Ok so I know you can boil an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk and it will become caramel. So this weekend I thought I would give it a try for the first time since I have a cake coming up that requires caramel filling.

I'm curious:

How long do you boil the can if you want the caramel thick enough to use as a filling?

AND

can you boil more than one can at a time?

Also, if I'm making four 8" rounds (3 layers of filling between), how many cans would it take?

Thanks!
Misty

I wrote the info in my notebook and I have fill pot about an inch over can with water and bring to boil and when boil (hard) reduce to simmer for 2 hours making sure water stays over can. It was said that 3 cans at a time was done HTH

Hey thanks Tatorchip! Now I just need to figure out how many cans I need! LOL!

My mom boils it for 3 hours and is able to slice, she also keeps it at a boil for three hours, so I would think at 2 hours it would be good for filling. It is CRITICAL that the cans are completely covered with water at all times.

I read in another thread (which I can't find) that you can cook the sw. cond. milk in the microwave. Heat for a minute and stir, repeat... until it reaches the color/consistency you want.

I did find a thread which talks about ways to make it (boil in the can, heat in a double boiler, etc)
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-582642-microwave.html+dulce

Caramel from Condensed Milk in 15 minutes:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-52808.html

HTH

Thanks JanH

You're very welcome, tatorchip.

Great info, thanks!

I've done this in the past and would do 3 or 4 cans at a time. I boiled it over 3 hours, setting my kitchen timer ever 45 mins or so to remind myself about the water level.

Do them ahead of time because you do want the can to cool completely before you open them.

I have stopped doing them, because I buy it ready made at Walmart now. It is $2.04 for a can of Nestle's Dulce de Leche, found on the spanish aisle of the store. I like that it is ready made, no boiling and having to watch the pot for three hours and no waiting for it to cool down.

Mmmmm dolce de leche! I've made it by boiling the can and it works but i also found some dolce de leche made by PC at my local Zehrs great foods..just as cheap as sw. condensed milk and just as yummy as the finished product i made at home.
When used as a filling you will find that if you put it directly on the cake it will soak into the cake in no time. I did a cake on Sat. ate it on Sun, and the dolce was almost completely soaked into the vanilla cake. Everyone raved about how good it was but i really wished it would've remained more separate like a true filling. Then I tried spreading it over buttercream first to prevent the soaking in and it was next to impossible to spread nicely.
I eat the stuff by the spoon. It's so good. That was one of my most complimented cakes for flavor and texture. Can't go wrong with dolce de leche in my book. ;0)

Texassugar....does that dulce de leche soak into the cake? I never even thought about that.

And will the caramel made from the sweetened condensed milk soak into the cake too?

I've posted a recipe for Microwave dulce de leche and it works like a charm every time, 15-20 min is all it takes!
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/14383/dulce-de-leche-ddl-quick-and-easy

Boiling tins of sw condensed milk can be really dangerous. The manufacturers strongly recommend you don't do it: stacks of hospitalisations when the cans exploded. Even if you're not nearby, an exploded can will cause $$$ of damage in your kitchen.

Misdawn it soaks in a little, but it isn't enough to bother me or those that eat my cakes. Chocolate with the deluc de leche is my most requested flavor I think.

Does anyone know if dulce de leche has to be refrigerated? I know that it is dairy but it is so high in sugar. I always refrigerate all of my cakes, but just wondering...also I think that if you wait until the caramel is room temp and you spread it on the cake it doesn't soak into the cake.