Food & Drink

Described as one of Mary Berry’s “favourite” cakes to bake, she reminisced that the Victoria Sponge started her love for cooking cakes.

“For my first job for the Electricity Board, I would visit people in their homes and teach them how to use their ovens by cooking this fabulous cake,” Mary Berry said.

“The all-in-one method makes it one of the simplest cakes to make. I feel it is the most healing of cakes to make, too.”

There is one thing you must do to make this recipe correctly, however, which is measuring correctly.

A Victoria sponge needs the exact correct amount of ingredients to turn out deliciously well.

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Victoria sponge recipe

Serves: eight

Ingredients

For the sponge:

  • 225g (8oz) baking spread, straight from the fridge, plus extra for greasing
  • 225g (8oz) caster sugar
  • Four eggs
  • 225g (8oz) self-raising flour
  • One level tsp baking powder

Filling and topping:

  • Half × 370g jar strawberry jam
  • 300ml (half pint) pouring double cream, whipped
  • A little caster sugar, to sprinkle

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Lightly grease two 20cm (8in) deep loose-bottomed sandwich tins and line the bases with non-stick baking paper.

2. Measure the sponge ingredients into a large bowl, or freestanding mixer, and beat for about two minutes with an electric whisk until smooth and lighter in colour.

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3. Divide the mixture between the tins and level the tops. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until well-risen and golden (and the cakes are shrinking away from the sides of the tins). The tops of the cakes should spring back when pressed lightly with a finger.

4. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for a few moments, then run a palette knife around the edge of the tins to free the sides. Turn the cakes out, then peel off the paper and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

5. Choose the cake with the best top and spread the underside with jam. Put the other cake top downwards on a serving plate. Spread this cake carefully with the whipped cream. Sit the other cake on top (jam side touching the cream).

6. Sprinkle with sugar and cut into slices to serve.

While a Victoria sponge cake can be kept fresh in a fridge, it must be served at room temperature.

Do note that the baking spread should be kept in the fridge until needed in the recipe.

If you do not have baking spread, then soft butter is a great alternative.

However, be prepared to notice less lightness if you use soft butter instead of baking spread.

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