Mastering the art of a homemade Victoria sponge is easier said than done with two important components to balance. First, the vanilla sponges should be light and fluffy without crumbling, and the icing should be creamy and sweet – but not too much. There are endless recipes out there for this British teatime classic, but Matt Webster, food and flavour expert at Seasoned Pioneers has one that guarantees a perfectly proportioned and delicious Victoria sandwich cake.
Sharing his recipe exclusively with Express.co.uk, Matt said: “This simple recipe is something the whole family can enjoy! “The key to a perfect light and fluffy sponge cake is to make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin, as cold ingredients will lead to a dense and heavy cake. If you want to minimise the sweetness of the sugar and bring out the creaminess of the buttercream, just add a small pinch of salt.”
Victoria sponge is typically made with jam and buttercream sandwiched between two vanilla cakes (Image: Getty)
Victoria sponge cake recipe
Ingredients
200g unsalted butter, softened
200g caster sugar
Four large eggs
One vanilla pod
200g self-raising flour
One teaspoon of baking powder
Two tablespoons milk
Strawberries (to garnish)
For the filling
Four tablespoons raspberry or strawberry jam
100g butter
200g icing sugar
Method
Preheat your oven to 180C and grease and line two round cake tins with baking paper. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder into the mixture and gently fold it in until well combined. Next, add the milk and the seeds from the vanilla pod, and mix gently until the batter is smooth.
Divide the batter evenly between the two cake tins and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes.
To make the buttercream beat together the 100g butter and 200g icing sugar until light and fluffy. Once the cakes are completely cool, spread the jam over the bottom layer, followed by the buttercream. Place the second cake layer on top and decorate it with a sprinkle of icing sugar and strawberries.
