Victoria sponge cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease two 20 cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking paper.
- Put the eggs, 225 g of butter, the sugar, flour, baking powder and milk in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, just until smooth and light.
- Divide the batter between the two tins, level the tops and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch.
- Leave for 5 minutes, turn out and cool completely on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
- For the buttercream, beat 50 g of butter with 100 g of icing sugar and the vanilla until pale and fluffy.
- Place one sponge upside down on a plate, spread with the jam, then the buttercream, top with the second sponge and dust with icing sugar.
Notes
Two soft golden sponges, a layer of raspberry jam, vanilla cream and a veil of icing sugar: Victoria sponge cake is the star of the English afternoon tea. Here is our Victoria sponge cake recipe, simple and quick, with the rule of four equal weights that makes it foolproof.
Victoria sponge cake, a royal origin
The cake is named after Queen Victoria, who reigned over the United Kingdom from 1837 to 1901. After her husband’s death in 1861, she withdrew from public life to the Isle of Wight. It is said that she found pleasure again in afternoon tea gatherings, served with this jam-filled cake. At the same time, afternoon tea was becoming fashionable, and the newly invented baking powder finally made it easy to raise butter cakes.
Today it is the cake of tea rooms, village fêtes and baking competitions across the UK. It is served in generous slices, with a cup of tea and sometimes scones.
The Victoria sponge cake recipe
A Victoria sponge is a butter sponge, close to a pound cake: you use the same weight of eggs, butter, sugar and flour. Four eggs weigh about 225 g, so you weigh 225 g of each of the other ingredients. If your eggs are larger or smaller, weigh them and adjust the rest. It is not a génoise, which is made by whisking eggs with little or no butter.
The easy all-in-one method
For an easy Victoria sponge, use the all-in-one method, made famous in the UK by baker Mary Berry: all the ingredients go into the bowl at once and you beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer. The butter must be very soft and the eggs at room temperature. The classic creaming method, which takes longer, starts by beating the butter and sugar, then adding the eggs one by one and finally the flour. Both give an excellent result.
Tins for Victoria sponge cake
The tin for a Victoria sponge is the sandwich tin: a shallow round tin, 20 cm in diameter. You use two, to bake each sponge separately. This way they bake faster and stay flat, without having to slice the cake in half. If you only have one tin, bake the whole cake for 40 to 45 minutes at 170 °C, then slice it in half horizontally once cool.
Which filling for Victoria sponge cake?
The Victoria sponge filling is a matter of debate in the UK. The strictest version, the one used in baking competitions, contains only raspberry jam. Today most bakers add a vanilla buttercream, as in our recipe, which holds well and keeps at room temperature. Others prefer lighter whipped cream: whip 200 ml of very cold double cream with 1 tablespoon of icing sugar. With whipped cream, the cake should be served quickly and kept chilled.
Jam for Victoria sponge cake
The traditional Victoria sponge jam is raspberry, whose tartness balances the buttery sponge. Strawberry jam is also very common. Choose a fruity jam that isn’t too runny, so it doesn’t drip down the sides. Homemade jam, or jam with pieces of fruit, gives the prettiest result when sliced.
Victoria sponge with strawberries and cream
In summer, make a Victoria sponge with strawberries and cream. Whip 200 ml of double cream with 100 g of mascarpone and 2 tablespoons of icing sugar until firm. Spread strawberry jam over the first sponge, then the cream, and add a layer of fresh strawberries cut in half. Decorate the top with a few strawberries and serve within the hour.
Victoria sponge cake variations
Chocolate Victoria sponge cake
For a chocolate Victoria sponge, replace 40 g of flour with 40 g of unsweetened cocoa powder and add an extra tablespoon of milk. Fill with raspberry jam and a ganache: melt 100 g of dark chocolate in 100 ml of hot cream, then let it thicken before spreading.
Butter-free Victoria sponge cake
For a Victoria sponge without butter, replace the butter in the batter with 180 ml of neutral oil, such as sunflower oil, and add 2 tablespoons of milk. The sponge will be slightly less rich in flavour but very moist. For the filling, choose whipped cream rather than buttercream.
Gluten-free Victoria sponge cake
For a gluten-free Victoria sponge, replace the flour with a mix of 150 g of rice flour, 75 g of cornflour and half a teaspoon of xanthan gum, and use gluten-free baking powder. The sponge is a little more crumbly: let it cool completely before filling.
Mini Victoria sponge cakes
For mini Victoria sponges, bake the batter in a 30 x 40 cm tray for 15 to 18 minutes at 180 °C. Once cool, cut out 7 cm rounds with a cutter, sandwich them in pairs with jam and cream, and dust with icing sugar. Perfect for an elegant afternoon tea. A pinch of cardamom in the batter adds an original note. Find all the spices in our spice guide.
Victoria sponge cake in a Thermomix
With the all-in-one method, a food processor or stand mixer does all the work. Put all the batter ingredients in the bowl and mix for 30 seconds at medium speed, scraping down the sides halfway. Don’t mix any longer, or the cake will be less light. Then make the buttercream the same way, with the whisk attachment.
How to store Victoria sponge cake
Filled with buttercream, Victoria sponge keeps for 2 to 3 days under a cake dome or in an airtight tin at room temperature. With whipped cream, keep it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours, taking it out 20 minutes before serving. The plain sponges freeze very well, well wrapped, for up to 3 months.
More teatime treats
For a complete afternoon tea, also serve our English scones with clotted cream. Do you love British desserts? Try apple crumble, or for a touch of red fruit, panna cotta with red berries.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my Victoria sponge sink?
The oven was opened too early, the cake was underbaked, or the batter contained too much baking powder. Wait at least 20 minutes before opening the door, and check by pressing the centre: the sponge should spring back.
Jam or cream first?
The jam goes directly on the sponge, then the cream on top. That way the jam doesn’t slide and the cream stays visible on the side of the cake.
