Veena Azmanov

Cake Artist and Food Enthusiast

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Creamy Caramel Filling for Cakes Tarts Desserts

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Creamy Caramel Filling for Cakes Tarts Desserts

This creamy caramel filling is luxury on its own with a melt in the mouth velvet texture. This simple, easy and effortless recipe takes no more than 15 minutes to make and will have you using it as cake fillings, tart fillings, macarons, cookies or cupcakes. Made with condensed milk and golden syrup this is absolute heaven.

Pinterest Optimized Image for Caramel filing. This creamy caramel recipe can be used as a cake filing, caramel tart filling as well in desserts

Creamy Caramel Filling for Cakes, Tarts, and Desserts, caramel pie filling for cakes, how to make a caramel filling

How has winter been treating you so far?

We’ve had some nice sunny days this last week which gave us the opportunity to go on a few day trips with the kids. Well, at least we are all feeling better now, no cold, no flue. Winter can be hard on the kids but honestly? I’m the worst in our house. There isn’t a winter where I do not fall sick.  Last year I was down with severe flu and the cough lasted a good two months. This year was three weeks but because I compare it to last year I still feel lucky. ha!!

Well, I have a caramel sauce recipe already on the blog for you. In fact, my caramel sauce is really delicious and one that gets licked off the bowl to the very end. Which is why it’s so popular on this blog. And yet I’m giving you a recipe for this filing,  you must be wondering what I mean by filling and why is it different from the sauce. Right? Hang on… I’ll tell you more.

If you love caramel then you will love this better than any other caramel you have ever eaten. This one is really creamy and melts in the mouth.  It does not have the sharp burnt sugar taste or flavor.

I recently used it to make my Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart and had everyone rave so much about it.  I will be sharing that recipe with you soon. So stay tuned. The center of this has the luscious caramel inside.

Caramel Sauce is the simplest treat you can use to take a simple dessert and add that extra wow. Making Homemade Caramel Sauce is easier than most people think! It takes about 5 minutes to make one cup caramel with just a sauce pan and wooden spoon. I’ll show you how in the video below

Caramel filling for cakes, thick caramel filling, caramel filling, caramel recipe,

 

My Caramel Sauce vs Filling

Now I don’t want to confuse you – ideally, you can use the caramel sauce as a filling too but it’s too dense and sweet – this caramel sauce is also sweet but much more creamy. That caramel sauce uses a fair amount of fresh cream but this one uses quite a bit of condensed milk so the end result is a more creamy melt in the mouthfeel.

  • I would use my caramel sauce when I want to drizzle on cakes, ice creams or desserts. It’s more potent. but
  • When I need a filling in my cake orders I use this recipe. So if you order a cake with caramel filling in it? – this is the filling you will get inside the cake.
  • If I made a tart that has caramel? Well, most often I would use this as a caramel filling.
  • The caramel sauce recipe, I use almost all the time a sauce to drizzle on things, not as a filling. But If I need to make a caramel buttercream I would use my caramel sauce because it’s thicker and more intense in flavor

So while they can both be used interchangeably each is unique and wonderful on its own.

Homemade Caramel Sauce can be made in less than 5 minutes and can be drizzled over many desserts and sweet treats.

Homemade Caramel Sauce in 5 minutes, Caramel Sauce, Quick caramel sauce

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin for later)

  • Golden Syrup – This gives this caramel that beautiful golden color but it is also an invert sugar which means it helps prevent crystallization.
  • Brown Sugar – You can use white sugar but I prefer the brown to get a darker caramel color.
  • Butter – everything tastes better with butter could not be more right with this recipe. Add a nice richness to the caramel.
  • Sweetened Condensed milk – This is a great way to add a lot of cream without spending too much time stirring the mixture for hours. Makes the caramel creamy. You can make condensed milk at home in 5 minutes. 
  • Vanilla – You can add a different flavor to your caramel but I usually prefer to add vanilla first as a base then explore other options.
An over flowing mason jar of caramel ready to be used as caramel cake filling or caramel tart filling or over your favorite dessert.

Creamy Caramel Filling for Cakes, Tarts, and Desserts, Caramel Recipe, caramel pie filling recipe

Recipe – Creamy Caramel Filing for Cakes, Tarts, and Desserts (Save/Pin for later)

Tools

A top view of the caramel recipe that can be used as a cake filling or tart filling as well as over desserts

Creamy Caramel Filling for Cakes, Tarts, and Desserts, Caramel Recipe, thick caramel Pie filling,

Ingredients

  • Light Brown Sugar – 100 grams (1/2 cup)
  • Golden Syrup – 60 ml (1/4 cup)
  • Butter – 60 grams (1/2 stick)
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk – 1 can (394 grams  or 13.9 oz)
  • Vanilla – 2 Tsp

Method

  • Place brown sugar, golden syrup, and butter in a heavy based saucepan.
Progress Picture 1 - featuring the first few ingredients in a sauce pan for this caramel filling for cakes, tarts and deserts.

