Depends on the spelling, of course. If you spell it without the A, I'm not going to read it with an A.
But I normally use caramel personally.
I feel like carmel is Americanized or simply morphed from caramel by dropping the A. XD But pronouncing it as ca-ra-mel instead of care-ra-mel makes me want to drink my tea with pinky up.
I switch. Probably a sin, but when it's liquid, I choose 'care-mul' but when it's solid like those caramel squares, it's 'car-mul'. I never pronounce e in caramel for some reason.
"I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives." - Wonder, R.J. Palacio
I only know that learning to believe in the power of my own words has been the most freeing experience of my life. It has brought me the most light. And isn't that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark. — Elizabeth Acevedo, The Poet X
