Victoria Sponge Cake

Victoria Sponge

by Dominic Franks from DomInTheKitchen.com @DomInTheKitchen

If you're looking for the perfect Victoria Sponge recipe then this is what you need. The weather was a little bit gloomy today and so I thought I ought to bring some sunshine into the house by way of cake. Sometimes a little mix of eggs, sugar, butter, and flour, essentially the simplest, most basic of ingredients, can come together to form perfection.

The Victoria sponge, also known as the Victoria sandwich cake, was named after Queen Victoria, who was known to enjoy the small cakes with her afternoon tea.

Fresh strawberries are everywhere at the moment, so I thought I’d add them to the freshly whipped cream with a little strawberry jam for sweetness, and it’s this luscious filling that brings my cake together.

Kitchen tools that could be useful:

Chopping up those strawberries means you’ll need a sturdy chopping board and so the Barkway Acacia Wooden Chopping Board with Handle is ideal.

Prep:  10 mins
Cooking time:  40 - 45 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients for the cake:

• 250g butter – room temperature
• 250g sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 250g self-raising flour
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1 300ml tub double cream
• 6 large strawberries – finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons strawberry jam

Method:

You will need 2 x 18cm cake tins, which you should grease well and line with parchment paper.  Pre-heat your oven to 160C (fan)

I used a stand-mixer but this can be done with an electric whisk or by hand with a wooden spoon.

1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy – this will take 5 mins in a stand mixer. Add 2 eggs and half the flour and beat in briefly, followed by the remaining eggs and flour.  Add the milk and vanilla and beat in one more until everything is fully combined.
2. Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake tins and bake in the oven for 35 – 45 mins or until they feel firm yet bouncy to touch.  Set aside on a wire rack to cool completely.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream until thick, then stir in the jam and strawberries. Slather this onto the top of one of the sponges, then place the other sponge on top to crate the classic sandwich. Dust the top with icing sugar and serve.

Tip:

This cake should be kept in the fridge.  You can make the sponges ahead of time and freeze them for up to a month.