Victoria Sponge cake is a classic British cake made of two layers of soft and buttery sponge cake, sandwiched together with a layer of jam and whipped cream.
This light and airy cake is a staple of British afternoon tea and is perfect for any occasion, from birthdays to weddings.
Get ready to indulge in this deliciously simple and elegant dessert that has been enjoyed for over a century.
Victoria Sponge cake was made popular in the Victorian times in the U.K. and named after Queen Victoria, and its lead to believe her majesty was very fond of this particular cake.
It would be served for afternoon tea when ladies & gentlemen would take tea, sandwiches and cake for refreshments before their evening meal to bridge that hunger gap!
Rosie, of Rosie bakes a “peace” of cake and Maria, of The Goddess’s Kitchen, have created Sweet and Simple Bakes, and each month they host a different event giving a recipe which we have to recreate and blog about it, sharing our experiences.
What a great way to celebrate my blog’s first anniversary!
In such a short time and I’ve made so many blogging friends. Thank you all for visit my blog!
As you may have understood by now, I hate following instructions but this time I read the instructions several times to be sure that I understood everything.
I did not have 2 x 20 cm tins but I did have some tins in which I do not usually bake in, but I use them to roast nuts in and as they were the right size I decided to use them, so I had them both lined and ready to use.
I followed the instructions but when I finished the procedure the mixture didn’t seem enough for me.
I emptied the mixture into one of the baking tins but as I thought that it would be just a small cake, I decided to make another one.
I had already packed the scale and put all the ingredients away.
I was frustrated as I had to start from the beginning.
The oven was already hot and the temperature outside was about 40 degrees making baking intolerable, although I had the air condition on.
So I decided to get done with it the soonest possible, just adding the ingredients by heart, without the use of the scale.
I don’t know why but I also decided to add some cocoa in it but as I did not have any, I added two spoonfuls of drinking chocolate.
When I emptied the second one in the tin, I thought it was too much for each tin, so I decided to remove a little bit from each tin and made a little one as well.
While the second one waw baking, I prepared the buttercream.
When they cooled down I cut the sponge cakes in the middle to make four layers, alternating the vanilla and chocolate layers.
I spread some buttercream and some jam on each layer.
Finally, I sprinkled some icing sugar on top, et voilà.
I still had the third sponge cake and some buttermilk left but it was not enough so I decided to make some trifle.
What is a trifle?
A trifle is a dessert that typically consists of layers of cake, fruit (such as berries or sliced fruit), custard, and whipped cream.
It is a popular dessert in English and American cuisine and is often served at holidays and special occasions.
The ingredients are layered in a glass bowl or trifle dish, with each layer arranged in a visually appealing way.
Trifles may also include other ingredients such as jelly or jam, sherry, or liqueur.
The dessert is often chilled before serving and can be garnished with additional whipped cream or fruit.
I had some cream cheese and a whipping cream in the refrigerator, so I added the cream cheese into the buttercream and combined them and whipped them together.
I whipped the whipping cream separately but instead of adding icing sugar in it, I added two spoonfuls of jam.
The third smaller sponge cake I cut into three pieces. I put the first piece in a glass bowl and wet it with strawberry liqueur. I then added some cream and whipping cream and continued with the remaining layers.
I think I’ve learned a lesson and I shall try next time to be patient with baking.
Nevertheless, tastewise, they were both great and children loved them, so all’s well that ends well!
How to make the Victoria Sandwich Cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl using a wooden spoon or mixer until the mixture is pale in colour and light and fluffy. This can take up to 5 minutes or more to achieve depending on if you are using a wooden spoon or mixer.
- Add the beaten egg, a teaspoon at a time, beating well after each addition *see my top tip above*Sift the flour and salt and carefully add to the mixture, folding in with a metal spoon or spatula.
- Divide the mixture equally between the tins and smooth over with a spatula.
- Place the tins on the same shelf in the centre of the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until well risen, golden brown and beginning to shrink from the sides of the tin.
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 3 – 5 minutes
- Loosen the cakes from around the edge of the tins using a palette knife. Turn the cakes out onto a clean tea towel, remove the paper and invert them onto a wire rack (this prevents the wire rack from marking the top of the cakes).
