Traditional Victoria Sponge Cake

Here is the best Victoria Sponge Cake recipe that I’ve found and can get all the ingredients for in the US. This is taken from The Guardian using Felicity Cloake’s perfect Victoria sponge cake recipe. The key to this recipe is weighing everything out perfectly and making sure everything is the right temperature. I actually managed to curdle the butter and egg mixture but found a neat trick to fix that problem which I’ll make a separate post about because I think it’s genius! We enjoyed this with a glass of Arthur Metz, Cremant D’Alsace, a nice crisp and light sparkling, which we picked up at Total Wine for no more than $20!

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs, weighed in their shells
• The same weight of soft lightly salted butter, caster sugar and self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• Generous pinch salt
• 2 tbsp milk
• 5 tbsp raspberry jam (or preserves) 
• extra icing 
• For the buttercream:
• 100g butter, softened (I used European style butter)
• 200g icing sugar
• 75 ml double cream (heavy whipping cream in the US)
• raspberries for decoration (optional)

 

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line the base of two 8in cake tins with parchment paper.

• Put the butter and sugar into a food mixer, or use a hand mixer to combine until light and really fluffy – this should take a good couple of minutes. 

• Scrape down the sides, beat the eggs together, then add them to the mixture a little at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl down to make sure everything is mixed in properly. (This is where my mix scrambled and I had to fix it).

• Fold in the flour, baking powder and 1/2tsp salt, then add enough milk so that the mixture drops easily off a spoon, but does not run off. Divide evenly between the tins, smooth the top and put in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and well risen: a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.

• Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then put, flat-side down, on a wire rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, make the buttercream by beating the butter until light and fluffy, then adding the sugar and cream and a pinch of salt. Beat together well, then set aside until the cake is cool.

• To assemble the cake place one cake onto a plate or stand (I use a card disk to be able to move the cake around easily), and spread generously with jam. Top with a layer of buttercream, place some raspberries on the outer rim on the buttercream about half an inch apart, then add the second cake, flat-side down. Dust the top with sieved icing sugar. 

• As always, enjoy!