Spiced Caramel Sauce is luscious and rich, and can be used in so many delicious ways. Bursting with warming flavors, this dessert sauce can be added to cakes and cookies, or swirled in ice creams and drinks. 
Once you master making this Spiced Caramel Sauce, you'll want to have it at the ready all the time.
It's amazing!
What's in this recipe?
- sugar
- butter
- cream
- sour cream
- salt
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- nutmeg
How to Make Spiced Caramel Sauce
The process of making caramel is truly beautiful . . .
- Combine a touch of water with sugar. Cook this over low-medium heat, until the color is a very dark amber. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not ever stir this! You will see the sugar go from a pale, translucent white to a deep, dark, rich amber color is amazing. The transformation is magical and lovely.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- This caramel can be made up to a week ahead of time. Keep it stored in the refrigerator and warm it to soften.
- It's very important not to stir the sugar mixture while it's cooking. It won't melt properly if you do.
- Stand back a little when you add the butter, cream and sour cream, as the caramel mixture will bubble and maybe splatter a bit.
- Feel free to play around with the spices, using more or less of one or another.
Uses for Spiced Caramel Sauce
Here are a few of my favorite fall desserts that incorporate this recipe as a star ingredient . . .
Individual Salted, Spiced Potato Cake
Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Streusel and Caramel
Spiced Caramel Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust
Whenever I make a recipe that includes this Spiced Caramel Sauce, like the three above, I make it a few days in advance.
This caramel sauce can be its own recipe, served as is -- as a condiment, if you will -- or, as an ingredient in many other recipes.
I hope you enjoy making this amazing dessert sauce as much as I do, and I hope you love it!
May it find its way into many desserts at your house.
Spiced Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Cook the sugar. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Cook this mixture over low-medium heat, until the color is dark amber. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not ever stir this mixture!
- Add remaining ingredients. Once you've achieved the dark color, reduce the heat to low and carefully whisk in the butter, cream, and sour cream. Stand back! When you add these ingredients, the mixture will likely hiss and bubble up. Continue to whisk until it's smooth. Then add the salt, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Stir to blend, and remove from the heat.
Notes
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angiesrecipes
Caramel with all the wonderful warming spices...I am so ready for the holiday baking :-))
valentina
Me too, Angie. Thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
I think I'd serve this by the spoonful. 🙂 Such a nice recipe -- the flavor combo is just lovely. Thanks.
valentina
Thank you, John. Yes, good to have a spoon at the ready. 😉 ~Valentina
Kim Lange
Totally love this! I have never seen sour cream in caramel sauce before, but it looks so creamy and delish! Salted and spiced caramel, yes please!! 🙂
valentina
Thanks so much, Kim. The sour cream gives it a subtly tart flavor that I love. 🙂 Enjoy! ~Valentina
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
This caramel sauce look and sounds terrific! As a huge fan of cardamom and nutmeg, this is 100% right up my alley. Loving the addition of sour cream, too.
valentina
So happy this appeals to you, Ben. Thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina
Rosemarie
I’m wondering if this can be made in batches to can and preserve to give as gifts? Is there too much cream in this to not be able to? Sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try making it!
valentina
Hi Rosemarie. Thanks for asking this. You can definitely make it in larger batches, but because of the creams I would just add to the gift note "*keep refrigerated." Hope you love it. Cheers! 🙂 ~Valentina
Carrie Habib
I'm making an Eggnog Cheesecake and this will be the perfect topping/sauce to accompany.
valentina
Oh wow -- what a delicious combination! (And eggnog cheesecake sounds fantastic.) I hope you love it and thank you for visiting my site and recipes. 🙂 ~Valentina