This caramel rum sauce would make shoe leather taste like a gourmet treat. It really is that good.
Honestly, I generally make a double batch of this caramel sauce and keep it in the jar in the refrigerator, ready to pour over anything that strikes my fancy at any time.
Like Banana Crumb Cake, or Best Ever Carrot Cake with Caramel Rum Sauce, for example. It does take a fair amount of self control to not just eat it out of the jar with a spoon, but if you can manage it, it's pretty awesome stuff to have on hand.
Short Cut Caramel Rum Sauce
If you don't have the time or the inclination to make this sauce from scratch, you can just buy a jar or two of caramel sauce (ice cream topping), heat it in a sauce pan on the stove and add some rum. The result won't be quite as rich, but still absolutely delicious.
- {Note} Caramel Rum Sauce is a Building Block Recipe. Building Blocks are tried-and-true recipes that I find myself coming back to time and time again, sometimes to make them exactly as is, and sometimes as a starting point for something new. -> More Building Block Recipes.
Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
Caramel Rum Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup corn syrup
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup Rum - or more! (I usually use dark rum, but light works too)
Instructions
- In a medium, heavy bottom saucepan, heat the cream to almost boiling – bubbles will start to appear around the side of the pan and the surface will get a bit “rumbly”. Turn down the heat to low and keep warm.
- In a large heavy bottom saucepan, add 1 cup of the sugar, the corn syrup, and salt. Stir to moisten the sugar and then cook without stirring over medium high heat just until the sugar starts to turn golden. If you notice that the syrup is quickly turning brown in one spot, but the rest is not browning at all, grip both sides of the pan and swirl the syrup around to distribute the caramelizing sugar before it burns. Cook until all the syrup is a light golden color – somewhere between the color of straw and milk chocolate.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the remaining cup of sugar in three additions, stirring constantly, allowing each addition to melt before adding more. The sauce will continue to darken in color. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is a deep amber color. Watch the heat in order to prevent the sugar from burning. The sauce should steadily darken in color, but if it begins to smoke at all, immediately remove it from the heat, stirring vigorously, and lower the burner heat. Return the pan to the burner and continue. If the sugar does turn black and burn, there’s no other option except to start over.
- Turn the heat up to medium and add the warm cream in three additions. The cream will cause the syrup to bubble up significantly – stir constantly and be very careful to not let the hot steam burn you. Simmer for a minute or two between each addition of cream to reduce slightly. Once all the cream has been added, continue to cook, stirring constantly, until it forms a thick syrup. If you draw your finger across the back of your spoon, it will hold the line.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and rum. Taste and add more rum if you like. Pour into a container and let cool completely. The caramel sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
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Annette says
I want to make this but am not a fan of salty Carmel. Is it ok to leave out the salt?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Annette! Yes! Please add as much or as little salt as you like to this recipe. I do suggest adding at least a pinch of salt because salt helps bring out the flavor of the other ingredients. But, if you don't want to actually taste it, just add a 1/4 teaspoon.
Mauricio says
Hi How would you compare using rum or spiced rum to using bourbon or scotch? Would you recommend it over those two liquors?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Mauricio! Rum really does work best in this caramel sauce. Spiced rum is also delicious, but it will change the flavor profile of the sauce, of course. If you're looking for a dessert sauce that incorporates the flavors of bourbon or scotch, I'd recommend making this Whisky Sauce. I hope that answers your questions! Please let me know if you have any more questions! And if you make this sauce, I'd love to hear what you think of it! xo
Gary Roush says
My caramel tastes wonderful, but it’s very runny. Is there any way to thicken it?
What does, “If you draw your finger across the back of your spoon, it will hold the line.”, mean? And how long is it supposed to cook before you take it off the stove?
Thank you. And thanks for posting your recipes.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm glad it tastes good at least! 🙂 You can thicken it up with a bit of cornstarch if you like. Here's what to do: For every cup of caramel sauce, use 1 teaspoon of cornstarch that's been dissolved in 1 tsp of water. Heat the caramel sauce in a saucepan. When it begins to simmer, slowly add the cornstarch that's been dissolved in water, stirring the caramel constantly as you add the cornstarch. Continue to simmer the caramel, stirring constantly, until it thickens. If it hasn't thickened in about 5 minutes after adding the cornstarch, remove the caramel from the heat, mix up a bit more cornstarch and water and repeat the process of bringing the caramel sauce to a simmer and gradually adding cornstarch.
