Victoria Sponge Cake: A classic English or British cake

Above is an image of a classic Victoria sponge cake. Looks good, doesn't it?

This cake has an interesting history which I would like to briefly share with you, before getting down to the nitty gritty of how to make this cake.

History of the Victoria sponge Cake.

I guess the clue is in the name of this cake. The Victoria in question is Queen Victoria who reigned as Queen of Great Britain, and the British Empire, for the best part of the nineteenth century. In fact she reigned from 1837 until 1901. Isn't it funny how the longest reigning British monarchs tend to be females?

Queen Victoria's reign was a golden age for some and there were many innovations. The Victoria sponge cake was invented as a sweet treat to accompany tea-time which was a new concept at this time.

Anna, the Duchess of Bedford was one of Queen Victoria's ladies in waiting. She had this role for around ten years. During this time she found that, in the late afternoon, she would have a "sinking feeling" In other words she would feel very hungry.

This was said to be due to the timing of lunch and dinner.

The Duchess invented tea-time initially as just a time of the day when her servants would sneak her a few edible treats, to last her until the evening meal. Around 4pm they would provide the Duchess with a pot of tea and some bread snacks. In due course the Duchess expanded her tea parties so that they included guests, small cakes and petite sandwiches.

By 1885 Queen Victoria was holding such parties herself and her guests were expected to wear formal dress. The Queen's sweet tooth soon guaranteed that the small cakes that were served became her favourites.

Fittingly these small cakes were called Victoria sponge cakes, and still are to this day.

You may find that, what we English call Victoria sponge cake, is similar to some cake recipes in your country. These days these sponge cakes are often made in small individual bun cases, with fresh fruit added, whipped cream or even chocolate varieties. However, the basic Victoria sponge is a classic recipe and here are the details. Once you have perfected the basic cake you can let your imagination run wild.

The details below will make a cake that has ten to twelve average servings. Before you begin take out:

• Two round sandwich cake tins, around 20cms across.

• Enough greaseproof paper or baking parchment to line these tins.

• A small amount of lard, fat or margarine to grease the bake ware.

• A packet of icing sugar or caster sugar, for lightly dusting the finished cake.

You will also need:

• A sieve or sugar shaker, which is optional.
• Jam and cream for the filling.
• A large mixing bowl.
• A large spoon or spatula.
• A hand-mixer or large fork.

The ingredients for the cake are:

175g or 4 ounces of caster sugar.
3 medium or large eggs, preferably Free Range as these make for a tastier cake.
175g or four ounces of self-raising flour.
175g or 4 ounces of unsalted butter or margarine. It does not have to be butter but this does give the cake a richer flavour.

Getting started:

Pre-heat the oven to either 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Whilst the oven is warming line two 18cm or 7inch cake tins with baking parchment or greaseproof paper.

You can use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together if preferred. However, the traditional method is to use a large fork and plenty of elbow grease.

Once the butter and sugar are creamed, add the eggs. These need to be beaten in. However, add a little at a time to make sure that the mixture does not curdle. If there are any signs that it is doing so, add a little of the flour.

Add the rest of the flour by sifting it into the mixture. Fold the flour in using a large metal spoon. Traditionally folding flour into such a mixture needs a stirring motion with a large metal spoon or spatula. The stirring motion should be in the shape of a figure 8.

To see if the mixture is ready, lift a little onto the spoon and see how it drops into the bowl. When it is ready it has a dropping consistency.

If the mixture is too stiff add a little milk. Take care not to add too much though. Add a teaspoonful at a time.

This mixture then needs dividing as equally as possible between the two baking tins. Gently spread the surface of each with a flat bladed knife or a spatula. If preferred you can make one large, deep cake and slice it in half horizontally.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for between 20 to 25 minutes. Avoid opening the oven door unnecessarily or the cakes may fall flat, instead of rising.

Check that the cakes are cooked fully by inserting a skewer or long needle. If the skewer has some cake mixture stuck to it, the cake is not quite ready.

Allow the cakes to cool slightly for around 5 minutes and then turn them out onto a wire cooling tray. Whilst the cakes are cooling tackle the filling.

The cake filling:

For a classic Victoria you will need strawberry jam and cream. More often than not a butter cream is used rather than a rich cream. However, the choice is yours. Once you have perfected making the basic cake, experiment with flavours and fillings.

Ingredients for a simple butter cream:

85g of softened butter.
175g of sifted icing sugar.
A few drops vanilla essence.

Adjust the above amounts according to taste.

How to make a simple butter cream:

Beat the butter until it has a soft and creamy consistency. Add the icing sugar a little at a time. As you add a little icing sugar beat the mixture well. It is a good idea to add the icing sugar in three separate lots. The beating will prevent the butter cream from becoming lumpy. Add a few drops of vanilla essence if desired, to enhance the flavour, and mix thoroughly by stirring.

Sandwiching the cakes together.

The usual method is to spread the jam on the underside of one cake and the cream on the underside of the other. The side of the cake that has the best appearance is the top or the bottom surface of the cake.

When you have spread the jam and the cream onto the cakes, lightly press the two cakes together. Do not use too much pressure or the cake may look uneven and the filling will seep out of the sides.

Final touches

Place a pretty paper doily onto an attractive plate. Centre the finished cake on this plate. Use a sieve or sugar shaker to sprinkle a dusting of icing sugar or caster sugar over the cake.