ThiCC (like chubby butt cheeks) Caramel Filling is something I’ve been looking for to fill in my caramel repertory.

Some purists say you must start with sugar and butter for caramel, but sometimes you need a consistent outcome for your time and effort. This gives that.

Use Nestle’s/Carnation brand Sweetened Condensed Milk and Lyle’s Golden Syrup.

ThiCC Caramel Filling

172g salted butter

112 g light brown sugar

112g golden syrup

750 g condensed milk, nestles

Low heat 5 minutes, until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. 

Whisk to medium high 

103 degrees Celsius degrees cool 4 hours, on counter

Pipe onto the cake layer where you want it, it doesn’t spread easily.

Caramel Sauce 

100g sugar

50g butter

70 g cream

big pinch of flakey sea salt

Put the sugar in a pot and caramelize it, only swirl near the end. Into the sugar add butter, melt. Add the heavy cream and salt.  

Pastry Cream 

110ml whole milk

60ml cream

3 tablespoons sugar

3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

30g butter

1.5 teaspoon vanilla

60g salted caramel sauce

Into a sauce pot add the cream and 3 T sugar, heat until slightly bubbly and the sugar is dissolved. Into a little bowl combine yolks, 1 T sugar and cornstarch, until smooth. Add some of the hot milk into the yolks. Add back to the cream. Mix together until smooth. Add into thickened cream, butter, vanilla and caramel sauce. Put through a fine mesh strainer. Chill. 

Glaze

Add powdered sugar, some vanilla and a pinch of salt into the remaining caramel sauce, some at a time until you reach the desired consistency, which is more powdered sugar than you might imagine. Spread on top of the eclairs, or pipe.

Frosting 

2 cups brown sugar² firmly packed (400g)

1 cup unsalted butter cut into pieces (226g)

¼ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup whole milk (80ml)

⅓ cup heavy cream (80ml)

2 cups powdered sugar (250g)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients

Caramel Syrup

1 1/2 cups (298g) granulated sugar

1/3 cup (74g) water

3/4 cup (170g) additional water

Cake

360g Flour

248g sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

170g unsalted butter, room temperature

227g sour cream

4 large eggs, at room temperature

160g caramel syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting

170g unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/8 to 1/4 cup (40g to 80g) caramel syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

454g confectioners' sugar

57g heavy cream

Instructions

To make the caramel syrup: In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar with 1/3 cup (74g) water. Cook over medium heat without stirring until the sugar melts, the water boils away, and the syrup and begins to turn color.

When the sugar is a medium amber color, remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in 3/4 cup (170g) water. The mixture will bubble and spurt, so be careful. Once all of the water is in the pan, return the pan to low heat and stir until the sugar melts and you have a smooth liquid. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9" cake pans, and line them with parchment.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and beat at low speed until the mixture looks sandy.

Combine the 1/2 cup (160g) caramel syrup, vanilla, and sour cream; add all at once to the flour mixture, and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl, beat for one minute more, and divide the batter between the prepared pans.

Bake the cakes for 25 to 27 minutes, until a light touch in the center springs back, and the cake just begins to pull from the sides of the pan. Remove them from the oven and cool them in their pans on a rack.

To make the frosting: Place the butter in a 2-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Melt over medium-low heat. Cook until the butter foams and begins to spurt; eventually the solids will begin to caramelize and the butter will begin to smell nutty. Once this happens, remove it from the heat and pour it into a mixing bowl. Let the butter cool to room temperature.

Add the caramel syrup, vanilla, and salt. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix; the mixture will get stiff and lumpy (that's OK).

Add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time while the mixer is running; the frosting will magically smooth out. When the frosting is a little stiffer than you want for a spreading consistency, scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl, and add one more tablespoon of cream. The icing should become smooth and quite spreadable.

To assemble: Flip the cooled cake layers out of their pans; trim the tops to be level, if necessary. Place one layer, top down, on a serving plate. Line the plate with strips of parchment or waxed paper to keep it clean while you frost the cake.

Spread 2/3 cup of frosting over the first layer. Place the second layer, top side down, over the filling. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

Pipe it where you want it to go as it doesn’t spread or move easily once in place.