So let’s talk caramel, thereby separating those who eat caramel treat from the real woman.

To make caramel or Dulce De Leche remove the label from a can of condensed milk and place in a large pot (I do 3-4 cans at the same time). Cover with water, pop on the lid and boil for 3 hours, topping up the water level when necessary. At the end of the cooking period, leave the tin/s in the water to cool down completely.

Replace sugar with caramel to fold through whipped cream, in a cream cheese frosting, pop on muffins or fill Woolworth’s baby tart shells with caramel, banana and cream to make little  banoffee pies.

Alternatively melt 100g dark couverture chocolate and blend with a tin of caramel and use as a topping on brownies.

If you don’t have 3 hours a Dulce De Leche sauce can be made by heating 1 cup of cream and 1 cup muscovado sugar . Boil until the mixture is reduced to 1 cup and stir through ½ cup condensedmilk.

White Chocolate and Dulce De Leche Cheesecake

First of all let me just add while I was making this I was completely distracted by what I was going to eat and forgot to add the caramel to the mixture so I have smothered the entire can on top. I also threw in the entire tub of cream instead of measuring out ½ cup, but despite all this it was delicious!

1packet chocolate-covered digestive biscuits (I used Woolies 300g)
50g butter, melted

250g Simonsberg cream cheese (its more than a tub, be sure to weigh)
250g mascarpone cheese
500g white chocolate
½ cup (or 1 tub) double thick cream
1 cup of caramel

1. Process biscuits and add butter
2. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a greased and lined springform tin (so exactly as we did the chocolate and orange cake)
4. Refrigerate till required
5. Melt the cream and chocolate
6. Beat the cream cheese, caramel and mascarpone
7. combine the cheese and chocolate and pour onto biscuit base
8.  Refrigerate for 3 hours