Mexican cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Cajeta de Celaya

Goat's milk simmered down with sugar, cinnamon and baking soda into deep brown caramel, used as a sauce or spread.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 1 L goat's or whole milk
• 300 g sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Put the milk with the sugar, cinnamon stick and a pinch of salt in a tall, wide pot and warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has fully dissolved.
2. Dissolve the baking soda in the tablespoon of water and stir in off the heat – the milk will foam up strongly for a moment, hence the tall pot.
3. Return the pot to low-medium heat and simmer the mixture uncovered for 50–60 min, stirring down to the bottom with a wooden spoon every 5 min.
4. Once the mixture turns honey-colored and clearly thickens, stir constantly and simmer for another 10–15 min, until it's deep brown and leaves a trail on the bottom of the pot.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick, stir in the vanilla extract and pour the cajeta through a fine sieve into a clean jar – it will firm up noticeably as it cools.
6. Pour lukewarm over ice cream or cake as a sauce, or use cooled as a spread; sealed, it keeps in the fridge for several weeks.