Caramel cake

Click to enlarge

This used to be my brother's favourite cake, but is now in second place after a confection called a Dream Cake.

Here is the recipe:

The way my mother makes this cake is actually a marriage of two recipes: for a sponge cake and for something called a Sunshine Cake with caramel topping. The caramel topping from the Sunshine Cake goes on top of the sponge cake. 

The caramel in the recipe is enough for one sponge base, baked in a 24 cm flan tin, the type that has a raised centre and a deeper trench along the rim (like this), so that when the cake is turned out top-to-bottom there will be a raised rim along the edge. Since the two recipes weren‘t made to be used together there may be a bit of sponge batter left over when you have poured it out, depending on how deep the tin is. If you are using the recipe below and a shallow tin, I therefore recommend using small eggs and short measures of flour and sugar. (You can, of course, just use your own preferred sponge cake recipe – there are dozens of good ones out there).

Sponge base:

  • 2 eggs
  • 100 g sugar
  • 50 g all-purpose flour
  • 50 g potato starch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
Prepare the batter as is shown here, or use your own preferred method.

Caramel topping (this is also excellent poured warm over vanilla ice cream)
  • 200 ml heavy cream
  • 120 g sugar
  • 2 tbs golden syrup (use corn syrup if you can‘t get golden)
  • 30 g butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
Mix cream, sugar and syrup in a saucepan. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture is so thick that a wooden spoon drawn edgewise through it leaves a mark. Add the butter and vanilla and stir to mix well. Set aside to cool.

When the caramel is barely lukewarm, almost cool, spoon it into the centre of the cake, smooth it over the top and allow to set. This cake keeps well and can be frozen.

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