Victoria Sponge Cake is a two layer easy-to-make cake. It is airy in texture and filled with a layer of jam and whipped cream. This traditional English cake is served at tea time. This recipe uses very few and basic baking ingredients. If you are a baking amateur then this cake recipe is best place to start. The traditional recipe uses raspberry jam but I have used strawberry jam for filling. For the convenience I have baked the cake in one tin as opposed to baking in two separate tins.
I tasted this British classic Victoria Sponge cake at a tea room in the UK. I am mighty lucky to have spent 3 years relishing traditional bakes in land of cakes and scones. My British friends would often bake this cake for our tea time gatherings. I would always reach for an extra slice. So I had to borrow this recipe from my sewing instructor & friend Sheila. I enjoy baking but I am not a great baker yet, but I have managed to master this quintessential English cake recipe over the last 6 years.
If you are kick starting your baking journey then definitely give this recipe a go. Its super easy to make, uses minimum ingredients and yields delicious results.
Why is Victoria Sponge Cake Called A Victoria Sponge Cake?
This cake is named after Queen Victoria as she used to enjoy a slice with her afternoon tea. It is also known as a Victoria Sandwich Cake as a layer of jam and whipped cream and sandwiched between two sponges. The cake is finished with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.
Tips to make a perfect Cake
To make the sponge you need only 7 ingredients – butter, flour, powdered sugar, eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract and milk
- Butter : Make sure you use unsalted soften butter at room temperature . If the butter is too soft, it becomes oily resulting in a heavy dense cake.
- Eggs: I have used large eggs at room temperature.
- Milk: is a trick ingredient that helps in achieving a perfect fluffy sponge. If you notice the mixture is too thick add milk.
Its important to use room temperature ingredients – butter, eggs ,milk as they combine together very easily since they are warmer, creating a smooth evenly textured batter. Cold ingredients do not emulsify together.
- All purpose flour: Sift the flour as it adds air and makes the cake light in texture.
- Sugar : I have used homemade powdered sugar, you can use caster sugar, icing sugar or even granulated sugar for this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract : This is an optional ingredient but adds a wonderful flavor.
Avoid overmixing the batter to prevent it from curdling. Over mixing significantly affects the texture of the cake.
Give the cake enough time to bake, opening the oven multiple times will reduce the cooking heat and ultimately lengthen the baking time and cause the cake to sink in the center.
Make sure you do not over bake the cake, it results in dry cakes. Check the cake is done within 1-2 minutes of recommended baking time. Insert a skewer in the cake, if it comes put clean then your cake is well baked.
If you cake has a domed top make sure you level it out using a knife. Domed tops occur if too much raising agent is used, if the cake tin is smaller than the recipe recommends or if the oven temperature is too high.
