Basic Victoria Sponge Recipe

                                   A basic jam & cream Victoria Sandwich Sponge

I know you'll find many fancy recipes of mine on here but I know that some of you may prefer an easy recipe to start your adventures into baking.

This is a very basic but still delicious sponge cake.  You can add your own flavours to it,  ...make it lemon or orange with the addition of the zest. Make it chocolate or coffee with a little cocoa or coffee. You can also make around 12/16 fairy cakes with the same mixture.

* For the gluten intolerant
This also works well using gluten-free  self raising flour...Asda stock a really good one. I've also made it using rice flour with the suitable gluten-free baking powder.  

Once you've mastered the basic cake the world's your oyster

Advice :-

Buy yourself a good set of kitchen scales....manual or digital. It's far more reliable than the cup system but if you prefer to measure click onto this link Easy Conversion Chart

Buy yourself a good set of heavy duty sandwich tins.....they'll last you a life time.  Mine are 7½" / 20 cm round  or thereabouts.

This mix will make around 12/16 cupcakes if you prefer to make smaller cakes. 

Grease your tins and line the bottom with a ring of baking parchment

Always let your eggs and other ingredients come to room temperature....makes for a much lighter cake

Check your oven...use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is reading true

Flour....do not use old self raising flour...it loses it's rising power and buy a decent cake flour.   I use Homepride, I can't recommend it highly enough
Make sure that you use fresh Baking Powder not something that's been lurking in the cupboard for months...it loses it's raising capabilities when stale.

Don't think that a mixer is necessary....a wooden spoon and some elbow grease will do nicely.

Ok..... for a regular two layers you will require 6oz/ 175 gms of the main ingredients below

Softened Butter or Baking Margarine ( I always use Stork)

Sifted Self Raising Flour * see above

1 level tsp of baking powder

Caster....superfine sugar +

3 Large eggs...... beaten (must be room temp)

1 tsp vanilla extract   ( leave out if you are using any other flavourings)

maybe a little milk to bring to a dropping consistency but do not add until you test the batter

I filled mine with Raspberry Jam & Piped whipped double cream

Method

Add everything except the milk to your mixing bowl

Mix everything together with a hand mixer or by hand until well combined. Do not over beat

This mix should be of a dropping consistency.  By this I mean that it should drop off your wooden spoon quite easily. Just add little milk if the batter is really thick.

Divide the batter equally between the two prepared tins & level it out.  Tap the tins lightly on your work surface, this will remove any large air bubbles 

Bake in the centre of the oven at 180c/ 350f /gas mark 4 until well risen, golden and springy to the touch

remove from the oven....   leave for a few minutes....take out of the tin....revert them onto a wire rack so that the top of the cake is facing the ceiling.

Leave to cool completely.....remove the parchment paper.

Fill as required

Just dust with Caster or Icing sugar or decorate as you want

Plum jam & almond 

For my almond version.....add 1½tsp almond extract to the batter

and ½tsp almond extract and ½tsp vanilla extract to a butter cream filling

I filled mine with homemade plum jam and sprinkled over some toasted almond flakes to finish

                                     This one has raspberry jam & vanilla butter cream