Goxua – Basque Dessert with Sponge Cake, Vanilla Custard and Caramel

In a bowl, whisk the 2 yolks, 40 g sugar, cornstarch and measured 50 ml cold milk until smooth. Pour the remaining 250 ml milk into a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add them to the milk with the split pod. Heat almost to a boil, then remove and discard the pod. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the yolk mixture in small portions. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, including along the bottom. Once the custard thickens and starts to bubble, cook for about 1 minute more, stirring.

Transfer the custard to a shallow dish, spread about 2 cm deep and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface. Leave for about 15 minutes until it stops steaming heavily, then refrigerate for at least 90 minutes, until completely cold. If the center is still warm, chill longer in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, prepare the sponge, syrup and caramel.

Preheat the oven to 180°C on the conventional (no-fan) setting. Line the bottom of a pan about 20 × 20 cm with parchment paper. Beat the 2 whole eggs with 60 g sugar for about 7–9 minutes, until pale and thick and the mixture briefly leaves a trail on the surface when you lift the beaters. Sift the flour and gently fold it in with a spatula in 2 additions. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for about 10–12 minutes on the middle rack, until lightly golden and springy. Remove from the pan, peel off the paper and cool on a rack for about 30 minutes. Cut all the cold sponge into small pieces; use all of it in the desserts.

For the syrup, heat 20 g sugar with 30 ml water in a small saucepan, stirring until dissolved. Pour into a small bowl. For the caramel, put 40 g sugar in a clean saucepan with a light-colored bottom and add 20 ml water. Heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and turns amber; once it starts boiling, do not stir with a spoon, just swirl the pan gently if needed. Remove from the heat and carefully add the remaining 30 ml hot water in small portions: the caramel gives off a lot of steam and foams. If lumps form, heat briefly over low heat until they dissolve. Pour the sauce into a second small bowl. Cool the syrup and caramel to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator before assembling the desserts.

Once the custard, sponge and both sauces are cold, whip the very cold cream with the powdered sugar in a cold bowl. Start slowly, then increase the speed and whip to distinct, softly curved peaks that hold their shape. Stop before the cream becomes grainy. Briefly whisk the cold vanilla custard until smooth again.

Prepare 6 dessert glasses of about 250 ml. Divide all the whipped cream among them. Arrange all the sponge pieces on top, dividing as evenly as possible. Drizzle all the cold syrup over the sponge, spreading it evenly with a teaspoon. Add all the cold vanilla custard and gently level the surface. Divide all the cold caramel sauce over the tops in a thin layer. Keep the layers visible; do not mix them together.

Refrigerate the glasses for at least 60 minutes so the sponge softens with the syrup and the layers come together. Serve chilled, with 1 glass per serving. The liquid caramel will stay a soft sauce. Dip the spoon all the way to the bottom to take all the layers together.