Caramel Frosting V

Followed advice from others and let it cool overnight. My KitchenAide whined when working the cold caramel until I used the reserved 2-3 Tablespoons of whipping cream and about a cup of powder sugar. It slumped some after putting on the cake but it’s taste that matters (it’s super humid and raining today). Did a double batch for a cake.

This was basically impossible and I make frostings from scratch almost weekly. The taste is great but for use in specialty cakes this one is not a good fit.

I followed this recipe to the ‘T’ and it Andes up to be a sugary mess. Any suggestions?

WOW! This frosting was absolutely incredible! I live at altitude (5280ft) and made this as is with no issues. I want to reiterate two comments that are over and over again in the reviews and are CRITICAL when making this. First, use a pot that is way too big for what you think. This will overflow in a pan that’s the size you would expect. Just trust me or hear me saying ‘toldja’ as your scraping caramel off your stovetop. Second, the instructions are a little vague but you must let it cool to COLD before beating it to frosting consistency. This isn’t a ‘let it sit out for room temp’ type of thing. It actually needs to be on the other side of cold in order to be able to be whipped to frosting consistency. Also, you’ll need to use your hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat it after it’s cold. Just keep on whipping until firm peaks form. If you don’t let it become firm, it will slide off your cake. A little time consuming but out of this world. I put it on my Mom’s famous chocolate cake recipe and it didn’t last the night.

More of an icing than a frosting, but tastes amazing. I made it as directed, and after letting chill for a couple hours it fluffed up but didn’t really hold its shape. I think to frost a cake or something I’d need to add some powdered sugar. I used this over cinnamon rolls, so a thin icing was fine, and tasted delicious.

The instructions and lack of tips are the reason I marked it down. This is a very nice frosting but time consuming so make sure you have a couple of hours to spare. My first effort completely curdled and I was about to throw it out but googled how to save buttercream (even though it’s technically not a buttercream). It just needed warming slightly (the butter must have been too cold still after coming out to the fridge) and lots more beating (with the paddle beater). That saved it and it eventually worked out pretty well! However on the second round of making it, I decided I really wanted a proper buttercream for a celebration cake so I only went as far as refrigerating the mix then used the cold caramel in a swiss buttercream which was nicer in the end. It did add another hour to the prep time but worth it.

The recipe is pretty accurate. As others have noted, you must make sure the mixture has completely cooled. I typically make the mixture the night before then add confectioner’s sugar and additional cream as I whip the frosting to the desired density. I also add a 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and sea salt during the mixing phase because my family loves the salty sweet combo.

I followed the recipe exactly and let it cool in the refrigerator, but when I whipped the frosting it remained caramel, not the consistency of frosting. Tasted delicious though.

This is a great alternative to the traditional way to make caramel frosting. In the past I’ve had to watch condensed milk simmer for 2 hours to get great frosting. This is my first try at this. I refrigerated it for about 2 hours after letting it cool in the counter for 30 minutes, and I did add powdered sugar with a pinch of salt (to cut down on sweetness) due to lack of time. However, I will make it again using my stand mixer. It has really great flavor!

Before starting this recipe I poured the reviews for tips for success. In hot humid Houston, I knew boiling sugar would have challenges. I had moderate success, and think this is salvable in the future…My tips: Use a bigger pot then needed! It will boil up!Do not stir as you are waiting for it to boil Rolling boil means it is all boiling, not just around the edges. Patience. I put it in the fridge overnight covered based on other suggestions to make sure it was cold. When I took it from the fridge, it had a thick (1/2 in) hard “skin” on top. I was terrified all had gone wrong. However, – Beating it in the kitchenaid w/ the paddle really did get rid of all of that hard skin. Unlike some other reviewers, I found that I had peak “stiffness” after about 3 minutes of beating, although I don’t think it would have been pipe-able at that point. After 6-7 min, I realized it was just getting looser and looser, so added ~ 4 c powder sugar. I used the whisk attachment to incorporate that sugar and found that as I whisked more, it would get looser so I stopped and attempted to pipe it on the cupcakes. Moderate success, had to go in fridge to set the icing. It was ridiculously sweet (w/the add’l sugar), flake salt on top was definitely needed. Next time, I’ll refridgerate icing after beating and then pipe (no powdered). As is, this would probably cover 16 cupcakes.

