I’ve been trying to work out when my obsession with all things caramel may have begun.

Back in my early school days it was a thrill to be able to walk into the milk bar across the road from the bus stop and for 10 cents, purchase a bag of Caramel Buds. I love the fact that my friends who were with me on these trips or helped in the eating of said Caramel Buds are probably reading this now and smiling at the memory. Those were the days……

Or was it my mum’s Caramel Dumplings? Coming home from school and finding out they were bubbling away on the stove for dessert that night just made everything okay with the world.

Fast forward to these days where I consciously eat a very balanced diet and try and keep sweet treats to a minimum and yet I still can’t quite say goodbye to caramel for good.

Put me in a gelato store and I will order the Salted Caramel gelato and maybe even more than 1 scoop. Hand around a plate of good old Chocolate Caramel Slice and I will find it hard to say no. When my local patisserie brought out a Salted Caramel croissant, I found myself with no resolve and just had to have it.

A few weeks ago I was celebrating my birthday snowed in at the family farm. If I was going to have a cake I would have to make it.

I had my eye on an Upside Down Apple cake, made with Dulce de Leche, a thick caramel made from milk and sugar or condensed milk.

So, armed with condensed milk, some jars and a slow cooker, I very quickly discovered the ease at which this delicious caramel can be made.

On a quick side note – for those who are dairy free, you can now purchase condensed coconut milk in the supermarket. I haven’t used it myself yet, but apparently you can use it to make a Coconut Dulce de Leche by following the same steps.

Ingredients

2 x 395gm cans of condensed milk

3 small jars, measuring approx 200ml

Method

Pour the condensed milk into the clean jars, seal the lids tightly and place in a slow cooker. Fill the slow cooker with water to completely cover the jars.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Store in the refrigerator for up to a few months.