I tried cooking some scm tonight and now I have this thick sort or caramelly (is that a word) stuff. How can I use it on a cake and how do you store it until it is used? Do you put it between the layers of a cake or do you add it to something to make a frosting?

If your result was a thick luscious caramel, then Congratulations! You have created Dulce de Leche!

You can use it as a filling, or you can mix it with buttercream, or as a sauce for cake or ice cream.

Or you can just eat it off a spoon!

LOL - yes, you have successfully made Caramel.

As SugarFrosted said - Congratulations are in order.

Bluehue.

Is that all you put in the pot, just the can of milk you poured in? Trying to make caramel for apples so I was just wondering?

After it has cooled off, you add 1 cup soft butter and whip it. It is a very common filling for cakes in Eastern Europe. It works great with sponge cakes as well as nut cakes.

I just used it for a 50th anniversary cake. I put a thin layer of the carmel on the cake as a filling them added some to the BC and put that on top as the final filling. Everyone loved it. The rest I used as a dip for apples for my daughter, put some on toast and yes I did it some just with my spoon. Now that it is all gone, I can't wait to make more just for us.

I buy it ready made and use as is between my cake layers as a filling. Or as was said above... eat it off the spoon!

Thanks everyone those are good ideas!

Jannie, tha was all I did. Make sure you cook it on low and stir every so ofter with a heat proff rubber spatula. I ruined one batch by cooking on too high of a temp and leaving it too long. It burned and went all over my cook top! I don't think it would work for caramel apple covering only carmel apple dip.

Did anyone mention how long it could be stored before using it? Should it be refridgerated or not?

Magna, the butter whipped with it sounds good but sounds like it wouldn't be stiff enough. Would I have to worry about cake bludge?

1. o.k. I just tried a couple of things with it. I whipped 1 cube of salted butter (Magna's suggestion) and added the the homemade dulce de leche and whipped again. It actually tastes more like caramel now with the salted butter. I've put it in the fridge to see if it will stiffen up a little once the butter gets cold.

2. I also added some of the homemade dulce de leche to some vanilla butter cream. It made the bc a little grainy. The flavor was o.k. but I didn't like the grainy texture it made.

3. I also tried just the plain homemade dulce de leche as filling in a vanilla cupcake and frosted with vanilla bc. I don't think I care for the plain homemade dulce de leche with the cake. Without the butter it's too sticky and still tastes more like just thickened sweetened condensed milk not so much like caramel. (Thats just me).

So far for me, I liked the taste of the first experiment best.

Always fun to learn something new! Thanks again everyone!

I have to put a caramel filling in a cake next month for the first time, so I'm pleased I read this post, thanks!!

I just cook mine in the can! You have to remember to keep the water topped up, but other than that in it goes. I cook it on a slow boil for 3.5 - 4 hrs to get really firm yummy caramel for banoffee pie. Obviously if you want it a bit runnier then less time is needed. No mess!

Man you are making me hungry!! Now I have to go to the store and buy some!

At Walmart for a few more cents than the can of condensed milk you can get already made Dulce de Leche. I find it in the Ethinic aisle and it is made by Nestles.

I love the premade one, it is thick and yummy and no work for me. I just open the can and use. No cooking, no cooling.

I have never had a problem with bulging, but as I use it for cakes that I tort in many thin layers, so I use the caramel in very thin layers as well.

Magna, do you have a good recipe for the sponge cake and the nut cake that you use? Would you be willing to share?


Also, TexasSugar, do you find the Dulce de Leche made by Nestle tastes more like caramel or does it taste just like the homemade ddl, just really thick sweetened condensed milk? It doesn't taste caramelly enough (to me) until I whip it with the salted butter.

While it (both the premade and homemade versions) are like caramel, they won't have the exact same taste as caramel. If you truely love the caramel taste you may want to look into a caramel recipe that can be converted to a filling.

I love the taste of dulce de leche. It is very sweet, but has that caramalized flavor to me. Of course we all have different taste buds and like different things.

The can at my Walmart is $2.04. Might be worth buying and trying for youself.

I didn't see where anyone answered your question about how long it lasts, so I figured I'd pipe in here. As long as you keep it in the unopened can, you can keep it in your pantry practically for ever. Once opened, you will want to refrigerate it. I have kept it for a couple months in the fridge without it changing. Not sure how long it will actually last since I usually use it up pretty quickly. I made it once using on the of restaurant size cans, and used it as a filling for caramel apple tarts. That's the only reason I know it will last for a while in the fridge. I can't keep the little cans in stock! lol

[quote="stsapph"] As long as you keep it in the unopened can, you can keep it in your pantry practically for ever.

I used to find that was the case, but the Nestle brand I like to use doesn't keep that long any more once it's boiled (in Australia anyway.) If you leave it for more than a few weeks it gets large sugar crystals in it. It's so frustrating, I used to like to always have a couple of cans on hand, but now I have to cook to order. Not sure if they changed their recipe or if it has to do with the ring top pull can.

yeah, it probably has to do with the new top. I can see that causing an issue. With the other cans, nothing can get in there to mess with it. The pull top probably allows air to get in there that will cause the crystallization. Haven't had a need to make it in a while, I wonder if they've changed the cans here...

The pull top cans are not considered to be watertight.

FEMA recommends any that come into contact with contaminated waters (such as flood waters) must be discarded.

Wow Magna, those recipes sound really unique. I don't think I have ever made a cake like it. I can't wait to try! Thanks sooo much for sharring!