Victoria Sponge Cake

This recipe is for a quick and easy cake that is popular in the UK. Who knew that such a simple cake with so few ingredients could be so good? This cake is perfect for a light after dinner treat or it could be served at a party for an elegant yet simple dessert. It is not overly sweet, so the texture of the cake, the fruit and cream really come through. You can use raspberries as I did or the more common strawberries and cream. Dust with a light coating of confectioner's sugar and you are done!

Victoria Sponge Cake

1 cup butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
4 medium eggs (I used large)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups self raising flour

milk, to loosen


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Grease and line 7in cake pans or 1 larger baking pan (10 inch) with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper.

Cream the butter and the sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in the vanilla extract.

Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little extra milk if necessary, to create a batter with a soft dropping consistency.

Divide the mixture between the cake pans and gently spread out with a spatula.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack.

(If you made one large cake, use a serrated knife and cut the layer in half. Proceed below)

Sandwich the cakes together with jam, lemon curd or whipped cream and berries or just enjoy on its own.

Adapted from the BBC Food Recipes

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”
-Walter Bagehot quotes (British political Analyst, Economist and Editor, one of the most influential journalists of the mid-Victorian period.1826-1877)