heating caramel and the work surface. A caramel lamp is an indispensable item for increasing the convenience and efficiency of a professional pastry chef. The purchase of tools is targeted at significant sizes of processed products.