Victoria Sponge Cake

It seems I haven’t posted a cake recipe for a while. Actually what happened, I baked apple muffin last week, and then couple of days ago whole-meal  banana blueberry bread with this recipe. Now, this baking spree, reminded me that there is a Victoria sponge cake recipe resting in my draft. So, here it is a cake recipe for this weekend. This is one of those English desserts which sets the mood for a relaxed weekend and of course have it with a cup of tea.

I think I have liked light spongy cakes minus the crème and all that glitters, and there was even a recipe with mango syrup- Mango flavoured sponge cake .This Victoria sponge cake recipe is quite similar to that but stands out as it is completed with jam and crème frosting, making it even more fulfilling.There are possibly many recipe out in net, basic rule is to use equal measure of butter and flour to be precise, sometimes to which, I don't like to follow strictly.And we often use cooking oil in place of butter which is easy to fold with cake batter.These days butter spreads are available which are less of butter and more of vegetable oils, one can even use that as well.I have used both - cooking oil and butter spread for this recipe.

Now I do keep left-over cakes in fridge as with all that crème toppings and jam, I don’t risk the spoilage and it does add up to the moisture of the cake. Well, of course if there is no left-over there is no need to store them in fridge. Just take them out at least half an hour before you may like to consume it, have it with drizzle of honey or any other sauce of your preference.

This was well received by my folks. Without further additions, let’s jump to the recipe now

Victoria Sponge cake
Recipe requirements

• 2 cups of self raising flour
• 3 normal size free range eggs
• 4 heaped tbs of butter spread
• ½ cup of corn oil or sunflower oil
• ¾ cup of sugar
• ½ tsp of baking powder
• ¼ tsp of baking soda
• 4-5 heaped tbs of thick yogurt
• 1 tsp of vanilla essence
• About a tub of double cream
• 1/2 cup of icing sugar or as required
• About 1 cup of jam-strawberry or raspberry jam

Method

1. Take self raising flour or premium cake flour in a mixing bowl. If possible sieve in well beforehand. Now add in baking powder and baking soda to this.
2. In a big separate mixing bowl mix well sugar, oil and butter spread very well. Now add in egg one at a time, folding the egg well until the mixture turns out light in colour and fluffy. Use other two eggs similarly. Take time to fluff each as this provides the sponginess to the cake.
3. Now add in yogurt and mix well. Add in vanilla essence.
4. Use about quarter cup of flour mixture and mix well with the wet ingredient mixture of egg+sugar+oil+yogurt.Use up left-over flour mixture similarly.
5. Now preheat an oven at 170 deg C. Prepare the cake tin by dusting off flour and coating it well.
6. I have used two small round cake baking tins. Pour the cake batter equally in two small rounds. You can even use large Bundt pan for this, just check the temperature and time for baking then.
7. Place these two cake tins in the middle rack of the oven. Bake these two cakes about 20-25 mints, take them out and let it cool off. Please refer your oven settings for baking purpose as each oven-make is slightly different. And you may use this recipe in microwave also, refer microwave oven tutorials.
8. After they have cooled, flip them out from the cake tin.
9. Prepare the sponge cake toppings. Take about a tub of double cream and add in 1/2  cup of icing sugar to it. Mix and blend well till they form soft peaks, check for the sweetness, if required add in more. Sometimes I also use crème fraiche as well, to that I have to add little bit of more icing sugar.you may just have it with plain whipped cream and strawberry jam as well.

1. Now cut the baked cakes into half, making it three layered. Now take strawberry jam.Smear the jam over each cut cake layers and then put the crème all over it. Now do similarly with the other layer and at the end put the last cake layers on top slowly and carefully. Use the left-over icing over the top of the cake. Your Victorian sponge cake is ready. If you don’t like the cream toppings then ideally you should dust it off with icing sugar.
2. In place of strawberry jam, one can even use raspberry jam. Jam, crème and sponge cake that is Victoria sponge cake for you, have it with a cup of tea and have a relaxing weekend every one.

Happy Cooking Friends and Have a lovely weekend