Episode 7: The real reason your caramel fails And how to fix it! Welcome to another episode of my baking series “Professional Home-Baker” where I teach you how to make elevated cakes using techniques that work in a home kitchen 👩🏼‍🍳 In this episode, we’re fixing the 4 most common reasons why your caramel fails! Caramel is something I struggled with a LOT when I first started baking. I’ve done it all - made caramel that was grainy, runny, hard, and seized 🫠 I found that many recipes didn’t explain the process clearly, which often led to failed batches because I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. After years of testing different caramel techniques, I learned the exact steps that makes a smooth and silky every time. These are the 4 main areas to get right to get a perfectly smooth and pipeable caramel 🤍 1. Grainy caramel: Caramelize the sugar correctly Melt sugar and glucose syrup into a golden syrup. If the final caramel later on turns grainy, the sugar has crystallized instead of of staying smooth. Avoid crystallisation by NOT whisking while the sugar is melting - only gently swirl the pan. 2. Bitter caramel: Cook the caramel to the right color  Cook the caramel to 180°C - 185°C a golden amber color.  Cooking it less will give a too mild caramel flavor, while cooking it too long will make it taste bitter. 3. Seized caramel: Add the cream correctly Making a good caramel is all about avoiding a big temperature difference. That’s why the milk and cream need to be hot, before adding them to the caramel. If the caramel turns hard and sticks to the whisk when you add the cream, the cream was too cold. Add the hot cream gradually while whisking to avoid hard lumps. 4. Caramel texture: Cook it to the right temperature  If the caramel cooked too low, the caramel will stay runny. If it’s cooked too high, it can become too firm. I cook the caramel to 110°C for a pipeable texture, blend in room-temperature butter, and let it cool until pipeable. Follow these steps and you’ll get a perfectly smooth caramel ✨ #caramel #bakingtips #tutorial - @louiselindberg_