Creamy Caramel Filling for Cakes, Tarts, and Desserts, Caramel Recipe, thick caramel Pie filling,

  • Let come to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and cook until the butter and sugar are melted.
  • Continue to cook until the mixture becomes darker in color.
Progress Pictures 2 - The melted caramel filling with butter brown sugar and golden syrup - ready for the next ingredients

Creamy Caramel  for Cakes, Tarts, and Desserts, Caramel Recipe, thick caramel Pie filling, salted caramel cake filling

  • Add the condensed milk and let come to a boil on low heat again.
Progress Pictures 3 - A sauce pan with the caramel filling and condensed milk. Ready for the next stage

Creamy Caramel Filling for Cakes, Tarts, and Desserts, Caramel Recipe, thick caramel Pie filling, salted caramel cake filling

  • Cook on low for about 5 minutes stirring constantly.
  • The mixture will get thicker.
  • Add vanilla – stir to combine.
Progress Picture 4 The finished creamy caramel - golden in color and cooling in a sauce pan ready to be used as a cake Filling or Tart Filling or over desserts

Creamy Caramel Filling for Cakes, Tarts, and Desserts, Caramel Recipe, thick caramel Pie filling, salted caramel cake filling

  • Set aside to cool slightly before you pour into a mason jar or fill a tart…
  • Enjoy!

Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.

A Pinterest Optimized image for homemade creamy caramel filling that can be used as a filling in cakes, tarts and desserts.

Creamy Caramel Filling for Cakes, Tarts, and Desserts, Caramel Recipe, thick caramel Pie filling, salted caramel cake filling

This creamy caramel filling is luxury on it's own with a melt in the mouth velvet texture. This simple, easy and effortless recipe takes no more than 15 minutes to make and will have you using it as cake fillings, tart fillings, macarons, cookies or cupcakes. Made with condensed milk and golden syrup this is absolute heaven

Creamy Caramel Filing for Cakes Tarts and Desserts

This creamy caramel filling is luxury on its own with a melt in the mouth velvet texture. This simple, easy and effortless recipe takes no more than 15 minutes to make and will have you using it as cake fillings, tart fillings, macarons, cookies or cupcakes. Made with condensed milk and golden syrup this is absolute heaven.
4.62 from 26 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Keyword: caramel, filling, homemade, Pie, sauce
Adjust Servings Here: 2 Cups
Calories: 386kcal
Author: Veena Azmanov
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

Metric - US customary

Instructions

  • Place brown sugar, golden syrup, and butter in a heavy based saucepan.
  • Let come to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and cook until the butter and sugar are melted.
  • Continue to cook until the mixture becomes darker in color.
  • Add the condensed milk and let come to a boil on low heat again.
  • Cook on low for about 5 minutes stirring constantly.
  • The mixture will get thicker.
  • Add vanilla - stir to combine.
  • Set aside to cool slightly before you pour into a mason jar or fill a tart.
  • Enjoy!

Chef's Tips

Storage

  • All food containing milk products need to be kept in the fridge. 
  • This filling will stay well in the fridge for a week. 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 106grams | Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 5.4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 0% | Vitamin C: 0% | Calcium: 0% | Iron: 0%
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Tried this recipe?Mention @veenaazmanov or tag #veenaazmanov!

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Comments

  2. Veena, I apologize for posting a second comment/question. This recipe calls for a can of “Condensed Milk”. Is this what we call “Evaporated Milk” in the U.S. (milk that’s had much of its water content cooked out), or “Sweetened Condensed Milk” – milk that’s been cooked down AND has had a substantial amount of sugar added to it? They’re not interchangeable, so I want to make sure to use the correct ingredient!

    Reply

    • Hey TwirlyGirly. This is sweetened condensed milk not evaporated milk. I know the difference – I am from the US and we have the same here. The sugar and milk are cooked down but not for too long just until the sugar is melted and you have a nice color. The recipe is correct and yes there is lots of sugar both in the CM and BS but this is caramel which is supposed to be high in sugar.

      Reply

      • Veena,

        I appreciate you responding to both questions I posted. In the past, when I’ve asked questions on cooking blogs pertaining to recipes that are several months old, I rarely get answers. (Obviously, *you* keep up with reader’s comments/questions). Thank you for taking the time to reply!

        I notice you amended the recipe to include the word “sweetened” as clarification. I think what made me question the “condensed” vs “evaporated” milk was the inclusion of golden syrup in the recipe; that’s not an ingredient commonly seen in recipes in the U.S. (I have a bottle of Lyle’s in my pantry!) and it’s what made me think “Maybe she’s not in the U.S., and in a country that calls evaporated milk condensed milk…better check before pulling out a saucepan!”

