Hello Eat Live Run readers!
My name’s Angharad and I write the blog Eating for England , where you’ll find delicious recipes and tales of my food experiences growing up in England and living, as I do now, in the United States.
The recipe I’m going to share with you today is a classic British cake, the Victoria sponge. It’s named after Queen Victoria and is often served at afternoon teas in England. If hosting afternoon tea isn’t on your typical weekend agenda, fear not; this is an excellent every day cake.
It’s light and airy making it dangerously easy to eat a huge slice of. The layers of jam and cream sandwiched between the two cake layers make it perfectly sweet.
The Victoria Sponge is often overlooked for flashier cakes these days but I love it for its simplicity and elegance. It’s modest, sweet, and quintessentially British. I hope you enjoy it!
Victoria Sponge Cake
makes 2 cake layers to yield one sandwich cake
Ingredients:
knob of butter, melted
1 cup (8oz) butter, softened
1 cup (8oz) sugar
4 large free-range eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (8oz) all-purpose flour, sifted (you may need a bit extra)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
For the filling:
strawberry jam
1 cup heavy whipping cream, lightly whipped
To serve:
powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Gently heat the knob of butter in a pan and brush two 8 inch cake tins with the melted butter. Line the bottom of the two cake tins with a circle of greaseproof paper.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, using an electric whisk or a wooden spoon. Beat well to ensure you get lots of air into the mixture.
Beat in the eggs one at a time. You want to avoid the mixture curdling, so that it stays airy. If it does curdle, add a tbsp of flour.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients using a large metal spoon (this will cut into the mixture better than a wooden spoon). Be careful not to over-mix it. Pour the mixture equally between the two cake tins and level.
Place in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cakes are well-risen, spring back when pressed gently with a finger and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack and let cool completely, about an hour.
Sandwich the cakes together with the jam and whipped cream. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Hello Eat Live Run readers!
My name’s Angharad and I write the blog Eating for England , where you’ll find delicious recipes and tales of my food experiences growing up in England and living, as I do now, in the United States.
The recipe I’m going to share with you today is a classic British cake, the Victoria sponge. It’s named after Queen Victoria and is often served at afternoon teas in England. If hosting afternoon tea isn’t on your typical weekend agenda, fear not; this is an excellent every day cake.
It’s light and airy making it dangerously easy to eat a huge slice of. The layers of jam and cream sandwiched between the two cake layers make it perfectly sweet.
The Victoria Sponge is often overlooked for flashier cakes these days but I love it for its simplicity and elegance. It’s modest, sweet, and quintessentially British. I hope you enjoy it!
Victoria Sponge Cake
makes 2 cake layers to yield one sandwich cake
Ingredients:
knob of butter, melted
1 cup (8oz) butter, softened
1 cup (8oz) sugar
4 large free-range eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (8oz) all-purpose flour, sifted (you may need a bit extra)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
For the filling:
strawberry jam
1 cup heavy whipping cream, lightly whipped
To serve:
powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Gently heat the knob of butter in a pan and brush two 8 inch cake tins with the melted butter. Line the bottom of the two cake tins with a circle of greaseproof paper.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, using an electric whisk or a wooden spoon. Beat well to ensure you get lots of air into the mixture.
Beat in the eggs one at a time. You want to avoid the mixture curdling, so that it stays airy. If it does curdle, add a tbsp of flour.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients using a large metal spoon (this will cut into the mixture better than a wooden spoon). Be careful not to over-mix it. Pour the mixture equally between the two cake tins and level.
Place in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cakes are well-risen, spring back when pressed gently with a finger and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack and let cool completely, about an hour.
Sandwich the cakes together with the jam and whipped cream. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.