Victoria Sponge Cake

I've read about the Victoria sponge in lots of books, but never got a chance to eat it. I was glad that Sweet and Simple Bakes chose the sponge as its challenge for us novice bakers this month. I loved it and so did the family. It was soft, moist and delicious.

Victoria Sponge Cake (recipe from Sweet and Simple Bakes)

For the Sponge:
6 oz Butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups Caster Sugar
3 Eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour + 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 t Salt

For the Buttercream:
3 oz Butter
6 oz Icing Sugar
2 drops Vanilla Essence

Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
Cream together 6 oz butter at room temperature and 1 1/4 cups caster sugar. The texture should be smooth and creamy.
Add the beaten eggs a little bit at a time and mix very well after each addition.
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into another bowl.
Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture, folding it in carefully, to keep the mixture light and fluffy.

Pour into a large round cake tin or two smaller cake tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cake is golden.

If you made one large cake, cut it into half. I found the easiest way to do this is with a piece of string slid through the cake - knives just don't work since the cake will begin to crumble. Either way, let the cake completely cool before cutting.

Combine all the ingredients together and blend very well to make the buttercream. Spread one side of the cake with jam and the other with buttercream.



I spread half the cake with homemade plantain jam and the other half with blackberry preserve, and topped the jams with buttercream. Sandwich the two halves together. Mmm. Delicious.


Thanks, Rosie and Maria for another winner recipe!