Foodie Friday | Classic Victoria Sponge

Afternoon tea is one of my most favourite things to eat, and host, so when choosing the right slice a victoria sponge wins every time. With its light vanilla sponge paired with fruity strawberry jam and fluffy whipped cream, it makes for one of the best tea time treats. 

I have been trying to perfect my sponge for a few months now and I have found, for me, using a smaller tin and the same ratio of ingredients creates the best cake. 

Ingredients 

Cake -
150g Sugar
150g Softened Butter - bring butter out the fridge about 20 mins before baking
3 Eggs beaten
150g Self Raising Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla paste or essence

Filling and Toppings -
300ml Double Cream whipped
4 tbsp Strawberry Jam
A punnet of Strawberries

Method 

First, preheat your oven to around 190C, gas mark 5, and prepare your baking tins. You can line them with non-stick baking paper or, do what I do, butter your tins lightly and spread a thin layer of flour all over - I find this works perfectly.

Next, cream your butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, and then add your vanilla. I find using an electric standing mixer such as a kitchen aid the easiest however this can be done easily by hand.

Once your mixture looks a pale colour and is a fluffy texture, slowly add your eggs one at a time and after all is mixed add your flour, sifted, to create a dense, but smooth, mixture.

Divide your mixture between two tins, smooth the surface and pop in the oven for around 18-20 minutes.

Once your cakes are cooked and cooled, whip your double cream until it is a fluffy texture and spread on your first layer of the cake and cover with a thin cover of jam. After this is where you can make the cake your own, I love to put a circle of whole strawberries in the middle of the cake, however I have seen cakes where people have sliced the strawberries.

After you have completed the middle layer of your cake pop the top on and decorate as you wish. I used the remaining whipped cream in a piping bag, with a star nozzle, and piped around strawberries placed on the top and around the sides of the cake.

Dust with icing sugar and serve.


Let me know if you try this!