Ah, don´t we all just love a good baking classic?! And Victoria Sponge Cake, or Victoria Sandwich Cake, is probably THE MOST ICONIC British cake out there! We really need to thank Queen Victoria for this – what´s not to love? Two layers of light sponge cake sandwiched with jam and freshly whipped cream?! No complaints here!
Plus, Victoria Sponge Cake is extremely quick and easy to make, perfect if you are new to baking or just want a speedy cake you can whip up for friends and family.
The Makings of a Victoria Sponge Cake
I´m pretty sure everyone knows what a classic Victoria Sponge Cake looks like and what the main components are. If not – where the hell have you been living?
The three key components of the Victoria Sponge Cake are a light vanilla sponge, jam and cream. The flavourings or types of these components can vary slightly, so I will give you a run-down of all the different options available to you.
THE SPONGE
Let´s start off with the sponge. If you ask me, this is the component one can meddle with least if you want to still be able to call the cake a Victoria Sponge Cake. I´m sorry, but whilst making a chocolate might be nice, it´s then no longer a Victoria Sponge but a Chocolate Sponge Cake/Sandwich Cake, what-have-you-not instead! No, for this classic you really need to stick to a plain sponge, with an optional little bit of vanilla extract if you want.
Whilst many recipes might ask you to follow a creaming method, I´m personally a much greater fan of the all-in-one method which I have used in my recipe below! It works really well, there is no risk of the mixture curdling, and as everything goes into one bowl, there´s less washing up to do, too! Win-win! You can read more about the all-in-one method and other cake making methods in my baking basics post!
JAM
Again, I´d say in order to call your cake a classic Victoria Sponge, the jam you use must be a red jam, either strawberry or raspberry. Of course, you could use any other jam of your choosing, but those would be the most traditional. Raspberry is my personal preference!
Of course, you can make life easy for yourself and just use a couple of tablespoons of shop-bought jam. But why not challenge yourself and go the extra mile of making your own?!! It takes hardly any time at all and is a lot easier than you might think! All it takes are some fresh or frozen raspberries/strawberries, some jam sugar and a little water!
CREAM FILLING
Here is where recipes can often differ – the filling! A Victoria Sponge Cake is either filled with fresh whipped cream, or you can use a layer of buttercream to sandwich the two cakes together! The choice is yours, but I prefer a fresh cream filling. I think it is a much “lighter” option, adds a little “moistness” to the cake and is a better filling for cake if you are serving it in the summer. For tips on making the whipped cream filling, check out this baking basics post on How to make Chantilly Cream.
However, if you are more of a buttercream fan, feel free to make a quick buttercream instead of the whipped cream filling in the recipe below. For a quick and easy buttercream recipe, check out my baking basics post on How to make Buttercream (Normal, Dairy-free or Vegan). I think using 150g of butter and 300g of icing sugar will give you the right quantity of buttercream to sandwich together the two cakes in this recipe.
More British Baking Classics
British baking is full of classics that are made up and down a country and loved by (almost) everyone! And there´s a good reason for that – they are blooming delicious! Make sure you give some of the other recipes below a try – you won´t regret it!
- Mary Berry´s Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Chocolate Digestive Biscuits
- Bakewell Tart with Feathered Icing
- Ginger Nut Biscuits
- Mini Custard Tarts
- Classic Fruit Scones with Orange Zest
- Spiced Carrot Cake
- Traditional Scottish Shortbread
- Cheddar Cheese and Chive Scones
- Easy Classic Trifle
- Christmas Mince Pies
- Hot Cross Buns with Extra Fruit and Spice
Victoria Sponge Cake | British Baking Classic
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE JAM:
- 200g fresh or frozen raspberries
- 50g jam sugar
FOR THE SPONGE CAKE:
- 225g butter, softened
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING:
- 150ml double cream, well chilled
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/vanilla bean paste
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
- 2x 20cm round sandwich tins
- Small saucepan
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand-held electric whisk (or wooden spoon)
Method:
- Start by preparing the jam. Place the raspberries and jam sugar into a small saucepan and mash the raspberries using a potato masher. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil and leave the mixture to boil for about 8-10 minutes until thickened. Pour into a shallow dish to cool.
- Next, preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease two 20cm sandwich tins and line the base with baking paper.
- To make the cake, weigh all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand-held whisk (or a wooden spoon if your arms are up for it!) to mix all the ingredients together into a thick, smooth batter. Mix until well combined but don´t be tempted to over mix.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins (about 440g of batter in each tin) and level the surface.
- Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, starting to shrink away from the edges and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes, then turn out and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cakes have cooled and the jam has set, you can prepare the whipped cream filling. Place the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla into a mixing bowl (it helps to chill the bowl and the beaters, too. For more tips check my baking basics post here) and whisk until stiff.
- Place one cake onto the serving plate (you might have to cut off some of the top to level the surface) and spread the cooled jam over it. Then gently spoon or pipe the whipped cream on top, taking it almost to the edge of the cake. Place the second cake on top and press down gently, making sure the cream doesn´t ooze out between the cakes.
- Dust the Victoria Sponge Cake with icing sugar to serve.
