If you love salted caramel and chocolate, this Salted Caramel Tart is your dream come true! The creamy caramel filling is made with condensed milk, a secret trick for making perfect soft-set caramel without using a candy thermometer. With a biscuit crust and luxurious chocolate ganache topping, it’s hard to believe you only need 6 ingredients to make this!
“OMG, that caramel tart!”, my friend exclaimed. “You’ve probably given my whole family diabetes, but OMG!!!!”
I grinned, gleefully. “I know, it’s INSANE, isn’t it?”
This is probably the most indulgent dessert I know how to make. It’s sinfully decadent. The caramel filling is truly incredible – it’s smooth, creamy, thick and so soft.
It’s made using a caramel base of butter plus sugar (for the caramel flavour) which is then combined with condensed milk. Once baked, it sets, almost like a soft custard. It’s different to the traditional method of making caramel fillings which require the caramel to come to a specific temperature at which point it will set to be a soft creamy caramel, rather than runny or hard. i.e. Candy thermometer required.
I have it in my head that this is the Australian way of making a creamy caramel. I’d love to know if anyone knows otherwise. I feel like it’s an undiscovered secret because I never seem to see caramel tarts/pies/bars/slices etc made using condensed milk.
This tart is made with a simple biscuit crust. That caramel was made for using as a glue to suction up all the loose crumbs when you inhale your slice!
This is how I press the crumbs into the tart tin – using something flat and round with straight walls. I’m using a measuring cup here. Use it to press the crumbs into the wall and a knife or your finger to level out the top of the crust, and to level out the base of the tart.
As for the topping – what else could it be other than a chocolate ganache? 🙂 This ganache has a slightly different chocolate to cream ratio than traditional ganache recipes (which are usually 1:1) so the chocolate is soft but cuttable without smearing so you get nice neat tart slices.
Many readers have jokingly noted how my very recognisable hands have been absent in videos recently. Shooting videos by yourself is seriously hard work when you have a simple home set up like I do. I’ve been thinking about getting a studio, setting things up “properly”. A permanent video shoot area with studio lights, a kitchen, getting a permanent support team and making my life a little – ALOT – easier.
But for me, one of the things I love about my blog is how personal it is. Everything that you see is made in my pokey kitchen, the recipes are my own, created by me, tested by me, taste tested by family and friends. The larger a team gets, the less personal this website will become. Does anyone here seriously think that Martha Stewart creates every recipe that ends up on her website, her magazines, cookbooks and TV shows?
I enjoy making my own videos, shooting them, editing them. In a bid to make my life slightly easier, I get my mother or a helper to come in once a week to help with food prep, double/triple/quadruple test recipes, and most importantly in my world, help with the washing up.
And because everybody has nicer hands than me, I can never resist calling on my help to be my video hand model. 😂 Plus the incredible convenience of not having to wipe my hands and dash around to check the camera with every single micro step in every video! For a recipe like this, if I shot it myself, I would have to do that about 40 times – at least.
I feel like this post is a little all over the place and a bit stilted.
I’ll be honest. I’m a bit tarted out. I’m really trying to drum up the enthusiasm for what is possibly the most raved about dessert ever by my taste testers – and that includes the homeless man at the dog park.
But I’ve made this seven times in a week and half!! Testing + a couple of video fails.
As I said, I’m tarted out!!
My friends are not. I definitely did not run out of willing taste testers to even take the ones I wasn’t 100% happy with. 🙂
To be clear, Dozer was not one of those taste testers. No chocolate for dogs!! – Nagi xx
For Caramel Monsters
-
Caramel Slice (aka Millionaire’s Shortbread!) – the great Aussie favourite!
-
Peanut Butter Caramel Tart – dangerously easy
-
Sweetened Condensed Milk Caramel – just place a can of condensed milk in the slow cooker!
More slices and bars
-
Strawberry Bars – made with tons of fresh strawberries!
-
Easiest Ever Raspberries Jam Bars
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Salted Caramel Tart
Ingredients
Base:
- 225 g / 8 oz plain sweet biscuits, about 2 cups (packed) crushed (Arnott’s Marie Crackers, Graham Crackers, Note 1 for Digestives)
- 150 g / 5 oz unsalted butter , melted (Note 1 for Digestives)
Caramel:
- 100 g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup / 200g (packed) brown sugar
- 2 cans sweetened condensed milk (395g / 14oz each)
- 1 3/4 tsp salt (2 ½ - 3 tsp salt flakes)
Chocolate Ganache Topping:
- 1/3 cup heavy/thickened cream
- 150 g / 5 oz dark chocolate melts / chips
- Sea salt flakes, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Grease and line the base only of a 23cm / 9" tart tin with a loose base. (Or a springform pan of a similar size)
- Roughly break up biscuits and place in a food processor, then whizz until fine crumbs form. Or do this step with a ziplock bag and rolling pin.
