{Cajeta Recipe} How to Make Goat Milk Caramel Sauce! (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between cajeta and caramel? ›

What is the difference between cajeta, caramel, and dulce de leche? The difference between cajeta and other caramel sauces such as caramel and dulce de leche is that cajeta is made out of goat's milk whereas most others are usually made out of cow's milk.

You will need to store the caramel sauce in the refrigerator, so it will firm up even more once chilled. Just bring it back to room temperature and microwave before drizzling or dipping!

Just like dulce de leche, cajeta is a thick, sweet confection made from boiled milk—goat's milk in the case of cajeta, and cow's milk in the case of dulce. And, just like its cousin, cajeta is almost universally described as "Mexican caramel." On the surface, that makes sense.

Add more sugar to the sauce.

Most caramel sauces are made by caramelizing sugar and adding milk and a little salt. If you increase the amount of sugar in the recipe you'll end up with a thicker caramel. Try increasing the sugar by about 1/3.

If your caramel is too runny, boil it longer. It should drop off a wooden spoon in clots when it is ready.

You may want to warm it up slightly before serving, as cajeta tends to get a bit grainy as it sits.

Though they are both pretty delicious, and pair well with plenty of desserts, there are some important distinctions between the two. Cajeta requires the use of two ingredients not found in caramel sauces — goat's milk and baking soda — as well as a different, cooler cooking temperature.

Cajeta is a beloved traditional Mexican sweet that deserves to be on more supermarket shelves across the entire United States. Essentially, it's a caramel sauce made from sweetened goat's milk that has been cooked down until thick, gooey, darkened, and delicious.

This is usually caused by sugar crystals stuck to the side of the pan that didn't get fully dissolved. It only takes one to set off a chain reaction, and before you know it you have crunchy caramel.

Add acid. Acid ingredients (like vinegar or lemon juice) can help prevent re-crystallization which causes caramel to become grainy. Acid physically breaks the bonds between the glucose and fructose molecules that form sucrose and ensure that it stays apart.

What thickens caramel? ›

To thicken a caramel sauce, use one tablespoon of cornstarch or tapioca starch (sometimes known as tapioca flour) and one tablespoon of water per cup of caramel. Then simmer the caramel, stirring it constantly with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick.

The baking soda neutralizes the milk's pH levels and makes cajeta smooth. It also assists with the Maillard reaction, the browning of amino acids with sugars to create caramel.

Once the sauce is properly canned, it will keep in a cool, dry place for about months. Once it's opened it should be refrigerated and will keep for up to a month.

If it's too thin, continue simmering; if it's too thick, stir in a little water. (The slower this final simmering goes, the darker the cajeta.) Strain into a storage container. Once cool, store tightly covered in the refrigerator for a month or more.

Here's how to make soft caramel harder: Put the caramel back in the pot, add 2-3 tablespoons of water, and remelt the caramel. Cook the caramel until it reaches the correct temperature, and pour it back into a foil-lined pan.

Tip: To thicken stovetop dulce de leche, make a slurry of 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 1/4 teaspoons milk. Bring it to a very slow boil over medium heat, whisk this slurry into the dulce de leche, and continue to boil slowly for five minutes before removing from heat and cooling.

Melt 200g of butter in the microwave (in a large microwavable bowl) for 2-3 minutes, then add the condensed milk and golden syrup. Whisk the mixture well until the butter is thoroughly incorporated. Heat for 6-7 minutes until it is boiling, stirring thoroughly every minute.