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Victoria Sponge Cake:
1 3/4 cups (225 grams) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
1 cup (225 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) caster sugar (or superfine white sugar)
4 large eggs (220 grams), at room temperature
1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (20 grams) milk, at room temperature
Filling:
1/4 cup (75 grams) strawberry or raspberry jam
3/4 cup (180 ml/grams) cold heavy whipping cream (cream with a 35-40% butterfat content)
Caster or Powdered Sugar
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Victoria Sponge Cake: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, 2 - 8 inch (23 cm) round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, sift or whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 3 to 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Beat in the milk. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans (440 grams in each pan), smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon or offset spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool (in their pans) for about 15 minutes. Then, one cake at a time, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Remove the parchment paper and let cool completely.
Place one cake layer, top of the cake facing down, onto your serving plate. Spread with the jam.
In a bowl whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream on top of the jam. Then place the second cake layer on top of the cream, top of the cake facing up. Dust the top of the cake with caster or powdered sugar. If not serving right away, cover and refrigerate. This cake can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days.
Serves 10 - 12 people.
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This cake is named after Queen Victoria and goes by the names Victoria Sponge or a Victoria Sandwich Cake. They say Queen Victoria was very fond of serving this cake at Afternoon Tea. Almost every British baking book I looked through has a recipe for this cake. The word "Sandwich" in "Victoria Sandwich" is referring to 'sandwiching' the two layers of cake with jam and sometimes whipped cream. Traditionally you decorate the top of the cake with just a sprinkling of caster or powdered sugar.
Although this cake is called a 'sponge' cake, it is more like a pound cake in taste and texture. The original instructions for making this cake were actually very easy to remember. It went like this: Weigh your eggs (in the shell). Whatever their weight, use an equal weight of butter, sugar, and self raising flour. The recipe given here is pretty close to the original, although I slightly reduced the sugar. And to make things easier for those who use cup measurements, I have given both weight and cup measurements.
Traditionally this cake is filled with either raspberry or strawberry jam. You could use other flavors of jam or you could even fill the cake with lemon curd or even a chocolate hazelnut spread. Another idea during the Summer is to use fresh berries. Adding a layer of whipped cream is optional, although it is how I like it.