A Classic Victoria Sponge
4 free-range eggs
225g/8oz caster sugar, plus a little extra for dusting the finished cake
225g/8oz self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
225g/8oz baking spread, margarine or soft butter at room temperature, plus a little extra to grease the tins
For the filling
good-quality strawberry or raspberry jam
whipped double cream (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Grease and line 2 x 20cm/8in sandwich tins: use a piece of baking or silicone
paper to rub a little baking spread or butter around the inside of the tins
until the sides and base are lightly coated. Line the bottom of the tins with a
circle of baking or silicone paper (to do this, draw around the base of the tin
onto the paper and cut out).
Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, baking
powder and baking spread.
Mix everything together until well combined. The easiest way to do this is with
an electric hand mixer, but you can use a wooden spoon. Put a damp cloth under
your bowl when you’re mixing to stop it moving around. Be careful not to
over-mix – as soon as everything is blended you should stop. The finished
mixture should be of a soft ‘dropping’ consistency – it should fall off a spoon
easily.
Divide the mixture evenly between the tins: this doesn’t need to be exact, but
you can weigh the filled tins if you want to check. Use a spatula to remove all
of the mixture from the bowl and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.
Place the tins on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Don't be
tempted to open the door while they're cooking, but after 20 minutes do look
through the door to check them.
The cakes are done when they’re golden-brown and coming away from the edge of
the tins. Press them gently to check – they should be springy to the touch.
Remove them from the oven and set aside to cool in their tins for five minutes.
Then run a palette or rounded butter knife around the inside edge of the tin and
carefully turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
To take your cakes out of the tins without leaving a wire rack mark on the top,
put the clean tea towel over the tin, put your hand onto the tea towel and turn
the tin upside-down. The cake should come out onto your hand and the tea towel –
then you can turn it from your hand onto the wire rack.
Set aside to cool completely.
To assemble the cake, place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with
plenty of jam. If you want to, you can spread over whipped cream too.
Top with the second cake, top-side up. Sprinkle over the caster sugar
My Verdict:- This is the simplest cake in the world and really strips cakes back to basics. Even a complete novice could make this!
P.S This post I want to draw your attention to a lovely little company called Connies Cakes. Now Connie is I believe in her late teens/ early twenties and makes some amazing cakes for special events in the Northallerton area. What she manages to make out of cake, chocolate, and icing are amazing- have a look https://www.facebook.com/pages/Connies-Cakes-Northallerton/179293378772423
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