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Make A Classic Victoria Sandwich Cake For Teatime With This Easy Recipe

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Atiqah Mokhtar •  Jun 24, 2020

Victoria sandwich cake (also known as Victoria sponge cake) is a quintessentially British treat. Made of two light fluffy sponge cakes that are sandwiched together with strawberry jam and other yummy fillings, it's the perfect cake to have with tea (even better when you have some scones too!). Victoria sandwich cakes look super impressive but are actually considered a beginner-friendly cake to bake in the kitchen. It's the perfect treat to whip up and we've got an easy and halal Victoria sandwich cake recipe for you to follow! Traditionally, the cakes were sandwiched with just jam, but nowadays many people add luscious whipped cream and fresh strawberries for an even yummier cake (we've included both options below for you!) ?

P.S. Looking for other recipes for an English high tea at home? Check this list out!

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs, weighed (with their shells - the total weight of the eggs will be used to determine the amount of butter, sugar and flour to use)
  • An equal amount of unsalted butter, softened
  • An equal amount of caster sugar
  • An equal amount of self-rising flour (alternatively, you can use all-purpose flour and add baking powder amounting to 5% of the all-purpose flour)
  • 1 tsp baking powder (if you're using regular flour, this is in addition to the baking powder added)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence (or 1 tsp alcohol-free pure vanilla)
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons milk

For the sandwich filling and topping:

  • Strawberry jam
  • 200ml Whipping cream + 2 tsp sugar (optional)
  • A punnet of fresh strawberries, hulled and halved (optional)
  • Icing sugar

Directions

  1. Grease two 8-inch/20cm cake tins, flour the sides and line the bottoms with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
  2. To a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar and cream together (using your stand mixer or hand mixer) until the mixture is paler in colour and fluffy.
  3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition to incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times to ensure everything gets mixed.
  4. Add the vanilla and mix it in.
  5. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Using the mixer on low speed, whisk until mixed in.
  6. Add enough milk just so that the batter is slightly looser - it should fall off your spatula relative easily, but it shouldn't be super runny.
  7. Divide the batter equally into your prepared cake tins. Using your spatula or a palette knife, even out the batter in each tin.
  8. Bake them for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown and the cakes spring back gently when pressed. You can also use a skewer or toothpick and poke it in the centre of the cake - if it comes out cleanly, your cakes are ready.
  9. Cool the cakes in their tins for 10 minutes, then remove from the tins and let cool completely on a wire rack.
  10. In the meantime, prepare your fillings - if you're using cream, add the whipping cream and 2 teaspoons of sugar into a bowl and whip it until soft peaks form (don't overbeat it until stiff).
  11. When your cakes are fully cooled, take one cake and place it on your serving plate or cake stand (use the less pretty one of your two cakes! ?). Spread the top of the cake with a layer of jam. If using the other toppings, add your whipped cream and smoothen it across the cake (leave a tiny bit of margin around the edges of the cake as the filling will squish down slightly when you place the second cake on top). Arrange a layer of strawberries on top of the cream.
  12. Add the second cake on top of the fillings. Dust the top with sifted icing sugar.

Notes:

  1. If you have extra cream and strawberries you can also use it to decorate the top of the cake.
  2. Some people prefer to use buttercream for the filling instead of whipped cream, including the famous British food writer Mary Berry! If you'd rather have that instead, you can check out the buttercream filling used in her recipe.

Victoria sandwich cake was a favourite of Britain's Queen Victoria, and it's little wonder why everyone still loves it to this day! And when it's this easy to make with such pretty and delicious pay-off, there's always a good reason to bake this at home ?