- Pour crumbs into a bowl, add melted butter, mix until it looks like wet sand and no dry crumbs remain. Pour into tin, then press firmly into base and sides – use something flat like a cup to assist (refer to video).
- Transfer to tray (safe handling), place in oven and bake for 10 minutes, then remove and cool slightly (5 minutes in fridge).
Caramel:
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and whisk to combine – butter may not incorporate fully.
- Once it starts bubbling and the sugar is completely melted, pour in the condensed milk, whisking as you go. Whisk constantly until you see steam coming off the caramel (~ 4 minutes), then remove from heat.
- Add salt (adjust to taste), then pour the caramel into the tart base.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges of the caramel surface is golden and the surface has a “skin” on it, but the caramel is still soft and the centre jiggles slightly (see video for demo.)
- Cool on counter while you make the chocolate.
Chocolate Ganache:
- Place cream and chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Microwave in 2 x 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth.
- Set aside for 10 minutes to thicken slightly, then pour over the base. Smooth top or make swirls like I did (just wait until the chocolate thickens slightly). Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
- Refrigerate for 1 ½ hours to allow chocolate to set. Then remove and bring to room temperature before slicing to serve. Handle carefully when sliding the tart off the base - or just leave it on to be safe and just remove the sides.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Salted Caramel Tart recipe video. So you can see how soft that caramel is and don’t miss the Dozer cameo at the end!!
LIFE OF DOZER
Checking himself out while I was making the recipe video!! 😂
Nala says
Hi Nagi, I want to make this for a work potluck and was wondering if I can lessen the brown sugar to make it less sweet (since it sounds like this is very rich) without disrupting the consistency of the final product. I want to make it so it can be eaten without coffee/tea for non-super sweet tooth folks. Thanks!!
Nagi says
Hi Nala, Sorry I haven’t tried to be honest as I think it will effect the caramel – N x
Sara says
Can this recipe be made in a tray?
Marilyn Rose says
Hi Nagi, I am making this recipe and wondering if I can substitute the oreo crust from the peanut butter pie for this caramel tart. Thank you.
Nagi says
Ohh that sounds decadent!
Martijn says
Helo Nagi’ i tride this cake serveral times and it is so good. Only my caremel filling stays soft. What do i wrong????
Nagi says
Hi Martijn, sorry you’re having issues with the caramel – Sounds like you need it cook it slightly longer so it sets. N x
Martijn says
Oke thank you’ i m gone try it tomorow and i let you know
Kristin says
Made this recipe for my son’s 21st. I made it into small tarts with a sweet shortcrust pastry instead so easier to hold. It was an absolute hit!
Nagi says
Great Kristin!!
Moira Pollock says
Epic triumph. How do you pronounce your name?
Stef says
Can I use a ceramic tart plate ?
Nagi says
Hi Stef, you can but you may have difficulty cutting it and getting it out!
Oorja says
Can we halve the recipe to make it in a 5.5” tart pan?
Nicole says
Hi Nagi, I am very very new to this😅. May I ask if there is any difference if I use Billington’s golden caster natural unrefined cane sugar or raw sugar or demenrara instead of brown sugar? Hope to have your advice. Tks!
Nagi says
Hi Nicole, I actually haven’t tried with another sugar for this recipe, I prefer the flavour of brown sugar and how it makes a nicer caramel with more of a toffee flavour – N x
Malena says
I made this OMG salted caramel tart for Christmas eve diner… To die for! Absolutelly delicious!!!! And the step by step recipe made made an outstanding home cook (at least for one day). I feel so thankful to your devoted way of explaining every tiny aspect of the recipe, than i just can say Thank you Nagi!
Lisa says
Hi Nagi,
Just making this for the second time and it is an absolute winner!! Thank you so very much for your attention to detail in all of your recipes. One quick question though. I want to freeze this today for Christmas and I was wondering if you freeze this in the tin?? I’m nervous about wrapping it for the freezer without the ‘support’ of the tin.
Thank you for all of your amazing recipes.
