Classic Victoria Sponge Cake
For a quick and simple cake that’s a total crowd pleaser, it has to be a classic Victoria sponge cake. Light and fluffy with buttery smoothness. This cake is the first recipe published at Occasionally Bake because it is fundamental to my love for baking, and a truly British treasure.
This classic sponge was named after Queen Victoria. She
I grew up making Victoria sponge cake, likely due to the ease of the recipe. Equal quantities of butter, sugar, eggs
Can I Really Add all the Ingredients at Once?
This really is a child-friendly simple recipe. I have always just measured the ingredients and added them all to the mixing bowl at once. When you’re baking with toddlers you want to keep it speedy! It’s easy, and certainly for this particular recipe, it works.
I have not experimented enough with the recipe to know if adding the ingredients in stages would enhance it. Most sponge recipes call for beating the butter and sugar together first, then add eggs, and then gradually mixing in the dry ingredients. Next time I’ll give this a go and report back on the difference.
Gluten Free Victoria Sponge Cake
My twin boys are gluten intolerant which isn’t great when Mom loves to bake! Some recipes work better than others when it comes to gluten free flour, but this one works great! The Victoria sponge cake photographed in this post is made with King Arthur Gluten Free Flour and I was amazed how well it rose with no compromise in flavor.
Cream on Top, in the Middle or on the Side?
I may have ruffled some British feathers putting my whipped cream on top of my Victoria sponge cake! Traditionally the sponge is topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Some like to add whipped cream to the center filling, along with the jam, but I find the weight of the top sponge soon makes the cream squeeze out of the side.
If you want to stay truly Victorian, omit the cream and strawberries, stick with a dusting of powdered sugar and on top, and served with a little whipped cream on the side.
Victoria Sponge Cake
Ingredients
- For the Sponge:
- 1 cup Butter (8oz)
- 1 cup Sugar (8oz)
- 1 cup flour (8oz)
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 Eggs
- For the Filling:
- 4 tbs Strawberry jam
- 1 cup Heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbs sugar
- 3 Fresh strawberries (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the base of two 8″ cake pans with lining paper and grease the pans with butter.
- Add all the sponge ingredients into a large mixing bowl together and beat in an electric mixer for 2 minutes until smooth.
- Divide the mixture equally between the two cake pans and level/smooth with a spatula. Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. They are ready when risen and golden. Test with a skewer if unsure (should come out dry).
- Allow the sponge to cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and fully cool on a rack.
- Once cooled, remove the lining paper. Spread a layer of jam onto one sponge and put the other layer on top.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream and sugar until stiff peaks (1-2 minutes). Spread across the top of your sandwich sponge.
- Decorate with sliced fresh strawberries (optional).
Have yourself a truly British afternoon tea with this classic Victoria sponge cake recipe. And if you want to get geeky about making the perfect whipped cream, I highly recommend Add a Pinch’s recipe for the perfect whipped cream.
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[…] recipes take well to gluten-free flour and others not so much. After the success of my Victoria Sponge Cake, I decided to make these with gluten-free flour because my twin boys are intolerant. The advantage […]