Let me know if that works for you! And, of course, let me know if you have any other questions.
To answer your question about drawing your finger across the back of the spoon: Lift your spoon from the caramel sauce. There should be a coating of caramel sauce that holds on to the back of the spoon. Carefully (it will be hot) draw your finger across the back of the spoon. The line created in the caramel sauce by your finger should stay put. If caramel immediately begins to run through that line, the caramel is still too thin. Does that help?
Gary Roush says
Well the entire recipe intrigued me, but I was all set for my regular carrot cake and saw your caramel recipe. Everything went fine until the end. First, I didn’t understand what you meant about wiping my finger on the back of a spoon, but more importantly I had no idea how long to cook this. After an hour and 45 minutes I called it a night. It never reached the consistency of a thick syrup. In fact, by the time I added the warm cream the mixture never regained any thickness. After the hour and 45 I turned of the stove, added the vanilla and rum, poured it into a few vessels and I’m now heading to bed. Perhaps it will surprise me, but a little more specificity of what to do and what to expect at the end would be helpful.
Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into posting your recipes.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Gary! Thank you for reaching out! I would love to help troubleshoot this with you! After cooking this caramel sauce for an hour and 45 minutes, I'm honestly surprised there was any sauce left in the pan. The caramel sauce thickens because, as it simmers, some of the water evaporates from the sauce. It sounds like that wasn't happening for you. After that much simmering, I would suspect that all the water in the sauce would have evaporated. Was the sauce simmering the whole time you were cooking it? How is it this morning? Did it thicken overnight in the refrigerator?
Beth K says
One question: my sauce came out the same color as yours. It tastes slightly bitter though. I had no issues with burning. Did I possibly cook it just a bit too long or is this sauce supposed to be slightly bitter? Thanks for your feedback!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Beth! My guess is that the sugar burned slightly towards the beginning of making this sauce. In step #2, when cooking the sugar and corn syrup, if there are patches of sugar that are getting super dark brown, that's evidence of burning. Since you mention that the bitter taste was "slight", that suggests that just a bit of the sugar burned, which is easy to do when caramelizing it. Do you think that might have been the issue?
Nikki P says
Question...one person asked if the amount of butter could be reduced. You said to try it and if it is grainy add a bit of butter. I do not see butter listed in the ingredients. Is it missing or was the question about another recipe and I missed the first part.
And can this be made with Amaretto, Bourbon or Kahlua? I recently followed another recipe and used Bourbon, it was good but separated I do not see comments about that so would love to try with another flavor profile.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Nikki! I've updated the recipe since the butter comments. Fat content is important to smooth, creamy caramel sauce. The fat can come from either butter or cream, or a combination of both. After testing several ratios of butter and cream, I found more consistent results with using all cream rather than a combination of butter and cream, so I updated the recipe to use all cream. Maybe I should delete that comment so it doesn't confuse people. 🙂
Yes! You could absolutely use Amaretto, Bourbon, Kahlua, or any kind of liquor in this sauce! I've used Bourbon and whisky and love the idea of trying it with Amaretto. I was also thinking about trying it with a bit of Limoncello one of these days. Lemon and caramel is one of my favorite flavor combinations, so I think I'd love it.
Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear what you think about whatever liquor you end up using! xo
Amy says
Wow-oh-wow! This stuff is GOOD! Others were right in the comments above - patience is key. Having never made caramel sauce before, I found this recipe easy to follow and crazy delicious. I almost prefer it without the rum, but the rum certainly adds a little somethin'-somethin'! Thanks for the recipe!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Amy! I am so happy to hear that you liked this sauce so much! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and let me know. I truly appreciate it! xo
Brenda says
Can this rum caramel sauce be used to make caramel apples?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Brenda! Let me preface my answer by saying that I haven't personally tried using this sauce to make caramel apples. But, I don't see why it wouldn't work. The key is to cook the sauce to the firm ball stage: 240 - 245 on a candy thermometer. At that temperature, if you drop a bit of caramel into ice water, it will form a firm ball that is still malleable and will flatten when squeezed. I am a bit concerned about the rum interfering in the caramel's ability to adhere to the apples and form that firm, chewy layer of caramel. I'd suggest either leaving it out, using a rum flavoring instead of actual rum, or just testing a small amount of caramel sauce by adding a few drops of rum and then seeing what effect that has on the caramel's ability to remain firm enough to adhere to the apples. Will you keep me posted about how this works out for you? I'm sure other readers will be interested!
