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!! 😂
Made this for Christmas and it turned out perfectly. I used GF arrowroot biscuits. Will definitely make this again, yummy 😋
This went down a storm, thank you! I only had a springform tin so a little tricky to shape the lip but it was ok. Travels surprisingly well…I was taking this to a party over an hour’s drive away and expected it had disintegrated but it had held up!
Made this for Christmas and went down a treat! This is a very decadent dessert and a small slice is all you need so would be great for a big family! Yummo!! Very easy to make.
“Grease and line the base only of a 9″ tart tin with a loose base” – similar as in most common tart tin in Australia is 10″ . My question is will the above ingredients (particularly the base) be enough for a 10″ tart tin
Absolutely delicious and so so easy to make
I made this tart on the weekend for my in-laws and couldn’t have been more proud with how it turned out! It was absolutely delicious and I will definitely make it again. With a bit of cream the richness was balanced beautifully. I’ve now been asked to make it for Christmas, so my family must have loved it! Thanks Nagi, solid 5 stars.
Nagi, leave everything as it is! I discovered your blog by accident – and now you’re my absolute go-to when I feel like a bit kitchen-time…because your recipes and person and practical! Don’t change😊👍
PS, in the UK sweet digestives for the base are great..
OMG! This tart was truly divine! Rave reviews from everyone who tried it, and super easy to make! I used arrowroot biscuits and they worked perfectly! This was definitely a recipe I will save and repeat! Tasted like something you would order in a restaurant.
That’s great Natalie! Thanks for the feedback on the arrowroot biscuits! N x
Nagi!! Wonderful!. I cooked it today, yes you are right about using less butter if using digestive bicies. On my list thankyou! also for your opinions on the buiscut base.
OMG this is one of the best right here!!! I am in love
Nagi, I make this tart a lot. It’s so easy and tastes amazing. I think I know what Helen’s problem was with the chocolate. She may have got water into the ganache either before (and not emulsified it in) or after, from it being warm when refrigerated and condensation forming. It sounds like sugar bloom rather than quality of chocolate.
My chocolate has developed white patches on the tart. I think my chocolate split. Would you recommed making more chocolate and spreading over top?
Hi Helen! Sounds like your chocolate may be past its due date or was exposed to hot weather, is that possible? Those are the circumstances when I’ve experienced that problem. Yes I would spread a thin layer of extra chocolate on top, or dust with icing sugar! N x
Hey Nagi!! So keen to try this, would it work if I used the coconut base from your caramel slice recipe as the tart case?
this is a great recipe. however, I would half the Carmel as I had too much for the tin.
Hello…love your recipe..but I need tart base measurements for my 12″ tart pan. Can you help me with the biscuit one as well as the flour one..?
Has anyone tried this with gluten free biscuits?
It always seems like there is too much butter??
Hi Prachi, I haven’t made it in this size, however I would increase the servings to 16 and base your tart off that amount. Love to know how you go! N x
This was delicious! My husband’s favourite dessert is banoffee pie so I used this recipe but added sliced banana and whipped cream on top instead of the chocolate ganache (and reduced the salt). It tasted amazing. The banana and cream cut through the super sweet caramel and it came together so well. Thanks Nagi!
This is so easy and so delicious! I made it with choc biscuit base and without the salt and it’s the BEST! Thanks Nagi!
Looks fantastic, but is this really supposed to fit in a 9″ tart tin? I had way too much volume to fit.
Hi Abby, yes it is made for a 9″ tin – you can see this in the video 🙂 N x
Made this tonight. It was delicious. I only struggled with the base being too dry that it crumbled. My dinner guests loved it anyway and said I could make it again soon. They are happy taste testers.
Hi Nagi, fairly new to baking, here. Having trouble getting the caramel to thicken in the over once poured over the base. I’ve tried a couple of times, but the caramel never develops the “skin” and stays too thin to hold up the ganache. Any thoughts on what I’m doing wrong? Thanks so much!
Hi Nate, sorry you’re having issues, sounds like you may need to cook it longer on the stove before baking it – try cooking an added 2 minutes on the stove and then proceed with the recipe. N x