This week’s GBBO episode centred around the sweet luscious treat of caramel, a first for the series. There were enough millionaires slices with thick layers of homemade caramel to keep those with a sweet tooth very happy!
The bakers in the GBBO tent were charged with making a caramel for their signature bake of 18 millionaires slices which were firm enough to hold their shape, but not too firm for it to become chewy when eaten. It was clearly quite a technical challenge with the vast majority of them using a sugar thermometer, waiting for the mixture to reach soft ball stage.
But what if I tell you that the caramel in this Salted Caramel Pie recipe is really easy to make, and that it holds its shape without having to boil the sugar and cream mixture to a precise temperature, with your fingers crossed hoping that the caramel filling doesn’t ooze out in front of your dinner guests once it’s sliced into!
Are you ready to learn the secret of this easy homemade Salted Caramel Pie? And when I tell you, feel free to share it with your friends and family, or even shout it from the roof tops!
It’s all down to the wonders of Dr Oetker’s Vege-Gel!
Dr Oetker’s Vege-Gel, as the name suggests, is a vegetarian powder which has the ability to set one pint of liquid (570ml) quickly and easily. Living in a vegetarian household, it’s a product that I’m familiar with and have used in a number of sweet and savoury bakes which feature here on Only Crumbs Remain, from our Bilberry & White Chocolate Baked Cheesecake and Mini Trifle Cakes to our Vegetarian ‘Pork’ Pies and Vegetarian ‘Game’ Pie.
So when the lovely people at Dr Oetker contacted me to ask if I’d like to make one of their many recipes using Dr Oetker’s Vege-Gel I jumped at the chance, because I know that it’s such a great product. They very kindly supplied me with some of their Vege-Gel to allow me to make this recipe, and they’re also being incredibly generous by bundling up a fantastic range of vegetarian baking products which I shall be offering to one of you lovely readers via a giveaway next week! We’re calling it the Dr Oetker’s Baking Bundle and it’s perfect for all sorts of baking activities.
So do remember to call back next week!
Of course, being made with a gelling agent does give this Salted Caramel Pie a firmer consistency, but the ease at which it is made means that it’s perfect for those special meals and dinner parties. One of the qualities of Vege-Gel is that it sets quite quickly, meaning you have to be organised during the bake. But for me, that simply means the dessert can be served quicker than had an animal based gelatine been used! I for one am all in favour of that!
I’m sure you know that salted caramel is incredibly in vogue at the moment. Although the sweet caramel and ‘salty’ salt are complete opposites with regard to flavour, it is this yin-yang effect which tantalises the taste buds bringing people back for more!
And although the original recipe doesn’t include any chocolate, I felt that the flavour sensation would be further enhanced with the introduction of dark chocolate. It’s peppered through the crushed biscuit base and is also used in a two ingredient chocolate sauce! If you’re not convinced about the dark chocolate, just think about the component parts of a Twix or millionaires slice, for instance. Regular readers of Only Crumbs Remain may know that both Mr E and I aren’t huge fans of dark chocolate but Dr Oetker’s Dark Chocolate made with 54% cocoa solids was the perfect solution, being able to cut through the sweetness of the caramel without being too dark and bitter for our taste buds.
So, here’s how to make a Salted Caramel Pie served with a chocolate sauce!
print recipe
a sugar thermometer. The yin-yang flavour combination of the salted
caramel is further enhanced with the dark chocolate pieces peppered through the
biscuit base and the 2 ingredient chocolate sauce to serve. It can be
made ahead of time making it the perfect dessert for dinner parties!
