The Easiest Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe

I love cake. All cake. But a firm family favourite is a traditional Victoria Sponge. It's light, fluffy, simple and absolutely delicious. And this recipe is so easy. So definitely give it a go.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

3 eggs

The weight of those eggs in: self raising flour, unsalted butter and caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:

50g unsalted butter

120g icing sugar

1-2tbsp milk

1/2 jar strawberry jam

Method:

Cream the sugar and butter with a hand mixer/food mixer/wooden spoon (if you're in for a workout) until light in colour and fluffy.

Sift the flour and baking powder together, then add 1/3 of that and one egg into the sugar/butter combo, mix, then do this two more times until all the flour and eggs are added to the mixture.

Add the vanilla and give the batter one final mix before placing it into two pre-lined 8inch baking tins and levelling off the tops with a palette knife.

Bake the cake for 25-35 mins in an oven pre-heated to 180C (my oven is a fan oven, if yours isn't perhaps try 190-200C).

To test the cake, gently press the top with a clean finger - if the cake springs back, it's ready.

For the filling, cream the butter for 5 minutes with a hand mixer/food mixer until it's super super super pale and light.

Gradually add the icing sugar until it is all combined.

Remove about 1/4 of the icing at this stage, then add the milk until the rest of the icing is lighter and smoother.

Use the thicker 1/4 of the icing to pipe a barrier around the edges of the cooled cake to prevent the thinner icing from escaping, then put the thinner 3/4 of the icing into the middle of the cake and spread out with a palette knife.

Whisk the jam (you can use whatever jam is your favourite, mine is Bonne Maman Strawberry Conserve) and then add it on top of the icing and spread neatly and evenly with a clean palette knife, ensuring that the jam and buttercream don't mix to keep that layered effect.

Put the top layer of the cake on and top with a sprinking of icing sugar/a couple of strawberries/whatever you fancy!

I like using buttercream when I know the whole cake won't be eaten in one sitting, but if I think it will, I love to whip up some double cream and put that in the middle, then add a layer of fresh strawberries and have the cake as a summer dessert. Or alternatively, to make it more wintry, use buttercream but instead of strawberry jam, use blackberry or blueberry jam, or fill the sponge with blueberries. The possibilities are endless!

Tweet me if you try it (@elizabethspetts)!

x ESP