The Best Victoria Sponge Recipe

Bake x2 shallow round cakes to be sandwiched together to create the classic cake

Once cooled remove cakes from tins to and prepare the butter-cream filling

Spoon generous amounts of jam on each half of the cake

Carefully spoon half of the vanilla butter-cream onto one half of the cake

Then add the strawberry flavouring to the remaining mixture and spoon on the 2nd cake

Sandwich the two halves together and voilà a fabulous kitsch twist on the classic Victoria sponge that looks and tastes like marshmallows ... yummy!

Sponge Cake Ingredients

* 225g/8oz margarine

*225g/8oz caster sugar

225g/80z self raising flour

* 4 medium eggs

* 2 tsp vanilla extract

* milk to loosen mixture if needed

* jam in preferred flavour

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180'c

grease and line two cake tins
cream the margarine and sugar together until soft and fluffy

beat the eggs and add a little bit at a time

Sift the flour and fold into the batter a little bit at a time using a large metal spoon

add the vanilla extract and milk if needed

fold until the batter mixture is smooth and even consistency

divide into the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Butter-cream ingredients

* 140g/5oz butter or margarine

* 280g/10oz icing sugar

1-2 tsp milk to bind mixture

- add 2-3 drops of prefferred colouring/flavour

Method

Beat the butter in a bowl until smooth and add half of the icing sugar

Beat until smooth and add remaining sugar

add milk to loosen the mixture slightly if needed and add the colouring of flavouring of choice

Soooo seen as I am off work at the moment with my useless foot I am starting to go a little crazy being stuck at home. So to keep my self out of mischief I arranged an afternoon date with a friend for a catch up and promised some baked goods. It is a long time since I have baked, or even eaten a Victoria sponge cake, and I do agree that the traditional recipes are often the best and shouldn't be messed with, but my creativity took over me and I produced my own twist to the classic. Not veering too far from the path I decided to to use blackcurrant jam instead of the usual strawberry, and made both vanilla and strawberry butter-cream filling which I must admit created a cake not for dieters but tasted divine.

With a fun and feminine look this cake smells of marshmallows and is as light to eat, the perfect cake to take pride of place on the table for our afternoon tea gathering.

xxx