Hand on time: 30 mins Cook time: 0 mins + chilling time Yield: 1 x 20cm or 22cm pie, serves 8
Specific Equipment
20cm or 22cm diameter Loose Bottom Tart Case (see note a below)
Heavy Based Pan
For the Biscuit Base
- 240g Digestive Biscuits
- 120g Lightly Salted Butter + extra for greasing
- 60g Dark Chocolate (such as Dr Oetker’s 54% Cocoa mass) (optional)
For the Caramel Filling
- 250ml Cold Water
- 1 (6.5g) Dr Oetker’s Vege-Gel Sachet
- 60ml Cold Water
- 125g Caster Sugar
- 30ml Golden Syrup
- 50g Salted Butter
- 100ml Double Cream
- pinch of Sea Salt Flakes, to decorate
For the Chocolate Sauce (optional)
- 230ml Double cream
- 80g Dark Chocolate (we used Dr Oetker’s dark chocolate with 54% cocoa solids, though Dr Oetker’s Extra Dark Choacolate with 72% cocoa solids would be great too)
Notes: a) We didn’t have a suitable pie tin to hand so used a 20cm springform cake tin which made removing the set tart quite easy. Avoid using a pie case with a scalloped edge. b) To avoid disturbing too much of the biscuit base beneath, pour the caramel over the back of a large metal or wooden spoon. c) If there are one or two bubbles on the surface of the caramel after filling the pie dish quickly pop then with a cake skewer or the handle of a spoon before the caramel jelly begins to set. d) Caramel is very hot, do ensure animal, babies, children and other vulnerable people are kept safe when making caramel.
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Stacey G
Oh my word – salted caramel is my fave! I need to make this x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
Oh. My. Goodness!!! Angela this looks epic!!! I absolutely adore salted caramel so this would be the perfect pie for me and as nobody else here likes it I would have it all to myself! Thank you for sharing this epic dessert with #CookBlogShare x
helen
wow, that looks absolutely amazing Angela!
Recipes Made Easy
This looks amazing and I love the idea of not having to faff about making the caramel which i have to admit can be tricky. And who doesnt like salted caramel with chocolate.
Pictures as usual look stunning too.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Isn't it just! This is so so much easier!
Thankyou so much Jacqui, I was really pleased with how well they turned out 😀
Angela x
Kat BakingExplorer
Wow this looks stunning! You think it can't get any better then the chocolate sauce gets drizzled on!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Hahaha, you can't beat a chocolate sauce 😉
Angela x
Jenny
seriously good looking pie Angela. I love the look of it, with that crust all up the sides and the salted caramel with the chocolate mmmmm! I would love to try a slice. I have never tried vege-gel but it has made for a lovely firm filling. gorgeous photos as always too
thank you for linking up with #GBBOBloggers2017 x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw thabkyou so much Jenny 🙂 Vege-gel is great, it does work a bit differently from gelatine if that's what you're used to using.
Angela x
Jo / Jo's Kitchen Larder
This pie sounds sensational and looks actually really light or so I will be telling myself. It sounds like a great make in advance dessert and that gorgeous chocolate sauce!!! x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Hahaha, it is actually pretty light Jo – or at least it is for a caramel pie!
Angela x
Rebecca Beesley
that looks AMAZING! I'm a big fan of salted caramel. I'm not familiar with the vege-gel – certainly sounds interesting! Beautiful photography as always too! x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou so much Rebecca x
Johanna GGG
caramel and chocolate are made for each other – this looks wonderful and it is interesting to see you use vege-gel – I think I have some but never used it as I am so out of the habit of using gelatine that I never think to use this instead
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Chocolate & Caramel are definitely a match made in heaven aren't they! Ooh you should definitely did out that vege-gel Johanna, it's such a great product and a far nicer thought to use in baking than an animal based gelatine! Though I must say, if you've never used vege-gel before, it does work differently to gelatine.
Angela x
Deepika|TheLoveOfCakes
Stunning pictures Angela! Love the idea of using this Vege-gel to give the pie a better consistency..Your salted caramel pie with that rich chocolate sauce looks irresistible!!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw thankyou so much Deepika 🙂 The vege-gel was amazing and really did make it so much easier than a traditional caramel would have been,
Angela x
Louise Fairweather
Oh this looks good! Caramel week has not helped my healthy eating plan!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Hahaha, I know just what you mean Louise 🙂
Angela x
Cat Sherrin
This looks fantastic. Love your secret ingredient to set your caramel. My husband would absolutely love this pie x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou so much Cat 🙂 The vege-gel really did make it soooo much easier!
Angela x