Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe
Posted on May 20 2010
This all-in-one method takes no time at all to whip up, is completely fail-safe and gives a delicious buttery sponge. A wonderfully moreish and traditional birthday cake, a great addition to a little tea party or garden party.
Ingredients For The Cake
Serves 8
- 175g unsalted butter, softened, plus more for tin
- 175g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 175g golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract for the filling
- 150ml double cream
- 4 tbsp raspberry or strawberry jam
- icing sugar, to dust
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C / fan 170 / 350F / gas mark
- You can choose to cook this cake either in 1 x 20cm sandwich tin or in 2 x 20cm sandwich tins. Butter the tin or tins, then line the bases with baking parchment. If you use just 1 tin, line the sides with a 7cm-high collar of baking parchment as well, to allow for the rise.
- For this batter, I use an electric mixer and beater attachment, but use a food processor, or a bowl and an electric whisk if you want.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, then add the butter (in knobs), the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Beat together until thoroughly blended, taking care not to over-mix so you will have a light sponge. Scrape the batter into the tin or tins and level the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes if you are using 2 tins, or 30-35 minutes for 1 tin, until the cake springs back to the touch or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave for a couple of minutes, then run a knife around the rim to loosen the cake from the tin and turn out on to a wire rack. Peel off the paper and leave until completely cold.
- Lightly whip the cream until just thickened into soft peaks. If you have baked the cake in 1 tin, split in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Fill with jam and cream and sandwich together, so the cream forms the uppermost layer. If you have baked the cake in 2 tins, be sure to sandwich the flat bases together. Dust the top with icing sugar.
Recipe taken from 'Bake & Decorate’ by Fiona Cairns, published by Quadrille, photography by Laura Hynd, RRP £19.99
