A perfect blank canvas named after the Queen, a Victorian sponge cake is easy to master and fill with curds, creams or jams for a fresh summer dessert.
By Oana Olguta
I love desserts that have a beautiful story as much as I love creating entremets or other desserts from scratch. And this Victoria sponge cake makes no exception. Having British origins, it seems that this cake was named after Queen Victoria who was introduced to it by Anna, the Dutchess of Bedford and it soon became one of her favorite cakes. In fact, Queen Victoria is quite famous for her sweet tooth and historians say she used to order dozens of cakes and cookies to be sent to her palace every week. So it’s safe to say that she absolutely loved cake!
A traditional Victoria sponge cake consists of two layers of delicate, buttery sponge, sandwiched with strawberry jam and cream. But this is just a base, like a white canvas where you can let your imagination go wild and paint your own masterpiece. For that reason I kept the sponge as traditional as possible and made my own strawberry jam with a kick of rhubarb.
Or, try filling this cake with a tart lemon or blood orange filling. Find the recipe here.
PrintClassic Victorian Sponge Cake
- Yield: 1 cake 1x
Description
A perfect blank canvas named after the Queen, a Victorian sponge cake is easy to master and fill with curds, creams or jams for a fresh summer dessert.
Ingredients
- 175g (6.1 ounces) butter, softened
- 175g (6.1 ounces) white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 175g (6.1 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 200g (7 ounces) heavy cream, whipped
- 200g (7 ounces) rhubarb
- 200g (7 ounces) strawberries, halved
- 80g (2.8 ounces) sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350F and line 2 round cake pans (18cm) with baking paper.
- Mix the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until airy and pale.
- Stir in the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each addition then turn the mixer on high speed and mix for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Sift the flour with salt and baking powder into the bowl and incorporate it with a spatula (don’t use the mixer).
- Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pan.
- For the rhubarb strawberry jam mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Place aside for 10 minutes then cook on low heat until the fruits are softened, about 10 minutes.
- Allow the jam to cool completely before use.
- To finish the cake, place on sponge on a platter and top with half of the whipped cream. Drizzle with jam and top with the remaining cream. Cover with the second sponge and refrigerate until serving.
Notes
You don’t need the entire batch of jam for this cake, but you can easily store the remaining jam in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Category: Dessert, Baking, Cake