Leslie says
There is no butter listed in the ingredients. Should there be?
Danielle says
I made this recipe to drizzle on an eggnog cheesecake I made for Thanksgiving. This caramel sauce turned out soooo yummy. I will say I wasn't prepared for how long it would take and how much stirring was involved but it was definitely worth it. It was rich, creamy, and a beautiful color. To me it tasted almost identical to werthers original caramel candies (with rum). This recipe definitely takes patience but the end result is a large batch of caramel you'll want to drizzle on everything!
Rebecca Blackwell says
OMG. Caramel Rum Sauce over eggnog cheesecake???? Be still my beating heart. That sounds incredible! I'm so happy to hear that you liked this recipe. 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! I appreciate it so much! xo
Jade says
If I leave out the rum (so the kids can eat this caramel too) do I need to do anything else to it, or just omit the rum?
Rebecca Blackwell says
No need to do anything else - just leave out the rum, and you'll be good to go. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Jennifer! I've updated the recipe since the butter comments. Fat content is important to smooth, creamy caramel sauce. The fat can come from either butter or cream, or a combination of both. After testing several ratios of butter and cream, I found more consistent results with using all cream rather than a combination of butter and cream. If you make this, will you let me know what you think?
Pamela says
It’s delicious, mine is not a nice dark amber like yours what should I do differently? Thank you.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Pamela! I'm glad the caramel sauce tasted good! That's the important part! 🙂
Getting it that lovely amber color just comes from cooking the sugar long enough. In step #2, you want to make sure to cook the sugar until it's golden. This can be tricky - because if you cook it too long it will burn. But, if you cook it until it's nearly the color you see in the pictures in this post, you should be fine. As you add the remaining cup of sugar, it should darken a bit more. Does that help?
Pamela says
Ok thanks I’ll try that 😊
Dani says
What type of corn syrup is best?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Dani! Use a light corn syrup - like this Karo syrup. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Pamela says
It turned out PERFECTLY the 2nd time round because I was more patient😊
Love it!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hooray! I'm so glad! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! xo
Trisha says
Question? Can I use rum flavoring instead of real rum?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Trisha! Rum flavoring should work great in this recipe. My only suggestion would be to add it slowly, tasting as you go, to get the right amount. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Lucis! You might be able to reduce the amount of butter to 1/2 cup. I haven't tested it, I'd suggest making the recipe with all the ingredients the same except reduce the butter to 1/2 cup. When the sauce is almost done, check the consistency. If it's grainy at all, it's probably because the sauce doesn't have enough fat. At that point, you can go ahead and add the extra 1/4 cup of butter - stir it in slowly, one tablespoon at a time. If you attempt this little experiment, will you let me know how it goes?
Judy says
I should never have stumbled onto your site. Now how do I quit?
Cate says
I could seriously have a glass of this to drink! Sooo yummy and it makes the banana crumb cake soar to delicious heights! Buh-bye banana bread, I am a cake girl now. What a gorgeous website!
jk says
By dark rum, are you referring to Meyers Rum?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! Meyers Rum will work great. Light rum will work too... I just prefer dark rum because the flavor is a bit richer. Dark rum is usually made from molasses or burnt sugar and is aged longer than light (white) rum. Meyers is molasses based and aged for several years, so it will work beautifully in this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, if you make this sauce, I'd love to know what you think! xo
jk says
Thank you so much for answering me. I keep Meyers Rum on hand for baking. jk
Judy Register says
Can you store the Rum sauce?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Judy! Yes - this sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for at least 6 weeks.