This was incredible!! I added extra heavy cream because it was difficult to mix but very worth it!!

This is a very good recipe. I did take Teresa’s advice, though and add powdered sugar to the frosting as I was beating it. I forgot to take out the 2-3 tbsp of cream before cooking it so, I just added some (2 tbsp). And it took about 1 cup of powdered sugar to get the consistency I wanted. It turned out fantastic. The glaze consistency (with no powdered sugar) would be great to drizzle over cinnamon rolls or something like that, though. Thank you Carol for a great recipe and thank you Teresa for the suggestions.

I followed some tips from other reviewers (adding tbs of heavy whipping cream and tbs of confectioners sugar, alternatively until it reached my desired consistency) and it turned out great! However, it was a little too sweet for me, but I know most people like sweet frosting. I’m going to try to cut back on the brown sugar and increase heavy whipping cream next time and see if that works.

I love this recipe!! The flavor was phenomenal. I took the suggestions of other reviews and allowed my frosting to cool off in the freezer(45 mins to an hour). Once it cooled I mixed it with my mixer and it was ready to be spread on my cake. Awesome recipe and award winning taste.

Absolutely amazing!!! And if you cool it completely, it whips up to the most wonderful consistency – light and not too sweet. If you’re looking for a heavy frosting, like a butter cream, this is not it. It probably fits somewhere between whipped cream and butter cream on the consistency scale. Also, the color is simply beautiful. I put mine in the refrigerator after it was done to help in the cooling process. It forms a bit of skin on top, and that’s when you know it’s safe to beat it. I beat it for about a minute and a half on medium speed with an electric mixer. FANTASTIC!

I have made this recipe a few times and I have to say – don’t mess with it!! When you make it exactly as directed, it is perfect. It seems liquidy and weird when you cook it, but once you let it cool and whip it up, it turns fully and delicious. Amazing caramel flavor, smooth texture, a total winner. Swapping in powdered sugar makes it runny and a little too sweet, half and half will make a sauce that is fabulous on ice cream, but otherwise useless.

This recipe is amazing but you MUST let it cool completely. It is not difficult to make it just take patience. Powdered sugar should not be necessary if you just let it cool. I do agree however that if left at room temperature it does not keep its fluffy consistency but it still tastes wonderful…just a little gooey. I think it would be better for cake frosting than cupcakes unless you keep them refrigerated.

Winning dessert due to this recipe! You definitely have to wait for the frosting to cool…like a couple of hours in order for it to come to a great consistency to work with. The flavor is like a piece of caramel candy nice and buttery. I have tried two other recipes this taste is definitely different and stands out from the rest.

Followed the suggestions in the reviews and it turned out fabulously!! Withouth following the suggestions, you get a caramel sauce or glaze. Still delicious!

Holly cow, this is the BEST frosting I’ve ever had in my life. 10 times better than the local cupcake shop’s caramel frosting. I only gave it 4 stars though because the instructions seem to be a bit off. As with many of the other reviewers, I put mine in the fridge overnight and then whipped it up in the morning in my KitchenAid mixer. I also had to add some powdered sugar to stabilize it. Not sure how much I added – spoonfuls until it didn’t ooze so much. But the powdered sugar didn’t really change the taste much, so it was still AMAZING. Entirely worth the time and effort. If the instructions accounted for the powdered sugar and the time it takes to cool, this would be 5 stars. 10 stars if I could give that many!! My new fav!

LOVED this recipe! I followed the recipe additions below by Theresa and it was PERFECT! My only suggestion is to use a heavy duty mixer. Maybe it was my fridge that cooled the frosting too much but when I went to mix it with my hand held mixer it showed to be too thick for it. I had to mix it up a bit with a wooden spoon and let it warm up a bit before I could attempt to mix it again. Unfortunately, I did not have access to a KitchenAid mixer because that would have been perfect for it!