Name: English Victoria Sponge Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British Irish
Ingredients: ½ cup Butter, softened, plus extra for greasing; ½ cup Sugar; 2 Egg, room temperature; ¾ cup All-Purpose Flour; 1 tsp Baking Powder; 1 tbsp Milk, only if batter is too thick; ½ tsp Vanilla Extract; ¼ cup Fruit Jam, strawberry or raspberry style jam; ⅓ cup Heavy Whipping Cream, whipped to soft peaks; 1 tbsp Powdered Sugar, for dusting

1 hr 20 mintotal

50 min hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 25 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: None

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Method

Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line two small round cake tins, or one tin if you plan to split the cake after baking.
Beat the softened butter and sugar until pale, creamy, and light.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Fold in the flour, baking powder, and vanilla gently. Add milk only if the batter feels too stiff.
Divide the batter between the tins and level the tops.
Bake until the cakes are golden, spring back lightly, and a tester comes out clean.
Cool completely before filling, otherwise the cream will melt.
Spread fruit jam over one sponge, add whipped cream, then place the second sponge on top.
Dust with powdered sugar and slice gently with a serrated knife.

How to tell it's done

The sponge should be light and tender, with a soft jam-and-cream centre and a delicate sugar-dusted top.

Getting it right

Tip

For a lighter sponge, stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears into the batter.

What to serve it with

Serve with tea, coffee, or fresh berries as an afternoon snack or dessert.

Substitutions

Use Fruit Jam as listed; strawberry or raspberry style jam gives the most recognisable Victoria sponge profile.
Use Whipping Cream instead of Heavy Whipping Cream if that is your pantry standard, but whip only to soft peaks.
Do not fill the cake while warm because the cream will melt and the layers may slide.

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