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

FAQs

Why is my cajeta not thickening? ›

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.

2. Too short of a cooling time: Caramel sauce thickens significantly as it cools, so let the caramel cool for the appropriate time to achieve the right thickness. If the sauce is still too thin after cooling completely, place it back on the stovetop and reheat it on low heat for a few additional minutes.

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.

Raw or low-temperature pasteurized goat's milk (often found in local markets) will coagulate toward the end of the cooking process, giving the cajeta a slightly grainy consistency, so save those delicately flavored milks for fresh applications.

If caramels are too soft, that means the temperature didn't get high enough. Again place the caramel back into a sauce pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and heat to 244°F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can test with a cold water test.

The sauce will thicken as it continues to cook and some of the moisture evaporates. Add Cream or Butter: You can thicken caramel sauce by adding a small amount of heavy cream or butter while it's still warm. This will not only thicken it but also add richness.

Literally just add a tablespoon or two of corn syrup to your new pot of dissolved caramel liquid, cook it up to the consistency you want, and you probably won't get crystals again. You can use any inverted sugar syrup in place of corn syrup though.

For best results, simmer; if it starts to boil, simply lower the temperature, stirring every few minutes, and it should be fine. 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.

Cajeta is a thick, sweet caramel spread made from caramelized sugar and goat's milk. Cajeta is available at well-stocked grocery stores and at Mexican markets. If unable to locate cajeta, substitute 3/4 cup dulce de leche spread from a 13.4-oz can.

Why is cajeta called cajeta? ›

Cajeta's Origin Story

Hailing from Celaya, Mexico, in the present day state of Guanajuato, cajeta is named after the small wooden boxes (cajetas) it was originally sold in.

Homemade Cajeta

Keep it at a steady medium simmer for about one hour and a half, stirring occasionally, every 15 to 20 minutes or so, with a wooden spatula or spoon. The mix will gradually thicken and darken. After about an hour and a half, the liquid will have thickened and reduced and the simmer will become stronger.

Graininess occurs when the sugar in caramel sauce hasn't completely dissolved before adding in butter and heavy cream or if the caramel is cooled too quickly. Luckily, you can bring grainy caramel sauce back to a smooth, creamy consistency with an easy fix. Simply reheat it on the stovetop and add more liquid.

To help prevent the caramel from crystallizing, you can add an acid to the sugar before you begin: add about half a tablespoon of lemon juice to each cup of sugar and mix it with your hands; it should be the consistency of wet sand. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat until it melts.

Note that the thickness and darkness of the dulce de leche will depend on how long you cook. Cooking time of the sweetened condensed milk can should be from 2.5 to 4 hours, ALWAYS making sure it's covered in water, and always making sure the can is completely cooled down before moving it and opening.

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.