Nagi says
Hi Lisa, I’d freeze in the tin for support! N x
Katherine says
Hi Nagi,
I love salted caramel chocolate and I am so happy to find this recipe! I was wondering if I can make this ahead, and let it sit in the fridge overnight, will the tart be too hard to eat it the next day? I’m gonna share this at work potluck, so I don’t know how I can reheat the entire tart before serving. Or will the tart still taste fine if I just leave it at room temperature overnight? Thanks a lot!
Shelley says
Would love to know the answer to this I currently have it sitting in the fridge since lunch and was going to leave overnight. Will it go hard ? I can get it out before we need it but not sure how long before just don’t want it to be hard
Valeria Paglioni says
Hey Nagi,
Thanks for sharing your recipes :)!
I just wanted an advice.
I made this tart twice: the first time I used 2 cans of condensed milk (as mentioned in the recipe) but the consistency was very runny 🙁 , I could not slice it and I had to eat it with the spoon – yummy but awful! XD.
The second time I used 1 can only and it was PERFECT. I was wondering why this happened to me as it looks like it’s a great success for everyone using 2 cans. I always use your recipes (dishes are so delicious!) and I follow step by step. Any idea/suggestion? Thanks 🙂
Nagi says
Hi Valeria! Are the cans you used the same size as per the recipe?? And you followed the recipe for cooking it to thicken?? Also what brand are you using? 🙂 N x
Gen says
Really yummy, thanks Nagi. Easy to assemble with the help of your video. Took this for morning tea today for “Are you OK?” Day and it was thoroughly enjoyed by my workmates.
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Gen!! So glad everyone enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x
Babita says
I made this tart for a dinner party. Everyone absolutely loved it. It disappeared quicker than anything! So easy to make!
Thankyou
Nagi says
I’m glad you enjoyed this Babita! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
Margaret says
Hello, can I leave the salt out?
Nagi says
You sure can if you want! N x
Z4la says
Hi Nagi,
I love your recipe! The caramel is absolutely delicious and as you say, the standard tart slice is way too much 😀 😀
I’m trying to make small tartlets using your recipe and since I will be using pre-baked pate sucree tart shells for the base instead of crumbled biscuits, I wanted to ask if it is absolutely necessary to bake this caramel? After all, considering ingredients, it seems it’s really not necessary to bake.
The only reason I could think of and that worries me is the end product consistency. If I don’t bake the caramel, will it have a thick runny consistency? Is the reason for baking the caramel to make it thicker and set?
So, to summarize my questions:
1. is it necessary to bake the caramel?
2. if I don’t bake the caramel will it impact end product consistency – will the caramel run out
3. I’m not sure if you have experience with this, but if I serve the small tartlets outside at a summer BBQ where they will be standing on warm temperatures for half of a day, do you think this will make them all melted and not so yummy?
Thanks for your help in advance and sorry for such a long comment 🙂
Janice Battle says
To answer your question, if you do not cook in the oven they will run out of the tart and not thicken, the preferred way to make the tarts is with the caramel which is boiled in the can as it is thick and rich and can be spooned out and into the tart shells. In Australia that standard way for making caramel was to boil the cans of condensed milk for about 2 hours or for darker 3 hours (we use to fill a large pot with a few cans at a time). CAUTION: Do not open cans while the cans are hot as it will spurt out as soon as you puncture the tin, perfectly safe to open after they cool down. The cans will NOT burst open, they are simmered at a fair rate and over all these years I have never heard of one bursting. My grandmother and mother used to always have caramel on hand by keeping these in the pantry. You can keep them for months and months, even years like this. My cousin used to work in a bakery and they would always make their caramel tarts by this boiling method, it is the most delicious caramel you could imagine.
Nagi says
Hi Zala! Yes baking is what ensures the caramel sets, if using small tart shells they will be fine baked for a bit until the top sets a bit like you see in the video. If you don’t bake, the caramel won’t run out, it will just be like a super thick sauce, but not runny. Yes if you leave this standing out on a hot day they will soften, can you keep them in a cooler until ready to serve?
Z4la says
Hi Nagi,
Thanks for your response. Ok, that makes sense. I will definitely bake them – thank you!
Well, there will be a fridge onsite where I’m planning on taking the tarts, but I’m worried there will not be enough space for all my tiny tarts. But either way, as long as the caramel doesn’t run out, it should be fine.
I will test them this weekend as we have quite hot temperatures coming up and I’ll see what happens.
I happen to have 1 more question 🙂
Do you think it would be possible to make the caramel cream ahead, keep it in the fridge with plastic wrap touching the top (to prevent a film forming on top) and use it in 2-3 days time?