        Thanks again,

        TwirlyGirly

        Reply

        • Thank you TwirlyGirly. Yes, I try to reply as soon as I can because often people want to try the recipe. Today I was working on the blog so could answer instantly.
          yes, I did make changes to make sure people know it’s condensed milk. I often use my readers prompts and question to write my posts.
          I completely understand. The purpose of the golden syrup in this recipe is to prevent crystallization when the caramel cools.
          You can also use corn syrup or honey but I find golden does the trick of adding a nice color to this one too.
          Thanks

          Reply

  3. Veena, I stumbled across this recipe when searching (unsuccessfully) for a butterscotch cake filling that isn’t a pudding, uses butterscotch pudding mix, or those (awful!) butterscotch chips. In desperation I thought maybe if I found a good caramel cake filling I could adapt it to butterscotch by switching out the granulated white sugar for brown sugar. But….YOUR recipe, which you call “caramel”, *does* use brown sugar, so isn’t it technically a butterscotch filling as opposed to butterscotch? If not, can you explain the difference to me and perhaps point me to a butterscotch cake filling recipe you like?

    Reply

    • Yes, TwirlyGirly. I used brown sugar in this to get a good caramel color. The condensed milk doesn’t cook down enough to get a deep caramel color. So yes, if you use white sugar you can make this the pale caramel filling. Personally, I use dark brown sugar in this same recipe for my butterscotch sauce. That gives me a deeper butterscotch color as well as the flavor of rich molasses which is perfect for butterscotch. I hope I answered your question. Thanks

      Reply

  4. Hi!
    I want to add this to thin Chocolate tart cups for an upcoming retirement party. I need to make it 4 days in advance. It cant be warm or it will melt the Chocolate. Any suggestions on when to add this to the tarts shells?

    Reply

  5. OMG, you weren’t kidding when you say creamy. I was supposed to add this to the tart. Think I need to make more. We ate it all by the spoon. It is so delicious. Ok from now on… I’m doubling any recipe from your site.
    Last month I made your butterscotch and had the same problem, so delicious we had to make more.

    Reply

    • Ha… Dina. yes, it is amazing, isn’t it? So happy you had success with this recipe and that you enjoyed it so much. Thank you for coming back to write this feedback. Appreciate it very much. I love hearing from those who try my recipes.

      Reply

  6. This looks absolutely delicious, I’m going to use it to fill my daughter’s birthday cake. I was wondering if you stir the ingredients when they are being brought to the boil? Some recipes I have read say not to stir at the beginning. Thank you!

    Reply

      • Thank you. We’ll I had a go at making it but went wrong somewhere as it seems a little grainy and dull not the nice colour yours is and definitely not smooth plus it is extremely thick. Any suggestions how I could save it, plus I didn’t add enough salt! Could I add some double cream and reheat it maulybe? Thanks

        Reply

        • Yes, Michelle. If you heat it again on very low with a little double cream and bring it back to the consistency it should help. I sprinkle salt on the top as well. So you can always add salt anytime. Sometimes, it takes time to figure when is the right color… but don’t worry the next batch will be easier.

          Reply

  9. Very delicious and easy to make! The initial taste reminded me of Werther’s Original candies. I added 1.5 teaspoons of Maldon Sea Salt, which I would highly recommend!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Jennifer. So happy you enjoyed this filling. yes, I often add it to make a salted caramel tart and the salt does make a huge difference. Thank you for coming back to write this feedback. Love hearing from those who try my recipes. Have a great day.

      Reply

  11. Should I use light brown sugar or dark? Also, if I wanted to make it a salted caramel filling, should I add course sea salt or something else? Thoughts on amount? Thank you! Stirring up a batch now! 🙂

    Reply

  17. This looks awesome! Can you keep this at room temp as a filling underneath a ganache and fondant covered cake or when added to a buttercream? Thanks so very much!

    Reply

  18. Just finished making this and keen to see what the consistency is liked once it’s chilled. If you wanted to make it runnier is it as simple as increasing the butter? Or is there something else to watch out for? Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    • Hey Paul, if you know the consistency you want then stop cooking it a bit earlier.
      After it cools and you still need it a bit more runny. I add a few tablespoons of hot milk and give it a good stir until it’s all incorporated.
      Sometimes you may need to place in the microwave for 10 seconds to get it to blend and incorporate.
      Do it slowly though, overheating can leave to an oily mess.
      Hope this helps.

      Reply

  19. Made the caramel filling and is wonderful but did I misread on the butter amount? 1/4 stick for me was only 30 g. I did 1/2 stick for 60 g.

    Reply

    • Yes, Lisa, you can, of course, use it as a filling in cakes and pies. Any cake vanilla or chocolate goes well with caramel. I have a few recipes on my blog that might like to check under cake recipe.

      Reply

  21. Hello Veena,
    am a regular fan and started baking since i saw your posts. Please when you say 1 can of condense milk what quantity is that because different countries have different cans, please can you give me the measurement in cups? Thank you and remain Bless

    Reply

    • That is a good point ada. I will make sure I correct that soon. My can of condensed milk I get is 394 grams which I believe is about 13.9 oz. I hope that helps.

      Reply

  22. Is this sauce less runny as it cools? I want to use it as filling for cookies but I don’t want it to be too runny

    Reply

  25. Loved making this – was so easy and it tasted so delicious. My kids ate it with a spoon as dessert. Definitely going to make more. Thanks for sharing

    Reply

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