Victoria sponge cakes, sometimes also known as a Victoria sandwich, are one of the most popular cake options in the UK.
They are made up of two vanilla sponges caked together with a thick layer of fresh cream or buttercream and jam in the middle.
They are sometimes made with raspberry jam or strawberry jam, but are so versatile and can be catered to anyone’s preferences.
Mary’s recipe, available on BBC Good Food, serves 12 people and takes less than an hour from start to finish.
The notes said: “Mary Berry’s easy Victoria sponge cake recipe is a baking classic and a tasty tea-time treat.”
Ingredients:
For the cake:
Four free-range eggs
225g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour
Two teaspoons of baking powder
225g butter, at room temperature
To serve:
Strawberry or raspberry jam
Whipped double cream
Method:
Start by preheating your oven to 180C or 160C Fan before greasing and lining two 20cm sandwich tins.
Then, break the eggs into a large mixing bowl and add in the sugar, flour, baking powder and butter.
Mix the ingredients until they are well combined using an electric hand mixer or wooden spoon, being careful not to over-mix.
Mary recommended putting a damp cloth under the bowl to stop it from moving around whilst mixing.
You’ll know when the batter is ready to be put into the tins because it should be light in colour and fall off of a spoon easily.
Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.
Place them into the preheated oven for 25 minutes, checking them from 20 minutes onwards. The cakes are done when they’re golden brown and coming away from the edge of the tins.
Set aside to cool in their tins for five minutes before running a palette or rounded knife around the inside edge of the tins and carefully turn them onto a cooling rack.
To assemble the cakes, place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with plenty of jam. If using, now top it with the whipped double cream.
Top with the second cake, top-side up and sprinkle some caster sugar or icing sugar on top before serving
These cakes can be frozen for up to six months by simply wrapping them in clingfilm once cooled.
When defrosting, allow them to come back to room temperature on your kitchen side before filling.