Janice Battle says
If you use the boiled ans of condensed milk you can take your tart cases with you and fill just before serving, no baking require. Boil the unopened cans for 2 to 3 hours (longer makes darker) and cool before opening. DO NOT TRY TO OPEN WHILE HOT. They do not burst open in the cooking process, used this method for many years.
Z4la says
Hi,
Just a quick follow up for anyone who might be wondering 🙂
I made a batch of small tarts and divided them into 3 parts in order to test 3 different conditions:
Part 1 I left outside overnight and 1 full day in warm weather (in a hot kitchen, but not on direct sun)
Part 2 I put in the fridge overnight, and put it outside for 1 full day (equal as above)
Part 3 I put in freezer overnight, and took out in the morning, left it outside the whole day on warmth (equal as above)
Lessons learned:
1. Freezing works perfectly fine. Actually, freezing works really well and I didn’t even wrap it in cling film.
2. Caramel keeps its shape and form in all 3 conditions and it is necessary to bake it as Nagi said (and no, you cannot make it ahead and store it because it becomes hard and impossible to handle. It might work if you use microwave oven to reheat, but I don’t have one, so that’s that).
3. Tart cases-wise, surprisingly, there was practically no difference between Part 1 and Part 3. As for Part 2, I feel that the moisture in the fridge may have affected the rim of the tartlet shell, but this could be just a coincidence. Still, I think I will go with freezing in the future.
P.S.: The type of sugar you use matters. I used a regular white crystal sugar (in my part of the world it’s hard to come across soft brown variety unless you make it yourself) and it took quite some time for it to melt which caused the caramel to be much darker.
It was still good, but I think that using soft brown sugar (that is regular caster sugar wth added molasses – in case you want to make it at home) would yield slightly softer more fudgy type of caramel.
Once again, Nagi, amazing recipe! Thank you so much for sharing! I am definitely sticking around to try some other genius creations from under your hands 🙂
Beth says
Hi Nagi –
I’ve made this tart several times now, and it is a favorite! I discovered tonight at 10 pm that I didn’t have any brown sugar, so I looked on-line, and it said coconut sugar could be substituted instead. Since I had some, I tried it, and it is a delicious alternative!
Thanks for all the yummy recipes!
Nagi says
So pleased to hear that Beth! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x
Melanie says
This recipe looks amazing but is there any substitute for the condensed milk – as one of my guests has a milk allergy?
Nagi says
Sorry Melanie, I’m not sure! It’s a pretty important ingredient in this recipe!
Michelle says
Hi Nagi! Thanks for another great recipe! Just wanted to let you know a slight variation to the recipe that you might like to try. It’s the banoffee tart version! I made it for a dinner party. Followed recipe to step 5 with caramel baked, put in fridge and left over night as I wanted to make it the day before. The next day, just before leaving for my dinner party, I sliced up 2 ripe bananas and placed on top of caramel, drizzled some melted ganache over bananas (Just combined some dark choc with a bit of cream and melted in microwave), then topped it with whipped cream and grated choc. Ate it at room temperature. Such a yummy combination! Banoffee tart is a fave. You might like to try! By the way, I used digestives with 75g melted butter and was perfect. Also the caramel is super easy to make and just divine with a great consistency. Plus the added bonus of scraping the tins of condensed milk at the end!! The perks of baking!! Haha!
Nagi says
LOVE your variation!!!
Inshi says
Hi
It looks yumilicious😋
Just wondering if i could make these into small tartlets..will the procedure be the same.
Thank you
Trudi Louise Spork says
yes I would like the same answer please?
Nagi says
It will definitely work if you have small tart tins with loose bases! I am not sure about using a muffin tin though because I’m not sure if the crust would break when turning them out 🙂
Stephanie says
Hi !
I made this yesterday in Belgium and it’s delicious !
I used ‘petit beurre’ to make the base (because I don’t find the biscuits you talk about in a regular supermarket here..). Next time i will try with less butter though. (100-115 or so)(or with a different brand and the same amount of butter)
As I put too much salt in it, I made the topping with milk chocolate, to make it a little bit sweeter. It’s perfect !
Perhaps you could add the weight of cream in “g” for the thickened cream also? I used 80g (don’t know if it’s correct…)
This weekend I’ll try the caramel brownies.. and your blog is already in my favourites <3
Thank you !
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Stephanie! Thanks for letting me know – N x ❤️