Is there anything more classically British then a Victoria Sponge cake? It just screams afternoon tea and women’s institute. It’s a cake that can be seen as basic and boring, but it’s a classic for a reason, it’s absolutely delicious, and so so easy to make! Once you have mastered the Vicky sponge, you have learnt the basics of cake making, as it contains the golden ratio of ingredients and comes together in a method widely used by many cakes. 

So why not go back to basics and learn some core skills and reap the results in the way of a tasty treat! 

Ingredients 

200 g self-raising flour

200 g caster sugar

200 g softened butter

4 eggs, beaten

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

For the Buttercream

200 g butter, softened

240 g icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 to 2 tbs milk

1 pinch salt

For the Strawberry quick jam

400 g frozen strawberries

100 g sugar 

1 lemon, juiced and zest peeled

 icing sugar, to decorate

Method 

1 – 

Pre-heat your oven to 170 degrees C. Grease and line two 20 cm/8” cake tins and set aside. Sift together your flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. 

2 – 

In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat 200 g caster sugar with 200 g softened butter until very pale and fluffy, stopping regularly to scrape down any unincorporated butter. This should take about 5 mins. You can also do this in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer if you do not have a stand mixer.

3 – 

To the above mixture, add your eggs and flour bit by bit, alternating between the two, starting and ending with the flour. Once all incorporated, stop and scrape down the bowl and add your milk and vanilla. Mix briefly to combine into a thick smooth batter. Be careful not to over mix. 

4 - 

Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and level the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

5 - 

Bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed and a toothpick, when inserted into the middle, comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. After 10 mins, remove the cake from the tins to prevent sticking. 

For the butter cream 

1 - 

In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat your softened butter on medium speed using a paddle attachment for 3 to 5 minutes until pale and fluffy

2 - 

Once the butter is pale (go until it is almost white) and fluffy, add half of your icing sugar and mix on low to prevent a cloud of sugar going everywhere. Once mostly mixed in, beat again on high for 1 minute before adding and repeating this with the remaining icing sugar. Once all combined, stop to scrape down the bowl to capture any unmixed butter, add the salt, vanilla and milk. Add your milk 1 tsb at a time until you have a very smooth buttercream and then beat on high speed for 2 to 3 mins to make a super fluffy and pale buttercream. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to decorate. This can be kept in the fridge covered for up to 1 week or up to 1 month in the freezer. When ready to use again, thaw to room temp and beat briefly, adding a splash of milk to smooth out if needs be. You can then use it as normal. 

For the Strawberry quick jam

1 – 

Start by placing a small plate or bowl in the freezer to chill. We will need this to test the thickness of the finished jam.

2 – 

Place the frozen strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally. Once the strawberries are starting to break down, turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 to 10 mins until thick and reduced. You can test that the jam is ready by placing a small drop on a plate that has been chilled - if the jam sets thick, it’s ready. 

3 – 

Remove the jam from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl/dish to cool. Once cool, remove the lemon zest, cover and place in the fridge. This jam will last up to 3 months in the fridge in an air-tight container.

To assemble

 1 -

Place one of your cakes on a cake stand or platter of your choice and using a piping bag with a large round tip, pipe even blobs of butter cream about 2-3 cm high around the perimeter of the cake, and then continue piping to fill the centre making sure all the cake is covered. 

 2 -

Once the cake is covered in buttercream, again using a piping bag, top the buttercream with your jam, letting it fill the gaps in the blobs and drizzle out a little, remember the filling will ooze our more once the top layer of cake is added. 

 3 -

Once happy with the filling, take your second cake (with the parchment removed) and lay it bottom (flat side) up on top and centred on the bottom later and press gentle to ensure it is stuck down. Liberally dust the top with icing sugar, slice and serve! This cake can be kept in an airtight container for 3-4 days.