Dear Eric: The other day I set out to conquer one of my bucket-list items, namely to bake a Victoria sponge cake. I鈥檝e watched the Great British Bake Off to see if Mary Berry will list it, but to no avail. I鈥檝e read many recipes and some have just slightly different ingredients. Some show the cake to have whipping cream, but the recipe I tried had butter cream and strawberry jam. Eric, I need your assistance in helping me get over this hurdle of my tiny 鈥渂ucket list.鈥�
Hazel
Victoria sponge cake is named after Queen Victoria, who was said to be fond of this sweet treat. In brief, it sees two rounds of sponge cake sandwiched with a filling, which is why this dessert is also known as a Victoria sandwich.
As Hazel noted in her query, there are slight differences in recipes for it. Before I talk about them, though, if you are not aware of it, the Great British Bake Off is a popular BBC television baking contest being shown in North America. The final episode of the contest airs tonight at 7 p.m. on KCTS (PBS).
One of that show鈥檚 judges is British celebrity Mary Berry, who is well-known for her cakes, especially her Victoria sponge.
On that note, you can find a recipe for her version of it on the BBC website,
Her cake is similar to other English recipes I found for it, in that the batter contains eggs, caster sugar, self-raising flour, baking powder and butter. Those recipes differ in how the ingredients are blended.
For example, some recipes ask you to cream the butter and sugar first, then beat in the eggs, and then mix in the dry ingredients. Other recipes, such as Berry鈥檚, ask you to beat the eggs, and then simply add everything else and beat until a smooth batter is formed.
Just so you know, caster sugar in Canada is called extra-fine (berry) sugar. It鈥檚 sold alongside regular granulated sugar in supermarkets. Extra-fine sugar dissolves quickly, making it great for cakes if you desire a finer crumb, such as Victoria sponge.
With regard to self-raising flour, it鈥檚 simply regular flour that has baking powder and salt mixed into it. You can buy bags of it in Canada, but it鈥檚 not used as frequently here as it is in England.
Another thing you鈥檒l notice in British recipes for Victoria sponge and other baked goods is that key dry ingredients, such as sugar and flour, are listed by weight, such as 200 grams caster sugar.
However, 91原创 home cooks most often use volume measures for those ingredients. That has been our habit for decades, as few homes have accurate baking scales.
For that reason, using Berry鈥檚 recipe as a guide, I adapted my recipe to use volume measures.
Also, instead of using self-raising flour, I decided to use regular flour, which most 91原创 homes have at the ready, and added extra baking powder to my batter to match the amount in self-raising flour.
Berry鈥檚 cake is filled with strawberry or raspberry jam, and she also gives the option to fill it with whipped cream. I did that in my recipe, as well, but gave Hazel the option to replace the whipped cream with butter-cream icing, which is featured in other British recipes I found for the cake.
Victoria sponge cake is not difficult to make and is a lovely sweet treat. I鈥檓 sure Hazel will have no problem making it and it will soon be off her bucket list.
Victoria Sponge Cake
Two rich, buttery cakes sandwiched together with sweet jam and your choice of whipped cream or butter-cream icing. Serve with tea and toast the Queen.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 23 to 24 minutes
Makes: 10 to 12 servings
For the cakes:
鈥� soft butter for greasing (see Note)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup extra-fine (berry) sugar
1 cup soft butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
11鈦�2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
1鈦�2 tsp salt
For the filling and to finish:
1鈦�2 cup raspberry, strawberry or other berry-rich jam
1鈦�2 cup whipping cream, whipped
鈥� fresh raspberries or strawberries,
to taste (optional)
鈥� extra-fine (berry) sugar or icing sugar, to taste
Set an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 375 F (use regular heat, not convection). Grease two eight-inch (20 cm) round cake tins with butter. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of each pan and set them there.
Place the eggs in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Or place eggs in large bowl and use a hand-mixer for mixing.) Beat the eggs until the yolks and whites are well blended.
Add the 1 cup sugar, 1 cup soft butter, flour, baking powder and salt. Beat well until you have a smooth batter with no flecks of butter in it. Evenly divide the batter between the two cake tins and smooth the surface with a spatula.
Bake the cakes in the centre of the oven for 23 to 24 minutes, or until golden and they spring back when very lightly touched in the centre.
Cool the cakes in their pans on a baking rack for 20 minutes. Now run a paring knife around the outside of each cake to loosen in from the cake tin.
Carefully unmould each cake onto the baking rack. Turn each cake over so each is sitting domed-side-up. Now cool the cakes to room temperature. (Cakes
can be made to this point up to 24 hours before needed.)
To finish, place one cake on a cake plate. Spread the top of that cake with the jam. Now top and spread the jam with the whipped cream. Set on the second cake, domed-side-up, and gently press the two cakes together.
If desired, decorate the top of the cake with a few fresh berries. Dust the cake with a little extra fine sugar or icing sugar, and serve.
Note: Soft butter means it鈥檚 at room temperature and soft enough to beat.
Eric鈥檚 options: If you prefer to fill the cake with butter-cream icing instead of whipped cream, place 1鈦�2 cup soft butter in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until smooth and creamy. Add 11鈦�2 cups icing sugar and 1鈦�2 tsp pure vanilla extract and beat until a smooth icing is created.
To use, place one cake on a cake plate and spread it with the icing. Now top and spread the butter cream with the jam. Set on the second cake and finish as described above.
Eric Akis is the author of The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
