Fluffy sponge cake with caramel topping

Ingredients:

Sponge cake

• 1.5 cups premium flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 0.5 tsp ground allspice
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of sour milk
• Butter, for greasing the pans
• Ice cream, for serving (optional)
• Special equipment: 4 x 450ml cast iron cocotte dishes (optional) (you can also use 1 large 23cm x 33cm baking dish instead.)

Caramel

• 1 cup of sugar
• 0.5 cups of sour milk
• 55 g butter
• 1 tbsp corn syrup
• 0.5 tsp of soda
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C and grease 4 cast iron cocotte dishes (or 1 23cm x 33cm pan) with butter.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the dry and wet ingredients in one bowl and pour in the sour milk. Stir until smooth. The mixture will be slightly lumpy.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared cocotte cups (or a larger pan) and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean; do not overcook the pies. If using a larger pan, bake for 25-30 minutes.
4. Caramel sauceWhile the cake is baking, combine the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine. Over medium-high heat, without stirring, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Continue simmering until the milk caramel turns a full, light gray color, 5 to 7 minutes. Make sure the caramel remains fluid, do not thicken it, otherwise it will become hard and sticky like toffee..
5. Remove the cocotte tins from the oven. While the cakes are still warm, drizzle the caramel evenly over them. Be quick, as it will quickly soak in. If desired, garnish with a scoop of ice cream before serving.