How to make caramel for Fruit cake/ Christmas Cake

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For making perfect caramel all you need is patience. So keep calm and start with Joy :D

 Ingredients:

  Sugar- 1 cup for 1/2 cup caramel
  Water as required

 Video of step by step pictures:





  Method:
  1. Take sugar in a heavy bottom wok. Switch on the stove and maintain a medium flame throughout the cooking process if you are doing this for the first time. Start on high when you are confident enough.

 2.Use a metal spoon and stir the sugar once in a while.

 3.The sugar will slowly start to melt and form crystals as you stir, don give up just stir slowly.

 4.More crystals will start to form, At this point stir the sugar only occasionally.

 5.Push crystals to the center where the melting process happens faster. This will avoid caramelization only at the center.

  6.Now almost all crystals will start to melt and the caramel will begin to get its crimson color. Keep stirring slowly  ,til all the crystals blend in with the molten caramel.  

  7. Just keep stirring and wait patiently for the crystals to melt.

  8. When all the crystals are melted finally, the real caramel stuff and its color will start to show off. At this point you can see small bubbles starting to appear.

  9. Now caramel will start to bubble up more. 

 10. When the bubbles raise up and you are content with the dark color, give one last quick stir, switch off the flame.

  11.Now sprinkle half hand full of water on the hot hot caramel. DO NOT POUR THE WATER, SPRINKLE IT.

  12. When you sprinkle water bubbles will puff up and calm down, The water sprinkling and stirring must be done iteratively until the caramel completely cools down and no more bubbles seem to appear. 

 13.As the caramel cools the vigorous formation of bubbles when you sprinkle water will slow down.

  14.As a test to check if you have sprinkled enough water and to avoid crystalization after the caramel coolms down, pour the caramel in a bowl of water (room temperature) and check if it forms into a crystal. If it forms into a solid you'll need to sprinkle some more water and stir it in,

  15. When done, caramel should be easily pourable, neither too thick nor too thin.

  16. You can store caramel for one or two days in room temperature.

  17.  The end result will be the perfect silky caramel ready to be used for your cake

  NOTE:

 1. Take care when to switch off the flame. 

  2. Don't pour water to cool down the caramel, sprinkle it, pouring water will form crystals in the hot mixture.

  3. Don't stir the sugar fast, do it slowly and let the sugar melt.

  4. Take care when you sprinkle water, the caramel will be very hot and will cause burns if it splashes on your skin.

Make your own caramel (Black jack) and enjoy with ice cream or use it for baking Christmas fruit cake.
With Love
-Jeni (^_^)

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