Soft caramels
The Soft caramel family in the formulator: what it covers and what sets it apart from ganache.
What it is
The Soft caramel family in the formulator groups together fillings based on cooking sugar with a dairy (typically cream or milk), with the characteristic soft texture that lets you use the caramel as a bonbon filling.
What it covers
- Several dozen canonical recipes reviewed by a chef, with a batch fine-tuned after the refinement of May 24, 2026.
- Average output score of 100 out of 100.
- Cooking: the app indicates 118 °C (typical cooking 117–118 °C).
- Usual water activity range (aw): 0.50 – 0.65.
- Structure: fragile (it isn't an emulsion); it requires care in composition and process.
How to invoke it
Sidebar → Filling formulator → Step 1: click the Caramels card. Since Soft caramel is the only visible subtype in the category, the wizard auto-selects it and jumps straight to Step 2 (flavors) without showing subtype chips. Continue with flavor, weight and constraints.
What's guaranteed
- The engine uses a specific prompt for the Soft caramel family, distinct from the Ganache one. It never mixes techniques (it doesn't return a "rescaled ganache" and call it caramel).
- The recipe includes baking soda and lecithin in technically correct proportions for this family.
- It doesn't include chocolate couverture in the caramel itself (the couverture is a later decision by the chocolatier).
- Results validated against the family's ranges.
Compatible flavors
Frequent flavors with good coverage: vanilla, coffee, sea salt, salted butter, licorice, toasted caramel, apple, pear, ginger, cardamom, assorted spices, rum, whiskey, brandy.
Practical differences vs. ganache
| Ganache | Soft caramel | |
|---|---|---|
| Base technique | Cream-chocolate emulsion | Cooked sugar + dairy |
| Chocolate couverture in the formula | Yes | No |
| Critical temperature | ~40 °C (mixing) | 118 °C (cooking; technical range 117–118 °C) |
| Typical water activity | 0.76 – 0.82 | 0.50 – 0.65 |
| Lecithin | Optional | Usually yes |
| Baking soda | No | Usually yes (~0.1 %) |