I posted this wonderful sauce last year when I first started this blog.
The sauce is over the top amazing, but the photos never really captured how wonderful it really is. I didn’t know much about food photography back then (still learning :) and my photos clearly illustrate that. I also posted an equally amazing Spiced Applesauce Cake to pour the sauce over that was also not an example of amazing food photography…(sigh)…but you should try them both because they are both so easy and so delicious. (Update…here’s the new photography of the delicious Spiced Applesauce Cake!)
But for today, we’re just talking about the sauce..10 Minute Buttermilk Caramel Sauce Round 2. I just had to update this with new photos. I make it all of the time and I really want you to try it; I think the updated photos may convince you…
I decided to try to capture some step by step photos for you to help you get a sense of how this sauce turns a few basic ingredients from a white frothy bubbly pot of stuff to a deep amber, glossy, buttery caramel sauce. I hope the photos will be helpful. I wanted to capture how the color changes as it cooks. Color is pretty much what you’re going to be looking for with this sauce.
If you check in on my old post, you can read all about how wonderful and easy this sauce is to make. This is not a traditional caramel sauce that requires a candy thermometer and strict rules on not disturbing the mixture while it’s cooking. This is a quick, throw a few things in a pot and stir occasionally. It’s perfect when you’re short on time and you just want something ready now.
Use a large pot. I decided to be a rebel this time and use my large sauce pan, but I should have done what I usually do and used my large pot, the one I use to boil pasta. You’ll see that my mixture is dangerously close to the top of the pot and it’s just easier if you don’t have to worry about overflowing. Just put all of the ingredients into the pot, except for the vanilla.
Stir to combine then bring the mixture to a boil. The butter may still be melting during this time. Just stir occasionally until the butter is completely melted and combined, then turn down the heat but keep it bubbling. The shots show the changes in the mixture over the course of 7-9 minutes. I no longer watch the clock on this, though. I just check the color and stop when I get to a nice deep amber color. You can actually stop sooner if you like a lighter, more golden caramel sauce. You just want the sugar to caramelize to some degree so that you get that wonderful flavor. The time will depend on the pot you use and how high a heat setting you’re using. I just keep the heat high enough to keep the pot bubbling.
You’ll know you’re nearing the end when the foam begins to subside. And when you’re done…just minutes after you started…you’ll quickly stir in the vanilla then marvel at the luscious, buttery, creamy caramel sauce that you’ve just made.
You’ll want to use this sauce hot or warm. When it cools, the sugar can sometimes crystallize which is easily remedied by reheating in the microwave or on the stove top with a bit of milk, stirring until the sugar crystals melt again. This sauce is great for everything from pancakes to ice cream or fruit and over many kinds of desserts. It really truly makes anything you top it with 100 times more delicious.
You’re definitely going to want to make this sauce, because you’re absolutely, positively going to want to ladle some on top of the sweet treat I’ll be posting later this week :)
10 Minute Buttermilk Caramel Sauce Round 2
Ingredients
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ cup 1 stick salted butter (use only real butter, no substitutions)
- 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients EXCEPT vanilla in a pot large enough to handle some aggressive bubbling up. You don't want it overflowing out of the pan. (The size will depend upon how much sauce you are making. I use a pasta pot for the full recipe and a tall but smaller sauce pan if I halve the recipe.)
- Bring ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat to low but keeping the heat high enough to maintain some bubbling.
- Cook, stirring every so often for 7-9 minutes. Don’t walk away from the pan or you might risk a pan of burnt sugar. The sauce will become foamy. You’ll see streaks of deeper colors beneath the foam as you continue to cook. Each time you stir it, you’ll see more and more of a lovely amber color. As you near the end of the 7-9 minutes, the foam will subside a bit and underneath will be a gorgeous caramel colored syrup.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Use immediately or allow to cool slightly for a thicker sauce. Any residual foam should completely disappear after stirring.
Notes
*Be careful with the hot caramel sauce. Hot sugary candy burns can be awful. As you would with any hot liquid, make sure you don't pour a super hot sauce into a non heat proof container that might crack. I used a mason jar to be safe.
*If you want to halve the recipe, use ¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons buttermilk, ¾ cup sugar, ½ stick of butter, 1 Tablespoon corn syrup, ½ teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of vanilla
*To store: Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will thicken considerably as it cools.. It may get grainy after storing; I just add a splash of buttermilk (or regular milk), stir it up and reheat in the microwave until the sugar crystals melt again.
Recipe from Our Best Bites
The Merchant Baker Copyright © 2015
Nancy
Friday 17th of March 2017
I absolutely love anything and everything caramel !!! This sauce is to die for .. I didn't have corn syrup so I just left it out. I let my caramel get quite dark.. just the way I like it . Thank you for this recipe .. so easy and sooo delish! I am planning on making a cheesecake this week to smother this liquid heaven all over! yummy!! ????
Ramona
Saturday 18th of March 2017
Nancy, I love hearing comments like this! You'll see how much I, too, love it over cheesecake in this post Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake Cake. No worries about the corn syrup. It's there to help prevent crystallization, but that can happen anyway. Because it can happen, I would smother each slice of cheesecake as you serve it instead of pouring it over all and then storing the cheesecake. That way, if it crystallizes during refrigeration, you'll be able to "bring it back" by adding a splash of milk and heating it back up before serving. In other words, I always use this syrup as a topping for individual servings as opposed to pouring over a whole cake. If it gets grainy on top of a cake, you can't bring it back :( This buttermilk caramel sauce is so easy, it's my go to for so many things. However, if you're looking for a more stable caramel sauce, you can use the one I make in this recipe Seaport Salty Swirl Ice Cream.
Michelle
Tuesday 13th of December 2016
How long can this be stored for? Could you can this?
Ramona
Tuesday 13th of December 2016
I usually store it in the refrigerator for just a week or two. I'm not a canning expert, so I don't have that experience or knowledge to pull from. My understanding though, is that caramel sauce is not recommended for home canning.
Seanna caison
Wednesday 16th of November 2016
I just made this caramel, it is so delicious!!! Making caramel was never on my bucket list, but I am so glad I did this, and I plan to use this recipe many more times in the future. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Ramona
Wednesday 16th of November 2016
Seanna, welcome to the fan club of this caramel sauce! It's almost too easy to make and the taste is just too good to pass up! So happy you're enjoying it :)
Annie
Thursday 28th of April 2016
Hi, thanks for the recipe ? I only use organic and non gmo, so wondering if there's anything I can replace the corn syrup with?
Ramona
Thursday 28th of April 2016
Hi Annie! There are alternatives that are organic and non-gmo...click this link for one of them. The function of the corn syrup is to help prevent crystallization. You can also try omitting it and instead add a dash of lemon juice or cream of tartar which will also function to prevent crystallization. Finally, you could make your own cane syrup, there are many recipes out there if you google it. Here's a link to one. I personally would either buy the organic corn syrup or go with the lemon juice or cream of tartar. The fact is that this syrup often crystallizes once you store it in the refrigerator and I'm always heating it up to get loosen it up and re-dissolve the crystals anyway. It's a delicious sauce, so I hope you try it. Come back and let me know how it works out for you!
Tasbih @ Cleobuttera
Thursday 2nd of July 2015
Mmmmm...these pictures are making me drool! And now you've convinced me to make it! Mission accomplished. So pinned!
Ramona
Thursday 2nd of July 2015
It's the perfect answer when you want a quick caramel sauce...so buttery and delish!