Disk Cache problem

What happens to the cache after working in After Effects? It feels like this wasn't the case before or I simply didn't notice much, but now, using After Effects, I consistently find that the cache is over 20 gigs, even though I wouldn't say I'm working with heavy projects or large file sizes. What is this, and is there a way to solve it so that the disk doesn't fill up with this cache so quickly and extensively?