
How to make a Victoria Sponge Cake.
Britain´s favourite cake, traditionally the ingredients are calculated by weighing the eggs in their shells and using this weight for the butter, sugar and flour.
INGREDIENTS: Makes 1 Medium Sized Cake
For the sponge:
- 3 medium eggs, at room temperature
- 175g unsalted butter, softened
- 175g caster sugar
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 175g self raising flour
- 1 tbsp warm water
For the filling:
- 6 tbsp good quality strawberry or raspberry jam
- 150ml double or whipping cream, well chilled
- icing sugar, for dusting
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4.
- Grease and line the cake tins with butter and baking paper.
- Put the soft butter into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a food-mixer and beat well with a wooden spoon or the whisk attachment until very creamy and mayonnaise like.
- Scrape down any butter mixture from the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula, then gradually beat in the sugar a couple of tablespoons at a time.
- Scrape the mixture off the sides of the bowl again and beat well for 1 minute or until the mixture looks very light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the mixture again.
- Break the 3 eggs into a small jug, add the ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract and beat with a fork just until the eggs are broken up.
- Gradually add to the butter mixture a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
- If the mixture looks like it might be ‘splitting’ or curdling, rather than appearing smooth and creamy, stir in a tablespoon of the flour with each of the last two additions of egg.
- Sift the rest of the flour onto the mixture.
- Start to gently fold in the flour with a large metal spoon or plastic spatula and after two or three movements add the warm water.
- Keep folding in until the flour is well mixed in and there are no streaks.
- Divide the mixture between the two prepared tins – if you want to be really precise, use your scales, or just do it by eye, then spread it evenly.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until the sponges are a light golden brown, and starting to shrink back from the sides of the tin.
- Check the sponges after 15 minutes and if they aren’t baking evenly rotate the trays.
- Check that the sponge springs back when lightly pressed in the middle.
- When cooked, take them out of the oven and run a round-bladed knife around the inside of each tin to loosen the sponge.
- Leave for a minute to firm up, then carefully turn out the cakes onto a wire rack.
- Leave until they are completely cooled.
- If you are using cream, put a bowl and whisk (or whisk attachment) in the fridge to chill.
- To assemble the cake, set one sponge crust-side down on a serving plate.
- Using the back of a tablespoon, evenly spread the sponge with the 6 tablespoons of strawberry or raspberry jam.
- Pour the cream into the chilled bowl and whip with the chilled whisk or attachment until it thickens and soft peaks form when you lift out the whisk.
- Spoon the cream onto the cake and then gently smooth it evenly over the jam.
- Top with the second sponge, crust-side up, and dust with icing sugar.
- Enjoy!
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