- When completely cool, spread the jam on the bottom sponge and place the 2nd sponge on top to sandwich them together. To finish off, sprinkle the top of the cake with caster sugar.
- If you wish to add the optional buttercream, add the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Spread the buttercream carefully over the jam.
Victoria Sponge Cake and Trifle
Victoria Sponge cake is a classic British cake made of two layers of soft and buttery sponge cake, sandwiched together with a layer of jam and whipped cream. See how I made the trifle in the post.
Ingredients
For The sponge:
- 175 gr. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 175 gr. caster sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 175 gr. self-raising flour
- Pinch of salt
For The Filling:
- 4-6 tbsp strawberry jam, or your own choice of flavour
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
Buttercream (optional):
- 75 gr. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 175 gr. icing sugar
- Few drops of vanilla extract
Instructions
- You will need 2 sandwich tins (cake pans) 2 x 20cm (8 in) with depth of at least 5cm (2 in). Grease and base line the bottom of the tins with greaseproof paper or baking paper.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl using a wooden spoon or mixer until the mixture is pale in colour and light and fluffy. This can take up to 5 minutes or more to achieve depending on if you are using a wooden spoon or mixer.
- Add the beaten egg, a teaspoon at a time, beating well after each addition *see my top tip above*Sift the flour and salt and carefully add to the mixture, folding in with a metal spoon or spatula.
- Divide the mixture equally between the tins and smooth over with a spatula.
- Place the tins on the same shelf in the centre of the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until well risen, golden brown and beginning to shrink from the sides of the tin.
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 3 – 5 minutes. Loosen the cakes from around the edge of the tins using a palette knife. Turn the cakes out onto a clean tea towel, remove the paper and invert them onto a wire rack (this prevents the wire rack from marking the top of the cakes).
- When completely cool, spread the jam on the bottom sponge and place the 2nd sponge on top to sandwich them together. To finish off, sprinkle the top of the cake with caster sugar.
- If you wish to add the optional buttercream, add the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Spread the buttercream carefully over the jam.
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 538Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 110mgSodium 262mgCarbohydrates 82gFiber 1gSugar 59gProtein 4g
"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."
Birthday Cakes
If you want some inspiration to make a Birthday Cake, here are a few more cakes I have made!
Chocolate Peppermint Almond Cake)
Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
Salted Caramel Lemon Poppy Pound Cake
A moist, buttery and subtly flavoured lemon sponge, with pastry cream between the layers and topped with salted caramel and whipped cream.
Strawberry Red Velvet Cake
An amazing red velvet cake sandwiched with strawberry cream cheese filling and topped with cream cheese frosting.
Two Tier Valentine’s Cake
This Valentine's Dark Chocolate Cake is rich and delicious. It is super moist, filled with cream cheese, whipped cream and sour cherries and gets all its flavour from the sour cherries.
White Chocolate Genoise Sponge Cake with Caramelized Bananas
This spicy white chocolate cake is made with a Genoise, filled with cream cheese, whipped cream, white chocolate and spicy poached grapes and decorated with caramelized bananas and dark chocolate.
Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Cake
Ferrero Rocher is a cake made with chocolate sponge, filled with a cream cheese chocolate ferrero rocher filling and topped with chocolate ganache.
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!
Rei
Wednesday 3rd of September 2008
Congrats on the award and happy anniversary! What a great idea to add chocolate to this cake! Must have tasted really good!
Cecily
Tuesday 2nd of September 2008
Wow ...Ivy ...great site! Congrats to you on getting the awards .... they really motivate you to continue blogging too :-) Happy blog anniversary and to many more! It's a great idea to have chocolate in this recipe too. It must taste yummy :-)
Maria
Monday 1st of September 2008
Hi Ivy
Loving your new blog and congratulations on your blog anniversary and this well deserved award!
Your cake looks so delicious and love how you added chocolate. Thanks so much for taking part and hoping you will join us in our next bake!
Maria x
Ivy
Monday 1st of September 2008
Thanks Maria and looking forward to the new challenge.
Ivy
Monday 1st of September 2008
Thanks Amu.