This creamy caramel frosting comes together really easily and starts with a can of sweetened condensed milk to make it extra special. It is a great way to make a caramel frosting for your favorite cakes!
Caramel frosting is perfect to go with so many different flavors of cakes. Chocolate of course comes to mind, but it’s also great with banana, vanilla, carrot, and so much more.
This version is super creamy, soft and luscious. It is one your will instantly fall in love with. Whip up a batch to see for yourself!
Creamy. Caramelly. Luscious. Frosting.
Need I say more?
Probably not, but we both know I’m going to!
Reader Lucia Commented: I made this frosting over a Caramel Mud Cake! It was easy and so delicious! ★★★★★
I really think I’d be ok in life with three cake recipes. A good butter cake, a perfect chocolate cake and a yummy strawberry cake could get me through most situations.
Don’t get me wrong, I love trying all of the recipes and flavors I can. I mean, do I look like somebody who says no to cake?!
Spoiler alert: I do not say no to cake. Are you kidding me?
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But really for me it’s all about the frosting. I can never have too many frosting recipes.
So when I offered to bring a cake to a family gathering at my mother-in-law’s, I was quick to pull up my old tried and true devilishly good chocolate cake. (My phone is probably sick of pulling up that recipe, I seem to be going back to it all of the time!)
I thought a delicious caramel frosting would be the way to go. I think I might be going through a phase after the rolo poke cake!
Now I happen to have two caramel frosting recipes on the blog already. One is made with brown sugar and is perfect on Di’s banana cake.
The other caramelizes granulated sugar for a traditional Southern style caramel cake. Both are delicious, but neither were what I had in mind.
So I took elements of those and added a nod toward German chocolate cake. Of course a bit of cream cheese never hurt a frosting, so I added some of that as well. The result was even better than I had imagined.
This frosting is so smooth and creamy. It is just sweet enough with those warm caramel tones. The best part is the texture.
It is almost like the caramel version of my shiny fudge frosting in that respect. It’s got a little bit of sheen to it and spreads like a dream.
While completely unnecessary, I couldn’t help but to toast some coconut flakes and sprinkle them on top. I guess I was still feeling inspired by German chocolate cake.
This frosting is one of my new favorites! But if you are looking for other sweetened condensed milk frosting ideas you can try my chocolate sweetened condensed milk frosting or sweetened condensed milk buttercream!
Creamy Caramel Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting
Ingredients
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
Instructions
- In a saucepan, bring the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar and butter to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly and allow to boil for 3-5 minutes. The frosting should be like a thick pudding.14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, ¾ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup butter
- Cool caramel mixture to room temperature. This may take a while, but you can put it in the refrigerator to speed the process if you want to. When cooled, it should be thick enough to almost hold it’s shape. See the picture in the post for reference.
- Whip cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Add cooled caramel mixture and beat for at least a couple of minutes.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 8 oz cream cheese
- Spread over cooled cake.
Video
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That looks fantastic! I love caramel frosting and this looks so rich and creamy!
I do too and this one definitely has that creamy texture the other's I have tried were lacking. I hope you give it a try!
Ok I'm drooling and can't wait to make this now. This will have to forever take the place of buttercream! Yum.
It would definitely be my choice!
I am featuring your recipe at Snickerdoodle today. Pinning
Thank you so much!
Your recipe sounds delicious but how could it not be with sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese. Thank you for sharing at Snickerdoodle.
It's hard to go wrong with those two together, isn't it?
I am totally making this for my next cake!!
I hope you love it! I am trying to come up with a good excuse to make it again ASAP!
This frosting looks divine and sounds delicious! I love caramel frosting and German chocolate cake is my favorite!
It is so creamy and good! I think you'll love it!
I've always been partial to chocolate frosting but I think this is my new favorite. YUM! It would be sooooo good on my favorite yellow cake :). Have a great week, Carlee!
I am partial to chocolate too. Butter cake with a nice fudgy frosting is pretty much the the top of my list… unless there is moist chocolate cake with a creamy caramel frosting around 😉
A frosting recipe. I'm loving it. It is all about the frosting for me too. This looks like a nice thick frosting and like you said, it looks like it is a dream to spread. Thank you for sharing.
Every time I think I am going to post fewer sweets a frosting recipe comes to me and I can't help it! This one is definitely a fun one. Thanks, Amy!
I love all things with condensed milk :D! This looks so easy and delicious Carlee! Can't wait to try this soon! Thanks for sharing 🙂
It just adds that little bit of richness, don't you think? I hope you enjoy it, Deepika!
You need not say more…I'm SOLD!!! I love sweetened condensed milk and well, any way to use it makes me happy. This looks scrumptious!! Fabulous recipe!
Lets talk about our love for sweetened condensed milk over a slice of cake!
I just made your frosting recioe I love it!!! It sure out perfectly.thanks so much
YAY!!! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
This was a HIT! Pure yummy goodness!