Can anyone help me with a carmel or tres leche cake filling receipe? I have tried over the counter tres leche syrup but it's to running and when I fill the cake and place the 2nd layer on top to start to coat the cake it starts to run. Can anyone help me with a receipe that does not run. Or if you have a receipe that I can make myself I would really appreciate. I have a baby shower cake to do and the lady wants this type of filling.

Tres leches cakes are not filled. The reason the "syrup" you are purchasing runs is that that is what it is designed to do. You are supposed to soak the cake in it. It is not a filling. Tres Leches Cake is a sponge cake soaked in a blend of 3 milks (evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and half-n-half or cream) and then iced in whipped cream. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastel_de_tres_leches

Here is a link to a recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/tres-leche-cake-recipe/index.html

Also, Tres Leches Cake and Dulce de Leche are NOT the same thing. Dulce de Leche is Spanish for "milk caramel" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulce_de_leche

You can purchase Dulce de Leche in glass jars in the icecream topping section of the grocery store, or make your own by boiling a can (unopened) of sweetened condensed milk for 4 hours.

Three cans of sweetened condensed milk in the double boiler. Stir occasionally. Refill the bottom pan with hot water occasionally. Reduce the sweetened condensed milk to a dark, thick consistency. Mine took about 3 hours. It takes a long time. It's really sticky, and really messy, but you can cook it down to the consistency that you want.

If you want to make caramel here is the recipe I use:

http://cakecentral.com/recipes/6851/thick-caramel-sauce-or-filling

Good luck!

Jodie

Thank you for your help.

prterrell - I did not know that "Tres Leches Cake and Dulce de Leche are NOT the same". This is a great tip.

going to give all these tips a try this coming weekend. Need to play around with my cakes to make sure I can do the baby shower cake for this lady.

I just put this in another post about caramel filling so I am going to say the same thing in this one.

With much hesitation I tried JodieF's caramel recipe two weeks ago for my grandson's birthday cake. Just let me say THIS WAS THE BEST CARAMEL FILLING I HAVE EVER TASTED!

It is excellent and everyone loved, loved, loved it (the cake was chocolate). DH and I had a hard time keeping our fingers out of the bowl while it was in the fridge - I had to threaten DH that if I saw any spoon marks in the bowl he was a dead man.

I stored the filling in the refrigerator until I was ready to use it and then I heated it in the microwave until it was a useable consistency. I was so worried that it would not set up thick enough when cold - no fear - when I took it out of the frig I could hold the bowl upside down and nothing came out.

My biggest concern and worry was that when I used it to fill the cake that it was going to run or leak out between the torted layers. No problem with this fillng. I used the BC dam of course because it was very soft after nuking it but it cooled quickly and there never was a problem. When it was cut the filling stayed in place just like a buttercream with no oozing or anything.

If you are looking for a fantastic filling be sure and try Jodie's. Thanks again Jodie for sharing such a great recipe!

I buy Dulce de Leche at Walmart in the spanish aisle. Nestle's makes it in a can, ready to use. It is a thick caramel like substance.

Hmmm. I've never seen a caramel colored Tres Leches.

I understood the OP to be talking about a Tres Leches syrup that she purchased and the Dulce de Leche caramel sauce being the same thing. I guess the Tres Leches syrup (or milk mixture) is just pre-mixed for that type of cake, but not intended to be used for a filling, unless you cook it down or mix with some powdered sugar. I say try Jodi's recipe or boiling the sweetened condensed milk for the results you want. That boiled condensed milk will give you what you are looking for as a filling. It's not always pretty as an icing, but it is delicious.