The Perfect Victoria Sponge

Yesterday was one of my favourite South African's birthday & to celebrate I obviously baked! It is a MUST to be able to whip up a cake... they are far too simple to make & far too expensive in the shops to buy unless you want a dry cake that needs an entire cup of tea to wash it down (waste of calories in my opinion).

The Victoria Sponge is so easy to make and one that will always impress. The best bit if that you can adapt this cake to make it a pudding, birthday cake or afternoon tea purely by decoration and filling.

Serves 10-12 

(depends on the generosity of your slice)

Pre-heat oven to 180°C

Bake to perfection for 20 minutes

You will need the following:

For the Sponge:

175g Butter

175g Caster Sugar

175g Self-Raising Flour

3 Eggs

A few drops of Vanilla Essence (not essential)

For the Filling:

3 tbsp of the Jam of your choice, I choose raspberry

You can add whipped cream or butter icing if you wish

For the icing:

Icing Sugar

Alternatives:

Butter Icing, Water Icing, Cream Icing

Method:

In a bowl measure out your butter and caster sugar

Cream the two together till they are combined in a smooth & fluffy mixture

Next add the eggs, one at a time

Add the Flour and mix in well so there are no lumps

Add a drop of vanilla essence if you wish

When your mixture is looking nice and combined, pour into two circular greased (removable bottom) baking tins. If the mixture is not of a ribbon consistency the cake will be dry when it is cooked, so it is essential that you have measure out your ingredients precisely

 Good Old Fashioned Advice: DO NOT be tempted to open the oven door whilst the cake is cooking, the oven temperature will drop and your cakes will not rise properly

After 20 minutes baking , let your cakes cool on a wire rack. 

Then run a knife around the edge of your pan and push the cake out from the bottom

If the cakes have risen in the middle, level out the bottom layer of your cake so you can spread the jam on the cake evenly (If you wish to add cream or butter icing place this on the under side of your top layer and sandwich together)

Place the top layer on top and dust with icing sugar using a sieve

Serve with a couple of pieces of fruit of the flavour jam you have used. Today I used raspberry, so a few raspberries to decorate! 

Enjoy ...